Chicago Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Becoming princess Ariel for Disney’s live action “The Little Mermaid” required Halle Bailey to be in the water for 13 hours straight on set during some days of filming, the actor revealed in a new Edition magazine profile. The film, directed by “Chicago” and “Into the Woods” helmer Rob Marshall, used practical water tanks and visual effects to create extensive underwater sequences for the movie. “I pushed myself as far as I’ve ever pushed myself in life,” Bailey told the publication about spending some days on set in the water for 13 hours. “And I feel like the message from [Ariel] was to know that you’ve always had it in you.”

 — a live broadcast of MLB games on Apple TV+. Apple announced on Wednesday that broadcasts of Major League Baseball games on Apple TV+ this season will require a subscription to the service.Kicking off with a doubleheader on Friday, April 7, the Texas Rangers face the Chicago Cubs, followed by the San Diego Padres facing the Atlanta Braves. Just like last year, Apple will show two live baseball games every Friday night with a rotating cast of teams. Now, you will need an Apple TV+ subscription, which costs $7 per month with a seven-day free trial, if you want to watch.Sign up for Apple TV+Apple and MLB also announced the schedule for the first half of the season, which will last through June 30. This year, Wayne Randazzo and Alex Faust are handling the play-by-plays, joined by analysts Dontrelle Willis and Ryan Spilborghs, and sideline reporters Heidi Watney and Tricia Whitaker. Live pre- and postgame coverage will again be hosted by Lauren Gardner, along with Siera Santos.Beginning MLB Opening Day, fans in the U.S.

Halstead is back in the Windy City — but in a new role. Jesse Lee Soffer is making his directorial debut on Chicago P.D.’s Wednesday, March 22, episode, titled “Deadlocked.”

Picture this! Charlie’s Angels costars Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore aren’t afraid to bare it all in front of each other — and keep the photo evidence.

UTA and partner company Klutch Sports Group announced the opening of their Atlanta office today, setting up a full-service base of operations in the city for artists, athletes, musicians and brands with strong ties to the region. It’s located at 1401 Peachtree Street in the Midtown arts and business district, with a gallery on the lower floor.

United Talent Agency cut the ribbon to its Atlanta offices Wednesday, marking the first of the major talent agencies to offer a full-service office expansion in the growing market of the Peach State’s capitol.“Atlanta is a vibrant city for music, sports and arts, and there is a ripe opportunity to create another center of gravity for film and television,” UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer said in a statement. “We are excited to bring our full range of services to the community of talented artists, athletes, musicians and creators who call the Southeast their home.” UTA Atlanta co-heads Steve Cohen and Rob Gibbs jointly added that the city “planting our flag here gives us the ability to support clients with investments and opportunities across the city’s growing creative ecosystem.”UTA’s Atlanta offices will offer representation across entertainment and talent divisions, including film and television, music, sports, digital talent, marketing, gaming and fine arts.

Easter is on and we're taking inspo from Kim Kardashian's children, North West, Chicago, Saint and Psalm, and their cute Easter PJs!In an adorable pic shared on Instagram last year, the Kardashian kids, whose dad is Kanye West, snuggled with their famous mom wearing Easter print HART + LAND Organic Cotton PJs.RELATED: 20 best Easter basket ideas kids will love, from toys & treats to ready-made baskets to shopThe two-piece set, which comes in sizes from 18 months up to 12 years, is usually priced at $50, but they're on sale right now for 40% off at eco-friendly retailer The Tot. Kim Kardashian and her kids celebrated Easter wearing these sweet Hart + Land PJs in 2022Family themed PJs are such a fun way to get into the Easter spirit, and these ones also come in a version for babies on sale for $24.

Jesse Lee Soffer returns to  following his departure as Detective Jay Halstead earlier this season — this time as a first-time director. Soffer exited as a series regular after the Oct. 5 episode.

On their own paths. Kel Mitchell couldn’t be happier about teaming up with Kenan Thompson again — but the duo have been through some highs and lows.

Like all of Us, Zendaya was shocked when Law Roach announced his decision to retire as a celebrity stylist. The fashion guru revealed that he announced the big news without talking to the actress first.   

Broadway’s old and new teamed up last week to boost total box office nearly 20%, with The Phantom of the Opera (the old) posting a best-ever $3 million weekly gross and The Jonas Brothers (the new, to Broadway anyway) taking in $1.6 million for their five-concert residency.

The organizers of Lollapalooza have announced the annual Chicago summer music festival's 2023 lineup. This year's headline acts are Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Odesza, Lana Del Rey, Karol G, The 1975, and Tomorrow x Together.

North West has been spending more time with her dad’s ‘wife.’ The 9-year-old was spotted arriving at church in Los Angeles with her father Kanye West, and his boo Bianca Censori. The father-daughter duo had the same expression towards the paparazzi as Censori greeted a friend.Kanye and Censori wore matching black leather looks. She had a very interesting handbag that looked like it was attached to a leather glove. North rocked long green braids, a black t-shirt, shorts, high school, and cool sneakers.Kardashians at the Met Gala: All their looks from 2013 to 2022Watch the 10 Best Celebrity TikToks of the Week: Martha Stewart, Selena Gomez, Kris Jenner, and moreKim Kardashian’s 9-year-old son excited to meet Lionel MessiThe sighting comes after a source told Entertainment TonightKim Kardashian is “fine” with Censori being around their kids.

Lollapalooza has outdone themselves.The annual Chicago festival just announced their 170-artist lineup and per usual hey have a little something for everyone.This year, the top spots for the Aug. 3-6 fest at Grant Park belong to hip-hop icon Kendrick Lamar, mega star Billie Eilish, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Red Hot Chili Peppers, EDM hitmakers Odesza, pop royalty The 1975, songstress Lana Del Rey, rising Latin sensation Karol G, and K-pop group Tomorrow X Together.Other artists on the expansive bill include A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Carly Rae Jepsen, Diplo, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Maggie Rogers.We’re still just getting started.Lil Yachty, Lainey Wilson, Noah Kahan, Portugal.

Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish and Red Hot Chili Peppers are among the headliners for Lollapalooza 2023, which is set for August 3-6 in Chicago’s Grant Park.

EXCLUSIVE: NBCUniversal Syndication Studios has renewed the syndicated chatfest The Steve Wilkos Show for a 17th season.  The Steve Wilkos Show tackles family and criminal justice, true crime and relationship conflicts. The show is hosted by Steve Wilkos, a former Chicago police officer and U.S. Marine. 

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Odesza, Lana Del Rey, Karol G, the 1975 and Tomorrow X Together are the top-billed artists for the Lollapalooza 2023 festival, taking place at its longtime home of Chicago’s Grant Park from August 3-6.  This year’s lineup also includes Fred again, Noah Kahan, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, J.I.D., Maggie Rogers, Carly Rae Jepsen, Diplo, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Tems, the Rose, Rina Sawayama, Lil Yachty, Rema, Morgan Wade, Lainey Wilson, L’Impératrice, Ivan Cornejo, Sudan Archives, and many others (see the full 170-plus-artist lineup below). The festival, which celebrated its 30 th anniversary in 2021, will take place across nine stages and four days.

A Chicago woman who had been missing for two months has been found dead. Rosa Chacon, 21, hasn

A post shared by Jennifer Hudson (@iamjhud)MORE: Jennifer Hudson opens up about dramatic weight loss and admits she never exercisesMORE: Jennifer Hudson's intense transformation for latest role leaves fans astoundedThe singer recently sparked a reaction from her fans when she shared a sweet photo of her and her rumored boyfriend, Common.The American Idol alumna took to Instagram to wish the rapper a happy birthday and uploaded a photo of the pair posing with their arms wrapped around each other. Both Jennifer and Common hail from Chicago, and the singer currently resides in Burr Ridge in a majestic $3 million home, which you can see a glimpse inside in the video below.WATCH: Jennifer Hudson shares peek inside jaw-dropping Chicago homeAlongside the touching image, she penned: "Team Jhud pls help me wish one of the brightest lights, a Chicago and hip hop legend, the one and only @common a very happy birthday on today!"Common showed appreciation for Jennifer's shoutout and reposted the picture on his Instagram Story, adding: "Thank You!" Jennifer positively glowing with CommonFans raced to the comment section of Jennifer's post to ask whether her birthday message was confirmation of their relationship. "Is that a 'Soft Launch Insta Official'," replied one.

Amazon Freevee has announced that it will stream Casa Grande, a bilingual limited series that examines the everyday realities and conflicts between California’s migrant workforce and the landowners who reap the profits.

You’re going to have to get it up pretty early in the morning to impress Larsa Pippen! She and her ex-husband, NBA great Scottie Pippen, apparently had a WILD sex life for DECADES!

His truth. Retired celebrity stylist Law Roach has shared a response to Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ claim that “someon e” told her she “wasn’t sample-sized.” 

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Amazon Freevee has landed the exclusive first-run U.S. rights to “Casa Grande,” a bilingual limited series that follows the tales of California’s hardworking, often undocumented migrant workforce, as well as the wealthy landowners in Northern California. The series, which consists of five one-hour episodes, premieres May 1 on Freevee. Lauren Swickard (“A California Christmas”) and Ali Afshar created “Casa Grande,” which comes from Afshar’s ESX Entertainment shingle. Series stars include John Pyper-Ferguson (“The 100,” “Suits”), Christina Moore (“That ‘70s Show,” “90210”), Madison Lawlor (“Juniper”), Karen Bethzabe (“Babylon”), Javier Bolaños (“All American”), Raquel Dominguez (“Chicago Med”), James Marsters (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer”), Kate Mansi (“Days of Our Lives”), Daniel Edward Mora (“Coco”), Loren Escandon (“The Baxters”) and Ali Afshar (“He’s Just Not That Into You”).

Latto has said that she got arrested for carrying a loaded gun at LAX while explaining the story behind some of her latest lyrics.The rapper recently appeared on Chicago drill star Mello Buckzz’s ‘Boom, Pt. 2’.

New mom! Jane The Virgin alum Gina Rodriguez and husband Joe LoCicero welcomed their first child.

100 gecs have celebrated the release of their new album by sharing a video for ‘Dumbest Girl Alive’ – check it out below.The hyperpop duo – Laura Les and Dylan Brady – released their long-awaited second album ‘10,000 gecs’ yesterday (March 17).Their ‘Dumbest Girl Alive’ video sees the pair in a warehouse, with Brady sitting unmoved on some stairs with an acoustic guitar, while a superimposed, glitchy version of Les dances away while performing the song.Check it out below.Giving ‘10,000 gecs’ a five-star review, NME wrote: “Though it’s sorely missing some choice cuts from 100 gecs’ current live set (namely ‘Fallen 4 Ü’ and ‘What’s That Smell?’), ‘10,000 gecs’ is insanely fun and impressively ambitious.“It’s also short but sweet, throwing its turbulent flurry of punches and then dipping out before listeners have a chance to really think about what’s going on. And therein lies the key to making the most of ‘10,000 gecs’: don’t think too hard about it, just take a deep breath and ride the wave.”Next month, the band will begin a huge North American headline tour behind ‘10,000 gecs’.

There might be a “Daisy Jones & The Six” tour at some point in the near future.

Bill Burr is taking off on a quick eight-show arena tour from March through August this year.Midway through the short run of gigs, he’ll perform his audacious brand of comedy at Newark’s Prudential Center on June 24.Other notable stops include Los Angeles on March 21, Las Vegas on May 6 and Springfield, MA on Aug. 12.The 54-year-old Massachusetts native is coming off a big 2022 too — last August, he became the first comedian to headline Boston’s Fenway Park.

Kim Kardashian was probably the last person Arsenal supporters expected to see at the club’s match against Sporting Lisbon, but the 42 year old was spotted there, having swapped LA's sunny climate for a night out in London. Kim was joined by her seven year old Saint - who she shares with ex-husband Kanye West - at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night, where they watched the match from an exclusive VIP area.

Jussie Smollett: Anatomy of a Hoax, brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo admitted they were the ones who attacked Smollett, and they’re not holding back any details.Back in 2019, Smollett paid the Osundairo siblings $3,500 to stage the attack on the streets of Chicago.After he went to the hospital and the story broke via social media, the actor claimed that a pair of MAGA hat-wearing white supremacists were responsible.The story quickly gained media attention, and the public was outraged at the apparent hate crime.However, during the investigation and subsequent trial, it was revealed that Smollett had concocted the whole thing as a bid for attention and sympathy.In their interview, the brothers revealed that Smollett wanted to be seen as someone inspiration to both black and gay people.“He wanted to be the poster boy for activism,” they said. “He wanted to be the hero.” They also stated that they took up Smollett’s offer to beat him up because they thought he would eventually help their career.The brothers revealed that they felt betrayed by Smollett after the fraud was revealed, and they called him “insane.”They also said that when they were caught, Smollett threw them under the bus and denied everything.“That’s when I knew that this dude was like a supervillain,” one of the brothers said.

Kim Kardashian is making the best of a tricky situation.

petition has been launched to stop the demolition of a building which once housed Chicago nightclub The Warehouse.Established in 1977, the venue was best known as one of the birthplaces of house music. In its early days, it hosted DJ Frankie Knuckles as its first musical director, who would play a mix of genres like soul, R&B and disco, which marked the beginnings of the house genre.Split across three storeys at 206 S.

announced last year would return for a seventh season with its sights set on New Orleans.

EXCLUSIVE: Gravitas Ventures has picked up North American rights to the RJ Mitte-led supernatural thriller The Unseen, marking the first feature from neurodiverse multihyphenate Jennifer A. Goodman. Pic is slated for release in theaters and on demand via the Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company on June 30th.

No longer a full house. Kelly Rizzo opened up about her decision to sell her and late husband Bob Saget’s shared home following his death.

By the look of Sunday’s Oscar telecast, life had returned to normal in Hollywood. The red carpet was packed with stars, publicists and the media, while the Dolby Theatre was at capacity to celebrate this year’s victor, Everything Everywhere All at Once. The only visible person wearing a mask was Jessica Chastain.