We Need Another One Direction: Pop Recap #2

Happy Sunday to my fellow fans of pop culture!!! This week was STACKED with new announcements and fun releases. Let’s start by catching up with what’s trending on the internet…

• Simon Cowell wants to make yet another boyband. The businessman behind One Direction has posted advertisements around the United Kingdom calling for “future megastars” to audition for a new boyband.

  • Do we need another One Direction? The answer is yes. Can we get another One Direction? Unlikely.

• There’s a new Hunger Games book coming. Author Suzanne Collins has announced “Sunrise on the Reaping,” a new novel based on the story of the District 12 victor Haymitch Abernathy, will release March 18, 2025. A movie based on the new book is also in development. 

• Halsey has returned to the music industry and is opening up about her health journey. The singer says she’s “lucky to be alive” after spending two years battling Lupus and a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder.

• “Sister Act 2” celebrated its 30th anniversary with a cast reunion and performance on ABC’s “The View.”

• Josh Brolin joins the already stacked cast of “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” 

• Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon and more join “Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie,” an upcoming comedy film from Amazon MGM Studios.

• Kate McKinnon and Andy Samberg have been cast in “The Roses.” The duo joins Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch in the remake of “The War of the Roses” from 1989.

• Beck Bennett has been cast in the upcoming “Superman’ movie directed by James Gunn. 

• Tyler Perry is set to write and direct the upcoming Netflix movie “Straw,” starring Taraji P. Henson, Sherri Shepherd and Teyana Taylor.

• A third “Angry Birds” movie is in the works, with Jason Sudeikis and Josh Gad set to return.

• Plankton, from the Spongebob Squarepants franchise, will get his own movie, set to release on Netflix in 2025.

• New this week: Am I Ok? (Max), Hit Man (Netflix), Bad Boys: Ride Or Die (Theaters)

• Dolly Parton has announced Hello, I’m Dolly, a new musical inspired by her life. The Broadway bound production is currently aiming for a 2026 opening. 

• Stereophonic has announced an extension to stay on Broadway through January 5, 2025. 

• The 77th Annual Tony Awards will feature performances from Cabaret, Merrily We Roll Along, The Outsiders and more! The ceremony takes place on June 16. 

• Josh Groban will host this year’s Jimmy Awards. The ceremony honors high school theater performers.

• Ariana Grande released a music video for her single “the boy is mine.” The video includes appearances by Penn Badgley, Monica and Brandy.

• Sabrina Carpenter released a music video, featuring Barry Keoghan, for her new single “Please Please Please.”

• Music fans in New York and Nashville were treated to full weekends of live music, with Governors Ball & CMA Fest taking place this weekend. 

• The All Things Go music festival, typically held annually in Columbia, MD, has revealed it will be hosting a second festival in New York. All Things Go New York will take place at Forest Hills Stadium on September 28 & 29, the same weekend of this year’s Maryland festival. The lineup for NYC’s All Things Go will be revealed on Tuesday, June 11.  

New Release Announcements

• G-Eazy has announced his new album Freak Show, out June 21. 

• Megan Thee Stallion has announced her new album MEGAN, out June 28. 

• Ashton Irwin has announced his new album Blood on the Drums, out July 17. 

• Ice Spice has announced her new album Y2K, out July 26. 

• Little Big Town has announced their Greatest Hits album in celebration of their 25th anniversary, out August 9.

• Sabrina Carpenter has announced her sixth studio album Short n’ Sweet, out August 23. 

Tour Announcements

• Ice Spice has announced the Y2K World Tour, kicking off in Roskilde, Denmark on July 4. 

• Joshua Bassett has announced The Golden Years Tour, set to kick off in Phoenix, AZ on July 30. 

• Gracie Abrams has announced The Secret of Us Tour, set to kick off in Portland, OR on September 5.

• Zedd has announced his Telos Tour, set to kick off in Los Angeles, CA on September 6.

• Cyndi Lauper has announced her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour, set to kick off in Montreal, QC on October 18.

• G-Eazy has announced his Freak Show World Tour, set to kick off in Berkeley, CA on October 24. 

• Leslie Odom Jr. has announced The Christmas Tour, set to kick off in San Francisco, CA on November 29. 

New albums this week: Charli XCX’s Brat, Kaytranada’s Timeless, Tems’ Born in the Wild, Meghan Trainor’s Timeless, Aloe Blacc’s Rock My Soul: Volume I, Bon Jovi’s Forever, ROLE MODEL’s Internet Girl

New singles this week: Halsey’s “The End,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please,” G-Eazy’s “Anxiety,” Marshmello & Sabrina Claudio’s “Don’t Speak”

What’s coming next (6/14): Normani’s Dopamine, Raveena’s Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain

• The 51st Daytime Emmy Awards took place in Los Angeles. “General Hospital” took home the most awards, with four wins. Dick Van Dyke made history as the oldest actor to win a Daytime Emmy. The 98-year-old actor took home the award for guest performer in a daytime drama series.

• Pat Sajak has officially retired from “Wheel of Fortune” after 43 years. Ryan Seacrest will take over hosting the game show.

• “The Voice” has announced the set of four judges for its upcoming 27th season. John Legend and Michael Bublé will return from the previous season. Original coach Adam Levine will also return to the series and Kelsea Ballerini will make her coaching debut. 

• Alec and Hilaria Baldwin will star in a brand new TLC reality series, “The Baldwins.” The show will take viewers into the family’s home as they navigate raising seven children.

• The 25 male contestants of “The Bachelorette” season 21 have been revealed ahead of the series’ July 8 premiere. This season’s bachelorette is Jenn Tran, from season 28 of “The Bachelor.” 

• The contestants of “Love Island USA” season 6 have been revealed. Their island journey begins airing June 11 on Peacock.

• Kristen Stewart has been cast as Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, in the upcoming limited series “The Challenger.”

• Steve Zahn joins Glen Powell in “Chad Powers,” a comedy at Hulu based on Eli Manning’s docuseries character of the same name. 

• Colman Domingo joins Tina Fey and Steve Carell in “Four Seasons,” a new Netflix series based on the 1981 movie of the same name. 

• “All American” has been renewed for season 7 at The CW, while “All American” spin-off series, “All American: Homecoming,” has been canceled. The third and final season will begin July 8.

• “Palm Royale” has been renewed for season 2 at Apple TV+.

• “The Upshaws” has been renewed for a seventh and final season at Netflix.

• New this week: Sweet Tooth S3 (Netflix), The Acolyte (Disney+), Clipped (Hulu)

Last week on the Fan Fave podcast, I talked all about my experience seeing Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway and The Rolling Stones in concert. Listen now and make sure to stay connected with the Fan Fave community on social media. The Fan Fave podcast releases weekly on Tuesdays.

xx Katrina