Entertainment
More Action, Less Sleepy

“If this be victory,” a character on “House of the Dragon” reflects while gazing out at a corpse-strewn battlefield, “I hope I never see another.”
That line is essentially the thesis statement of the “Game of Thrones” prequel series, which returns on June 21 after a now-customary two-year absence. (Franchise fans could get their fix in the meantime with the lovely, much lower-key “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” which aired on HBO earlier this year.) The drama follows a massive civil war that pits the royal family of Westeros against itself to the benefit of absolutely no one. Season 2, however, faced some criticism for its lack of climactic setpieces, potentially due to an episode order shortened from 10 to just eight.
Personally, I was a defender of the sophomore season’s sometimes funereal feel, apart from some true wheel-spinning like an overreliance on dream sequences. Not only did I find the major confrontations we did see, like the death of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) and maiming of Iron Throne claimant Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) in the show’s first proper instance of dragon-on-dragon combat, plenty awesome — as in, literally awe-inspiring — in themselves; I’d also internalized the show’s previously well-established stance toward armed conflict. The quote that opens this review is simply one of the more explicit statements of what any casual “House of the Dragon” viewer already knows: war is hell, and there’s no war more hellacious than one with fire-breathing, questionably controllable weapons of mass destruction. It’s not something to look forward to, or relish when it arrives.
As is typical for a show of this scale, the four episodes of Season 3 provided to critics came with a laundry list of spoilers longer than some wedding toasts. But one plot point I can divulge — in fact, one I bet HBO would very much like me to — is that there’s a major showdown in the very first episode. The infamous Battle of the Gullet pits naval forces loyal to Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and led by decorated commander Corlys “Sea Snake” Velaryon (Stephen Toussaint) against a fleet from a Triarchy of allied city-states who’ve agreed to help break Rhaenyra’s blockade on the Westerosi capital of King’s Landing. It’s also one of several pivotal confrontations that will likely allay concerns about continued treading of water, Narrow Sea or otherwise.
As stewarded by showrunner Ryan Condal and directed by Loni Peristere, the Battle of the Gullet is indeed spectacular. Yet the entire point of “House of the Dragon” has been so well made that there’s little satisfaction to be gained by the Pyrrhic victories achieved within its scope. There’s no moment comparable to Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) raising the chain across the bay in the Battle of the Blackwater, an early highlight in “Game of Thrones” that delivered a (brief) dose of fist-pumping triumph. When the dragons arrive at the Gullet, any relief felt by Rhaenyra’s troops is fleeting at best — especially when not all of them obey their riders’ wishes, which is how this whole mess began in the first place. Though neither history nor the parties affected care that Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) didn’t mean for his supersized pet to vaporize his own nephew, which is another “House of the Dragon” theme: that individual intentions are no match for larger forces, be they historical or animal.
That’s why, to my mind, the more exciting development in Season 3 is much more intimate in scope than hordes of troops descending into chaos. The final episode of Season 2 saw a long-delayed face-off between Rhaenyra and her estranged childhood friend-turned-stepmother (the Targaryens, everybody!) Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), two women now stranded on opposite sides of the yawning chasm that started as a crack in their once-strong bond. The scene was a reminder of the rewarding layers in the relationship as acted by two of the more skilled actors in a deep-benched ensemble. (So skilled, in fact, that we barely blink when reminded the 32-year-old Cooke is meant to be the mother of 29-year-old Mitchell.)
I’m forbidden from disclosing their exact circumstances, but Season 3 features many more scenes between this central pair, a rewarding return by “House of the Dragon” to its roots. Decades have passed within the series’ time frame, not to mention four years of real time; it’s often difficult to recall the complex web of alliances, betrayals and family ties that brought these characters to each other’s throats, a confusion that’s sometimes purposeful and sometimes frustrating. (It took me several minutes of one supposedly emotional midseason scene to remember I was watching a parent speak to their own child.) In their alternating waves of resentment and understanding, anger and sorrow, D’Arcy and Cooke imbue Rhaenyra and Alicent’s dynamic with all the weight of this history and none of its convolutions.
Not all of the show’s connections are so well-realized, even foundational ones that drive vast swathes of the story. Two seasons later, for example, “House of the Dragon” is still paying the price for handwaving such developments as Rhaenyra’s long-term affair with Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr), which produced two children whose widely disputed legitimacy played a major role in starting the war. Seeds planted in Season 1 are supposed to be bearing fruit by now, but Rhaenyra’s continued denial and her hazily sketched blip of a massively consequential romance make the payoff less than cathartic. It’s a good thing, then, that Rhaenyra and Alicent’s multifaceted rapport is a check the show is more than able to cash.
“House of the Dragon” is adapted from author George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” a text that’s more an alternate history encyclopedia than literary narrative. At times, Condal and his collaborators work to shade in the nuance and humanity that gets erased in academic accounts; at others, they accurately channel the feeling of stumbling on a footnote that contains an entire idiosyncratic life story. So it is with Alicent’s cousin Ormund Hightower (James Norton), a Season 3 newcomer who quickly earns his place in a crowded field of combat. Deceptive, capricious, fussy and endowed with quirks like a sensitivity to scents, Ormund enters the fray as a chaos agent, nominally allied with the so-called Greens (the Alicent-Aemond-Aegon side) but with an agenda and strategy of his own. He’s the kind of character who leaps off the page in Martin’s writing, a feeling Condal and others preserve in the adaptation despite Martin’s publicly stated issues with some of their choices.
Condal has said that “House of the Dragon” will end with Season 4, and it’s not quite a criticism to say that the first half of Season 3 left me ready for that conclusion. I don’t need to know the particulars of how the conflict resolves to know it will leave no one truly happy and everyone worse off, precisely because “House of the Dragon” forecasts that so clearly in each character’s terrible, escalatory decisions. That’s what makes both marginal figures like Ormond and fundamental ones like the two antiheroines so important. Whether they provide surprise and distraction or anchoring ballast, it’s the people who make “House of the Dragon” worth enduring the predetermined devastation. The dragons are just the CGI flying lizards on top.
Season 3 of “House of the Dragon” will premiere on HBO and HBO Max on June 21 at 9 p.m. ET.
Entertainment
West Wilson Not Returning to ‘Summer House’ Next Season
West Wilson’s run on “Summer House” is coming to an end … ’cause TMZ has learned he won’t be returning for Season 11.
Sources connected to the series tell TMZ … West was not picked up for the next season of the Bravo show and will not return when cameras start rolling over the July 4 weekend. That said, our sources say the door isn’t completely closed and it’s possible he could pop in for a cameo at some point.
His departure on the show comes after a drama filled run on the show, including a romance that dominated headlines this year.
As we’ve previously reported … rumors swirled in early March that West and Amanda Batula were dating, and the pair confirmed their relationship in a joint statement on March 31. The romance sparked plenty of chatter among fans and cast members, given Amanda’s close friendship with Ciara Miller, who previously dated West until their tumultuous breakup in 2023.
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The relationship remained a hot topic throughout the season and at the reunion, where West addressed questions about their romantic timeline. West said he stopped seeing other women once he and Amanda publicly revealed their relationship.
West joined the cast in Season 8. His relationship with Ciara was a major storyline, though things eventually fizzled out and created tension within the house.
Entertainment
‘The Four Seasons’ Renewed For Season 3 By Netflix
Netflix will continue its exploration of middle-age relationships with a third season of The Four Seasons, its comedy series created by Tina Fey, Lang Fisher & Tracey Wigfield. Jinny Howe, the streamer’s Head of Scripted Series for U.S. and Canada, announced the renewal on stage at the BANFF World Media Festival Monday morning.
Like the first two seasons, the third installment will consist of eight episodes split over four two-episode arcs taking place in spring, summer, fall and winter, each chronicling a group of longtime friends’ reunion for a vacations or celebration. Unlike last year, when one of the stars, Steve Carell, left after Season 1 culminated in his character Nick’s death and its aftermath, the main Season 2 cast, Fey, Will Forte, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Marco Calvani, Erika Henningsen and Colman Domingo, are set to return for Season 3.
Henningsen, who was largely absent from the last three episodes of Season 2 as her character Ginny branched out on her own to raise Nick’s child away from the group, will be back as a series regular.
The Season 2 finale announced the arrival of another potential high-profile cast member. In a surprise cameo, David Tennant appeared in the finale cliffhanger as Gianpiero, a neighbor — and potential love interest — for Nick’s widow Anne (Kenney-Silver) in Italy.
In interviews, Wigfield has teased “more stories with” Tennant’s character in Season 3. The extent of his involvement is unclear as no deals are in place, sources said.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring a third season of The Four Seasons to life,” co-creators and co-showrunners Fey, Fisher and Wigfield said. “Thank you to everyone who watched. Middle-aged people, LFG!”
The Four Seasons, based on the 1981 Alan Alda movie, got off to a big start in May 2025, with its maiden season garnering 24.4M views in its first two weeks, ranking as No.1 on Netflix’s Top 10 English chart both weeks.
Season 2 launched last month at No.3 with 4.4M views, down 63% from its Season 1 opening week. It perked up to 5.7M views in its first full week, bringing back Season 1 to the chart at No. 10 with 2M views. That is still 59% from Season 1.
The show continues to be well received and well reviewed, with Season 2 scoring higher on Rotten Tomatoes (90% vs. 78% for S1).
“It’s been a joy watching the chaotic, beautiful journey of these lifelong friends,” said Tracey Pakosta, Netflix VP of US Comedy. “Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield have a magical way of blending heart and sharp humor, making us feel like part of the inner circle. Audiences have fallen in love with these characters and this legendary cast’s electric chemistry. We’re thrilled to keep the vacation going for Season 3.”
In Season 2, coming off a hard year, six friends carry on their tradition of vacationing together — now with a baby in tow. The Four Seasons picks back up with the core group — Kate (Fey), Jack (Forte), Anne (Kenney-Silver), Danny (Domingo), Claude (Calvani), and Ginny (Henningsen) — as they journey from the familiar comforts of the Jersey Shore and upstate New York to the stunning landscapes of Italy.
David Miner, Eric Gurian and Jeff Richmond also executive produce; Alda, who has made cameos in both seasons so far, produces with Marissa Bregman. Universal Television, part of Universal Studio Group, is the studio.
Entertainment
ABC New York anchor Bill Ritter reveals symptoms he experienced years before Alzheimer’s diagnosis
Veteran ABC New York news anchor Bill Ritter said he started “forgetting people’s names and places” two years before his heartbreaking Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Ritter — who announced he was stepping away from the news desk last week — said his symptoms got to the point that he “didn’t know why” the symptoms were happening, even despite dropping out of anchoring the 11 p.m. newscast.
Although Ritter was able to get “a decent night’s sleep … for the first time in 25 years” with his schedule trimmed down to the 6 p.m. broadcast, his symptoms still “weren’t getting better,” he said.
Upon making that realization, he decided to get tested for the progressive neurodegenerative brain disease.
“That really was an important thing. A lot of people say, ‘I’m fine, don’t worry about it, I’m going to be fine.’ No. You gotta go do this,” he recalled of his decision to seek medical attention.
Ritter said his “first reaction” upon being diagnosed was to think of his father, who died of Alzheimer’s in 1998.
He shared his diagnosis Friday as he announced his retirement after more than a quarter-century as a fixture of New York television news.
“Spending more time with my family has now become even more important, because my life has taken a turn,” he said in the emotional broadcast.
“The treatments I’m getting are keeping it at bay. For now. But there is no guarantee, because there’s no cure yet for Alzheimer’s. So, unless someone finds an amazing cure, and soon, tonight will be the last newscast I anchor.”
Entertainment
Dua Lipa and Callum Turner’s Italian Honeymoon Photos Are Everything I Want
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Mr. and Mrs. Dua Lipa are living it up in Salerno. The newlyweds were photographed enjoying a swim in the ocean off the Amalfi Coast this past Friday, looking so at ease and hopelessly in love.
Lipa wore a silver triangle swimsuit and a blue paisley bandana on her head—an unexpected accessory for a day of swimming. She lounged inside a candycane floaty as her husband, Callum Turner, floated beside her in his black swim trunks. The two seemed engaged in conversation, and every few minutes, they leaned in for a cuddle and a kiss. (See more photos here.)
Ah, to be in newlywed bliss.
Lipa and Turner have been traveling all over Italy for their wedding festivities. Before they made it to Salerno, the port city southeast of Naples, for their honeymoon, they held a wedding ceremony in Palermo. The “End of an Era” singer notably kicked off the romantic holiday celebrations in a custom white Intrecciato dress from Bottega Veneta by Louise Trotter. The scoop-neck, backless design included a fun feather skirt, which Lipa coordinated with a feather-trimmed foldover handbag.
Prior to landing in Italy, Lipa and her actor beau made their union official in London’s Old Marylebone Town Hall. Then, the pop superstar was pure sophistication in a white Schiaparelli skirt suit with a matching wide-brim hat—an ensemble that paid homage to Bianca Jagger’s wedding look from her 1971 wedding to Mick Jagger.
While no one does a holiday photo dump on Instagram like Lipa, the singer has been mostly off social media since her wedding, as she enjoys the most romantic time of her life with her beau.
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‘Love Island USA’ Executive Producer Was 40
James Barker, a Love Island USA producer who had been working on the current season of the Peacock dating series, has died. He was 40.
The executive producer died in Fiji last week after suffering an unexpected medical emergency, ITV America and Peacock confirmed.
Barker started working on Love Island USA in 2020 as a story producer and worked his way up to EP, a role he had been preparing for over the past three seasons. His contributions to the show covered both production and post-production, and overseeing the show’s soundtrack.
“James’ unimaginable loss has been deeply felt across not just the entire Love Island USA production, but throughout all of ITV and Peacock,” ITV America and Peacock said in a joint statement. “He was a beloved and greatly valued member of our collective family whose kindness, talent, and dedication left an indelible mark on all of us and everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working with him. We extend our heartfelt condolences to James’ partner, family, friends, and colleagues.”
Love Island USA is set to pay tribute to the producer on Tuesday night’s episode.
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