Adele Tapped to Make Acting Debut for Tom Ford's Directorial Return

After nearly a decade, Tom Ford is returning to directing with an adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel Cry to Heaven, for which he also wrote the screenplay and is producing. Set in 18th-century Italy, the film features an all-star cast including Adele making her film debut, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Paul Bettany, and Thandiwe Newton, among others. Currently in pre-production in London and Rome, filming is set to start in mid-January, with a planned release in late fall 2026.

Travis Scott made history in Japan with his “Tokyo Takeover” on Nov. 8, headlining his largest-ever show at the Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa. The performance was the highest-grossing hip-hop concert in Tokyo’s history, while his Belluna Dome Collection shattered the city’s record for concert merchandise sales, which were boosted by a special Cactus Jack pop-up experience.

Balmain confirmed the appointment of Antonin Tron as its new creative director on Wednesday. The French designer, known for founding his Atlein brand in 2016, will present his first Balmain collection in March 2026 for the Fall-Winter 2026-27 season, focusing exclusively on the house. He succeeds Olivier Rousteing, who stepped down after a celebrated 14-year tenure.

The late Roberta Flack, a Grammy-winning singer behind hits like “Killing Me Softly with His Song“ and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” will be the subject of a scripted biopic and a documentary. Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts, via her Rock’n Robin Productions, has secured Flack’s life rights and is developing both projects in collaboration with Flack’s longtime managers. No casting, directing, or screenplay details have been revealed.

A Sportico report reveals the NBA is projected to gross revenue of $14.3 billion for the 2025-26 season, up 12% from last year’s $12.75 billion, driven largely by its new 11-year, $76 billion media deal with Amazon, ESPN/ABC, and NBC. Each team’s TV revenue could jump from $103 million to $143 million this season, with payouts expected to rise to $281 million per team by 2034-35. Last season, the 30 teams collectively generated $12.25 billion, ranging from $833 million for the Golden State Warriors to $301 million for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Anthropic is making a $50 billion investment in U.S. computing infrastructure, partnering with Fluidstack to build custom data centers in Texas and New York, with additional sites planned. The project aims to support the growing demand for its AI chatbot Claude and advance cutting-edge AI research. It is expected to create about 800 permanent jobs and 2,400 construction jobs, with the facilities coming online throughout 2026.

Emmy-nominated filmmaker Chris Moukarbel is directing a documentary on Grammy-winning musician Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, with HarbourView Equity Partners and Kenya Barris serving as producers. The film will feature exclusive interviews with Edmonds, exploring his music career, songwriting process, and collaborations with artists like Beyoncé, Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Mariah Carey. It will also feature unseen personal archives and behind-the-scenes concert footage from his upcoming shows at The Palms in Las Vegas.

Days before his upcoming album everything is a lot. arrives, Wale and Nike unveiled a boot commercial revealing the final feature list, which includes Leon Thomas, Shaboozey, Odeal, Ty Dolla $ign, Seyi Vibez, Andra Day, and more. Directed by Josh Flores, the ad features rapper Smino showcasing a black boot designed by Wale and Pierre Edwards, personalizing each shoebox with the collaborator’s name. everything is a lot. boasts 18 tracks and arrives Friday via Def Jam Recordings.

The NBA announced a new U.S. vs. World format for the 2026 All-Star Game, set for Sunday, Feb. 15 at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome. The game will feature two U.S. teams and one World squad in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games, with each team having at least eight players. A total of 24 All-Stars will be selected – 12 from each conference – with starters chosen by fans (50%), players (25%), and media (25%), and reserves by coaches. There will be no positional requirements this year.

Following a beta test overseas last year, Spotify is set to roll out music videos on the platform stateside. Users will be able to switch between audio and video with a single tap, though it’s unclear whether this feature will be available to all users or only Premium subscribers. The announcement follows Spotify’s new audiovisual licensing deal with the National Music Publishers’ Association, building on previous agreements with Universal, Warner, and Sony.

Image: Denise Truscello / Getty Images for AD