‘RRR’ Star NTR Jr to Face Off Against Hrithik Roshan in Spy Universe Film ‘War 2’

, Blake Shelton officially pressed his button for the very last time!The Knockout Rounds wound down on Monday's episode of the NBC singing competition, and Blake waited until the very last moment to make his very last steal after 23 seasons on the show.The episode ended with an epic Team Kelly matchup between Holly Brand and Rachel Christine, both of whom wowed the coaches with their performances.Standout Holly took the stage first with her performance of Rose Maddox's «Blue Moon of Kentucky,» but Rachel held her own, belting out a cover of Fleetwood Mac's «Rhiannon» that made her coach proud.«You both picked perfect songs,» she praised, calling out Holly's whistle notes, and the way Rachel was able to bring mystery to her performance following Holly's powerful finale. «Musically speaking, you're both my lane… I need y'all to know this is my toughest one.»While Kelly ultimately picked Holly as the winner of the Knockout, her earlier prediction that the loser would get stolen came true when Blake dramatically hit his last-ever button to bring Rachel to Team Blake!«What Holly did, it was flashy and it's undeniable, and now you get to show everybody that you can do something just as incredible,» the country star told his newest team member.Kelly was thrilled — even going so far as to give Blake a hug — but of course, she couldn't pass up an opportunity to rub it in a little.«The last steal that he'll ever have is from my team — I'm gonna remember that,» she teased.ET spoke with the season 23 coaches ahead of the premiere, who all shared how excited they were to be on the show for Blake's last go-round.«I texted him,» Kelly shared.

Kelly Clarkson is revealing her secret to keeping it composed onstage!The season 23 Knockout Rounds continued on Monday's, and things got emotional when Team Niall's Ross Clayton and Jerome Godwin III took the stage with their respective performance of Steely Dan's «Dirty Work» and «Someone You Loved» by Lewis Capaldi.The coaches were pretty unanimous in their opinions, saying that while Ross' rocking cover was nearly pitch-perfect, Jerome may have made a misstep when he chose a ballad instead of his usual uptempo performance.When it came to offering her comments to Jerome, Kelly said she felt the young singer and dental student had a «wall up» and didn't show as much emotion onstage as she hoped he would.«Sometimes, I feel a song so much that I have to go dead inside,» she explained of her own process.

Maria Menounos is going to be a girl mom! On the latest episode of her podcast, the 44-year-old TV personality revealed that she and her husband, Keven Undergaro, are expecting a baby girl.«We're very excited to announce we have a baby girl coming,» she said, before revealing that she and her 55-year-old husband have a name picked out for their baby on the way.«We've been thinking about names for years, 'cause as you may or may not know, this has been almost a 10-year journey for us,» she said. «We've thought about names forever, and I think we've come up with the perfect name for this baby.»As for their little one's last name, Menounos said the tot will have Undergaro «within her name,» but will have Menounos as her surname.Menounos also shared the happy news on Instagram, noting that she and her husband «are over the moon excited!»«We are reading baby books, working on the nursery and just overall preparing for this beautiful new addition to our lives,» she wrote.

Refresh for updates ….Sony kicked off the first night of CinemaCon with a tape message from Will Smith and Martin Lawrence from the set of Bad Boys 4.

Hailey Bieber reminisced on a difficult time, but was optimistic toward the future and her health in an Instagram story shared Monday. The 26-year-old model shared a candid snap from a hospital bed just moments after undergoing heart surgery.

Taylor Swift is "totally fine" after taking a tumble backstage during a show in Houston this past weekend. The "Lavender Haze" singer took to Twitter on Monday to reassure fans, and thank the city for a memorable three days. "Just got to play 3 insane shows in Houston and I’m waking up smiling reminiscing about how much fun we all had.

Valerie Bertinelli is happily celebrating her 63rd birthday overseas. Bertinelli took to Instagram on Sunday to share a short video of her suitcase with her location tagged at the Amsterdam Airport. "I am so over the moon grateful on my birthday this year! I have survived the hardest six years of my life and now," she began her caption.  "I’m in Amsterdam (one of my favorite places on earth with sweet special memories) And on Thursday, I get to watch my son open for Metallica! Life is good," Bertinelli concluded.

Whether you're tuning it at home come May 6, or perhaps you're heading all the way over to London to witness the grand event at Westminster Abbey, having your hands on some once-in-a-lifetime memorabilia will be a sign of the occasion for years to come. 

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Metallica came in strong on this week’s Billboard 200 with a No. 2 bow for the group’s latest album, “72 Seasons,” which came in almost within sight of the chart’s recently indomitable leader, Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time.” Wallen extended his run at No. 1 to seven weeks at a time, and counting, with 166,000 more album-equivalent units added to his tally, while Metallica debuted with 146,000 units. On the Billboard Hot 100, meanwhile, SZA finally landed in the No. 1 spot she’s been circling for many weeks with “Kill Bill.” The song had spent eight weeks at No. 2, then dipped to No. 4 last week, before getting the boost it needed to finally become a chart-topper in this latest frame.

Ellise Shafer Brian Kilmeade took over Fox News’ 8 p.m. hour on Monday night following news of Tucker Carlson’s exit from the network. The “Fox & Friends” anchor briefly addressed Carlson’s departure at the top of the program, which was renamed “Fox News Tonight” instead of “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” “As you probably have heard, Fox News and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” Kilmeade said. “I wish Tucker the best. I’m great friends with Tucker and always will be. But right now, it’s time for ‘Fox News Tonight,’ so let’s get started.” In a surprise move, Fox News announced on Monday morning that its most-watched primetime host would leave the network. “Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” the company said in a statement. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.” 

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Directors Guild of America issued a statement of support for the Writers Guild of America on Monday, as negotiations between the WGA and the studios entered their last full week before the May 1 contract expiration. In the statement, the DGA said “we support them in their efforts to achieve a fair and reasonable agreement for their members.” “During this time of significant change for our industry, all the creative talent, artisans, craftspeople, and workers who make the films and television shows that drive our industry deserve to earn a stable living and share in the success we build together,” the DGA continued. “We all have a stake in issues like wages, streaming residuals, funding for our health and pension plans, health and safety and more. We urge the AMPTP to seriously consider the writers’ concerns and reach a fair and reasonable agreement.”

Christian Lewis Today’s audiences are unlikely to know the name Oscar Levant, the once-famed pianist, composer, comedian and actor at the center of Doug Wright’s new Broadway play “Good Night, Oscar.”Despite that, many aspects of the story, which takes place over the filming of a single episode of “The Tonight Show with Jack Paar”in 1958, might feel familiar: a high-stress taping of a late-night show, big celebrity personalities, exploitation in the name of good television.  Any fan of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” will feel familiar with Paar and generally at home in this world. In some ways, “Good Night, Oscar”even feels like an episode of “Mrs. Maisel” — zany, fast-paced and smartly humorous, with references flying a mile a minute, some battle-of-the-sexes content, sumptuous dresses, well-tailored suits and occasional moments of sincere emotion. Instead of Midge, here we have Oscar, played by Sean Hayes, a one-man show in his own right. 

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent After a mistrial was declared with a hung jury last year, Danny Masterson’s second rape trial began with a more aggressive and pointed approach from the prosecution who repeatedly told the new jury that they will present evidence that proves the former star of “That 70’s Show” drugged women before he forcibly raped them. “The evidence will show they were drugged,” said Los Angeles deputy district attorney Reinhold Mueller in his opening statement on Monday, speaking of the four women who will testify against Masterson during the trial. “The symptoms that they’re going to describe,” Mueller told the jury, will include “lightheadedness, loss of vision, loss of motor skills, loss of strength, inability to control their body, vaginal pain, anal pain, all occurring after the defendant had given them an alcoholic beverage and all occurring within a matter of minutes.”

NBC Sports’ Matthew Berry is joining the network’s 149th Kentucky Derby coverage in the segment “Handicapping 101 with Matthew Berry,” which will air during the “Derby Day Show” on May 6 at 12 p.m. on NBC and Peacock. His coverage of the Derby will be a big shift from his usual NFL season analysis and commentating. Leading up to the race, Berry will also host a special edition of “Fantasy Football Hour” via Peacock on May 4. He will be hosting live from the Derby’s home of Churchill Downs, and will joined by Jay Croucher, Connor Rogers and special guest Drew Dinsick. “Being at the Kentucky Derby is a sports bucket list moment for me as a long-time fan and viewer of the race,” Berry said.

Meghan Trainor opened up about the journey she and Daryl Sabara embarked upon to get pregnant a second time.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor SPOILER ALERT: This interview discusses gargantuan plot developments in “Kill List,” Season 4, Episode 5 of “Succession,” now streaming on HBO Max. Kieran Culkin hasn’t yet watched this week’s episode of “Succession” because he’s traveling — and doesn’t like watching things on his laptop. Having wrapped filming only six weeks ago, and with upcoming episodes still in post-production, Culkin isn’t even sure how the gripping story of this family dynasty will end. The April 23 episode “Kill List” was written by Jon Brown and Ted Cohen and directed by Emmy winner Andrij Parekh (for Season 2, Episode 3, “Hunting,” aka the “boar on the floor” episode), showcased one of Roman’s most emotionally driven scenes throughout the four seasons of “Succession.” In its tension-filled 60 minutes, Culkin demonstrated his abilities as a dramatic actor during a heated exchange with streaming media giant CEO Lukas Matsson (played exquisitely by Alexander Skarsgård). In the scene on the Norwegian mountaintops, Matsson insults Roman and Kendall (Jeremy Strong), the newly minted co-CEOs of Waystar Royco, as they try to “Scooby Doo” their way out of the GoJo deal the board desperately covets.

Eric Jackson UTA veteran Andrew Thau has been named co-head of UTA Sports alongside Rich Paul, the founder of agency Klutch Sports Group. The two executives have been working together since UTA made a big investment in Klutch in 2019. UTA Sports was created nearly four years ago in anticipation for greater investment in sports while leveraging Klutch’s client sheet, which includes high-profile pro athletes such as Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Paul says appointing Thau was a “no-brainer” due to his rapport and complementary skill sets. “We’re interchangeable in a lot of ways in terms of this initiative,” Paul, a UTA board member, said in a video interview. “You need that duo, that one-two punch, and more. It makes all the sense in the world.”

Pathaan director Siddharth Anand has been brought on board to direct Tiger vs Pathaan, an upcoming instalment in Yash Raj Films’ Spy Universe franchise, which will feature a face off between two of India’s biggest stars, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, Deadline has learned. 

RRR star N.T. Rama Rao Jr  (aka NTR Jr) is set to star alongside Hrithik Roshan in War 2, the sequel to the 2019 blockbuster War, which forms part of Indian studio Yash Raj Films’ Spy Universe. 

Naman Ramachandran Ayan Mukerji will direct “War 2,” one of the future instalments in leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films’ spy universe. Mukerji previously directed Disney’s Indian mythological superhero film “Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva,” which was one of the biggest Bollywood hits of 2022, grossing $52 million. He debuted with coming of age film “Wake Up Sid” (2009) and followed up with romcom “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani” (2013). Created by producer Aditya Chopra, the spy universe kicked off with the Tiger franchise, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, beginning with “Ek Tha Tiger” (2012) and “Tiger Zinda Hai” (2017), and continued with “War” (2019), starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff. The latest instalment in the universe, “Pathaan,” starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, is the biggest Indian hit of the year so far, grossing $130 million. The four films have together grossed some $300 million.

Naman Ramachandran Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan will headline “Tiger vs Pathaan,” the latest film in producer Aditya Chopra’s spy universe. The film, from leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films, will commence principal photography in January 2024, sources close to the studio confirmed to Variety. Yash Raj Films declined to comment. “Pathaan,” starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, is the biggest Indian hit of the year so far, grossing $130 million. The spy universe kicked off with the Tiger franchise, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, beginning with “Ek Tha Tiger” (2012) and “Tiger Zinda Hai” (2017), and contining with “War,” starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff. The four films have together grossed some $300 million.