Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, White Stripes Among Rock Hall of Fame Inductees

Inductee Jack White of The White Stripes speaks during the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at LA Live in Los Angeles. (AP)
Inductee Jack White of The White Stripes speaks during the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at LA Live in Los Angeles. (AP)
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Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, White Stripes Among Rock Hall of Fame Inductees

Inductee Jack White of The White Stripes speaks during the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at LA Live in Los Angeles. (AP)
Inductee Jack White of The White Stripes speaks during the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at LA Live in Los Angeles. (AP)

Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, the White Stripes and Soundgarden were among this year's inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, adding their names to the pantheon of music's most esteemed and beloved acts.

New Yorker Lauper, who burst onto the pop scene with colorful punk looks and infectious tunes like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,True Colors" and "Time After Time," was inducted by "Pink Pony Club" singer Chappell Roan.

Praising her "four-octave range" and unapologetic style, Roan thanked Lauper for being an icon for any artist who may be called "too much, too loud, too eccentric or all of the above -- their honesty becomes their greatest strength."

To induct Detroit rock band The White Stripes -- known for sports arena favorite "Seven Nation Army" and "Fell in Love with a Girl," among others -- singer Iggy Pop gave an exuberant speech peppered with curse words and his own screeching impressions of the band's raucous sound.

"The White Stripes music was coming from a foundation of love, not revolution," Pop said.

Singer-guitarist Jack White accepted on behalf of himself and drummer Meg White, who did not attend. He named a long list of industry heavies and bands before adding: "To the homeless and the powerless and the forgotten, we always say thank you."

Other inducted American performers included Atlanta's hip-hop duo Outkast, who topped charts with "Hey Ya,Ms. Jackson" and "The Way You Move," and Seattle's grunge band Soundgarden, who had hits with "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman."

English singer Joe Cocker, who died in 2014, was inducted posthumously to honor his bluesy music, including "You Are So Beautiful," his cover of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" and the Grammy-winning duet with Jennifer Warnes "Up Where We Belong."

Other inductees included arena rockers Bad Company, who sang "Can't Get Enough," and "The Twist" singer Chubby Checker.

Groundbreaking New York hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa was honored with a Musical Influence Award for their hit songs "Push It" and "Shoop," which celebrate women's independence in a male-dominated genre.

"These three women are the bricklayers to the foundation that holds hip-hop together," Grammy-winning singer Missy Elliott told the audience before introducing their performance. "They gave us their shoulders to stand on."

English session pianist Nicky Hopkins was honored with the Musical Excellence Award for his work with superstars including The Rolling Stones, The Who, David Bowie and The Beatles.

"That song started off as a kind of slowish song, and then Nicky started playing this samba piano with this percussion, that's like the hook of the song," Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger said of Hopkins's work on the song "Sympathy for the Devil."

Along with awards and heartfelt acceptance speeches, the event featured performances by Elton John; Bryan Adams; Olivia Rodrigo; Twenty One Pilots; Doja Cat; Tyler, the Creator; and many more.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, now features an exhibit with artifacts and memorabilia from this year's inductees.



Trump Awards Medals to the Kennedy Center Honorees in Oval Office Ceremony

 President Donald Trump, center, speaks as he presents Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, Kiss, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford with their Kennedy Center Honors medals in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
President Donald Trump, center, speaks as he presents Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, Kiss, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford with their Kennedy Center Honors medals in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
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Trump Awards Medals to the Kennedy Center Honorees in Oval Office Ceremony

 President Donald Trump, center, speaks as he presents Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, Kiss, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford with their Kennedy Center Honors medals in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
President Donald Trump, center, speaks as he presents Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, Kiss, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford with their Kennedy Center Honors medals in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP)

President Donald Trump on Saturday presented the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees with their medals during a ceremony in the Oval Office, hailing the slate of artists he was deeply involved in choosing as "perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class" ever assembled.

This year's recipients are actor Sylvester Stallone, singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait, the rock band Kiss and actor-singer Michael Crawford.

Trump said they are a group of "incredible people" who represent the "very best in American arts and culture" and that, "I know most of them and I've been a fan of all of them."

"This is a group of icons whose work and accomplishments have inspired, uplifted and unified millions and millions of Americans," said a tuxedo-clad Trump. "This is perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center Honorees ever assembled."

Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center Trump ignored the Kennedy Center and its premier awards program during his first term as president. But the Republican has instituted a series of changes since returning to office in January, most notably ousting its board of trustees and replacing them with GOP supporters who voted him in as chairman of the board.

Trump also has criticized the center's programming and its physical appearance, and has vowed to overhaul both.

The president placed around each honoree's neck a new medal that was designed, created and donated by jeweler Tiffany & Co., according to the Kennedy Center and Trump.

Strait, wearing a cowboy hat, was first to receive his medal. When the country singer started to take off the hat, Trump said, "If you want to leave it on, you can. I think we can get it through." But Strait took it off.

The president said Crawford was a "great star of Broadway" for his lead role in the long-running "Phantom of the Opera." Of Gaynor, he said, "We have the disco queen, and she was indeed, and nobody did it like Gloria Gaynor."

Trump was effusive about his friend Stallone, calling him a "wonderful" and "spectacular" person and "one of the true, great movie stars" and "one of the great legends."

Kiss is an "incredible rock band," he said.

Gaynor and Kiss played in the Rose Garden just outside the Oval Office as members of the White House press corps waited nearby for Trump to begin the ceremony.

The president said in August that he was "about 98% involved" in choosing the 2025 honorees when he personally announced them at the Kennedy Center, the first slate chosen under his leadership. The honorees traditionally had been announced by press release.

It was unclear how they were chosen. Before Trump, it fell to a bipartisan selection committee.

"These are among the greatest artists, actors and performers of their generation. The greatest that we’ve seen," Trump said. "We can hardly imagine the country music phenomena without its king of country, or American disco without its first lady, or Broadway without its phantom — and that was a phantom, let me tell you — or rock and roll without its hottest band in the world, and that’s what they are, or Hollywood without one of its greatest visionaries."

"Each of you has made an indelible mark on American life and together you have defined entire genres and set new standards for the performing arts," Trump said.

Trump also attended an annual State Department dinner for the honorees on Saturday. In years past, the honorees received their medallions there but Trump moved that to the White House.

Trump said during pre-dinner remarks that the honorees are more than celebrities.

"It gives me tremendous pleasure to congratulate them once again and say thank you for your incredible career," he said. "Thank you for gracing us with this wisdom and just genius that you have."


What Netflix’s Acquisition of Warner Bros. Means for the Movies

FILE PHOTO: A Netflix logo is pictured in Los Angeles, California, US, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Netflix logo is pictured in Los Angeles, California, US, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
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What Netflix’s Acquisition of Warner Bros. Means for the Movies

FILE PHOTO: A Netflix logo is pictured in Los Angeles, California, US, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Netflix logo is pictured in Los Angeles, California, US, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

Netflix’s deal to acquire Warner Bros., one of Hollywood’s oldest movie studios, poses seismic shifts to the entertainment industry and the future of moviegoing. 

As one of the remaining “big five” studios, the 102-year-old Warner Bros. is an essential part of movie theater business. 

The studio currently boasts three of the top five earning films domestically, including “A Minecraft Movie,” in first place, “Superman” and “Sinners,” as well as the Oscar frontrunner, “One Battle After Another.” 

There are more questions than answers about how ownership from a streaming giant would change things for Warner Bros. It’s not even clear if it will pass antitrust scrutiny, or, if it does, what the details will look like. 

Here are some things to know, and lingering questions, in the wake of the news. 

Will Warner Bros. continue releasing movies in theaters? Yes, but it might change as well. For starters, it’ll be at least 12 to 18 months before the deal officially goes through and moviegoers can expect essentially business as usual until then. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said Friday that they will “continue to support” a “life cycle that starts in the movie theater” for Warner Bros. movies. But he also commented that he doesn’t think that “long exclusive windows” are consumer friendly. 

With the rise of streaming, and especially in the pandemic era, studios experimented with different theatrical windows. For many years, a 90-day theatrical window was standard, but now it’s closer to 45 days and often a film-by-film decision. 

Netflix and movie theaters Netflix does release some films theatrically, but not usually more than a few weeks before they hit streaming. Sometimes that’s to qualify for awards eligibility, sometimes it’s a gesture to top filmmakers. This year those releases included Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite” and Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly.” 

Major chains like AMC and Regal had refused to program Netflix releases until 2022, when enthusiasm for the “Knives Out” movie “Glass Onion” helped break the stalemate. 

Earlier this year, “KPop Demon Hunters” unofficially topped the box office charts, earning nearly $20 million from a one-weekend run in theaters two full months after it debuted on the streamer. 

Netflix also owns and operates several movie theaters, including the Paris Theater in New York and the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles. 

Upcoming Warner Bros. movies The studio has a diverse slate of films expected in 2026, with high profile titles including the Margot Robbie-led “Wuthering Heights” in February, “Supergirl” in June, “Practical Magic 2” in September, Alejandro Iñárritu’s untitled Tom Cruise movie in October and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Three” in December. 

Movies planned for 2027 include sequels to “Superman,” “A Minecraft Movie” and “The Batman.” 

Earlier this year the company said its target was 12 to 14 releases annually across its four main labels, Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. animation. 

What does it mean for movie theaters? So much of this depends on the details, but Cinema United president and CEO Michael O’Leary said hours before the news broke that it posed “an unprecedented threat to the global exhibition business.” 

He added: “Regulators must look closely at the specifics of this proposed transaction and understand the negative impact it will have on consumers, exhibition and the entertainment industry.” 

Theatrical exhibition has not fully recovered since the pandemic. Before 2020, the annual domestic box office regularly surpassed $11 billion. Since then it has only surpassed $9 billion once, in 2023, driven largely by “Barbie,” a Warner Bros. release. 

How will top filmmakers react? It’s too early to tell, but Warner Bros. has always prided itself on being one of the premier homes for top filmmakers, this year releasing films from Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler and James Gunn. Other longstanding relationships include Villeneuve, who has “Dune: Part Three” coming next year, Clint Eastwood and Todd Phillips. Much likely depends on whether robust theatrical releases will be honored — many of these filmmakers are vocal champions of the theatrical experience and may not stick around if it shifts. 

The studio’s controversial decision to release films simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in 2021 during the pandemic led to a rift with Christopher Nolan, who after making eight major films with the company, including the “Dark Knight” trilogy, partnered with Universal to make his next two films, “Oppenheimer” and next year’s “The Odyssey.” 

Will HBO Max and Netflix become one service? That’s also unclear. If the two platforms remain separate subscriptions, there may be “bundling” options, as with Disney and Hulu. Netflix on Friday said that the addition of HBO and HBO Max programming will give its members “even more high-quality titles from which to choose” and “optimize its plans for consumers.” 

The Warner Bros. library of films includes classics like “Casablanca” and “Citizen Kane” as well as the “Harry Potter” movies. 


‘Fallout’ Expands ‘Everything’ for Show’s Second Season 

Walton Goggins, left, and Justin Theroux pose for photographers upon arrival at the season two screening of the television series "Fallout" on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in London. (AP)
Walton Goggins, left, and Justin Theroux pose for photographers upon arrival at the season two screening of the television series "Fallout" on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in London. (AP)
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‘Fallout’ Expands ‘Everything’ for Show’s Second Season 

Walton Goggins, left, and Justin Theroux pose for photographers upon arrival at the season two screening of the television series "Fallout" on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in London. (AP)
Walton Goggins, left, and Justin Theroux pose for photographers upon arrival at the season two screening of the television series "Fallout" on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in London. (AP)

Hit television series "Fallout" ups the stakes as it returns to screens for a sophomore season, its stars and makers say.

"You can play it two ways," actor Walton Goggins said as he premiered the new season in London on Tuesday. "You can play it safe, rely on what happened in season one, or you can go for broke. And we went for broke."

Based on the popular video game franchise of the same name, the live-action series centers on three main characters; former vault dweller Lucy (Ella Purnell), Maximus, a member of the Brotherhood of Steel (Aaron Moten) and Cooper Howard/The Ghoul (Goggins), a former movie star and mutated bounty hunter.

The new season picks up where the season one left off, with Lucy looking for her father Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), and pairing up with The Ghoul on a post-apocalyptic adventure through the Mojave Desert to New Vegas.

The show's executive producer, Jonathan Nolan, said audiences could expect "more of everything." "More madness, more humor, more violence. We just try to outdo ourselves," he said.

The second season also shows a new side to Lucy as her optimistic attitude clashes with The Ghoul's nihilistic worldview on their way to Sin City, said Purnell.

"She's in the wasteland now and she has to survive. You can't always do that by being nice," Purnell said. "I don't want to spoil it, but we'll see what happens to that moral compass."

The new season introduces Justin Theroux in the role of Robert House, the ruler of the New Vegas strip, and a major character in the franchise.

"It's a bit intimidating," said Theroux. "The players of this game and the fans of the show are really sort of the shareholders, so you don't want to disappoint them. But I worked very hard to hopefully not do that."

Also joining the cast are actors Macaulay Culkin and Kumail Nanjiani, as well as a host of new creatures, brought to life by puppeteers.

The eight-episode second season of "Fallout" starts streaming on Prime Video on December 17, with a new episode released weekly.