Wicked Wins, Raymond Resists, and a President Wants Rush Hour 4

In this episode of Entertainment Baby, we dive straight into the beautiful chaos of the entertainment universe and try to make sense of it all—from billion-dollar franchises to painfully human fallout behind the scenes.

We start with the monster success of Wicked: For Good and unpack how Universal turned a risky two-part adaptation into a box office juggernaut. You’ll hear the wild numbers behind its opening weekend, the $330 million global promo machine, and the 400-plus brand partnerships that made the film literally unavoidable—from Dunkin’ collabs and Airbnb stays to Pottery Barn dorm rooms, Lush bath bombs, P&G products, and Amazon’s full ecosystem push.

From there, we zoom in on the creative pressure cooker behind that corporate spectacle: director Jon M. Chu protecting his final shot from studio notes, an improvised emotional moment with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo that stayed in the film, and how the role of Glinda helped Ariana process touring trauma and rethink her entire career—possibly stepping away from pop mega-tours in favor of Broadway.

Legacy becomes a recurring theme as we break down Everybody Loves Raymond’s 30th anniversary reunion and why Ray Romano and Phil Rosenthal flatly refuse a reboot. We contrast that with Hollywood’s reboot fever: a new Exorcist led by Scarlett Johansson and Mike Flanagan, and the surreal report that a sitting U.S. president is personally lobbying for Rush Hour 4—with all the ethical questions that come with Brett Ratner’s potential return.

The stakes get very real as we cover a $9.12 million attic discovery of Superman #1, the possible forced sale of Nicki Minaj’s $20 million mansion over an unpaid judgment, and the sealed-record investigation surrounding singer D4VD after a tragic death linked to his towed car.

We also explore Catherine Bigelow’s nuclear-crisis thriller told in real time, the Duffer Brothers’ official Stranger Things 5 rewatch roadmap and theatrical series finale, and a whirlwind of celebrity relationship updates—from Glenn Powell’s new romance and Kylie–Timothée holiday plans to Jessica Simpson’s throwback Ashton Kutcher story.

On stage and in music, we look at the brutal economics behind The Queen of Versailles closing early on Broadway, Kandi Burruss navigating a very public divorce while insisting on a united family front, Eric Dane turning his real-life ALS diagnosis into powerful TV advocacy, Hilary Duff’s reflective pop comeback, the global mourning for reggae icon Jimmy Cliff, and Zach Bryan’s record-shattering stadium era.

We end on the big question running through all of it: in a world where reality TV is semi-scripted, franchises are precision-engineered, and even presidents pitch buddy-cop sequels, how much of what we watch is authentic—and how much is strategically manufactured?

Hit play to get the context, the connections, and the cultural questions behind the week’s wildest entertainment stories.