I never understood why all these dating shows featured sexy young people. I know sex sells, but let's be honest, most of the dating world isn't under 24 with a perfect body. I also understand that I'm in the minority here (I was the only 6-year-old staying up late on Saturday nights to watch The Golden Girls, so maybe my idea of love and lust is a bit different from others). But I mention all this to explain why ABC's The Golden Bachelor, premiering September 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, is right up my alley.
The premise is just like the regular Bachelor, a bunch of single women vie for the attention of the bachelor, yada, yada, but in this version, they're all in their golden years.
Gerry Turner, a 72-year-old widower, is this season's bachelor, and he's looking for a high-energy woman of 60 years or older. (And can we be real for a second? When was the last time you saw an older man on television actually want to find a partner his own age? It's like in Hollywood, the range for "your own age" is 30 years, give or take another decade.)
For Ashley Flowers, host of the podcast Crime Junkie, success was unforeseen. "I wasn't expecting it to be what it is," Flowers told me on the latest Parting Shot podcast.
And what it is is the country's number one true crime podcast. But if she had to pinpoint a reason, Flowers says it's like "sitting down with their two best friends" (Flowers' friend Brit Prawat co-hosts).
Flowers views her work as a mission. "I'm like, the reason these people continue to get away with what they get away with is because nobody wants to talk about it."
The show's success has led Flowers to create the production company audiochuck, getting into "publishing, we are venturing into TV and film, we're looking at products," but that "podcasting will always be the core."
It also led Flowers to publish her first novel, bestseller All Good People Here (Bantam, 2022), which she says was "a whole different process, writing a book versus writing a podcast episode."
But ultimately, it all comes back to what Flowers can do to create change. "With every case, I see an opportunity to help or to change something or to give back."
Listen to my full chat with Jeff Probst on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you pod. Read the full transcript here.
While the SAG-AFTRA strike is ongoing, eligible WGA members will vote to ratify their new agreement next week.
Netflix's Who Killed Jill Dando? has reignited conspiracies about the British TV star's 1999 death, which remains unsolved.
The controversial film about child trafficking has become one of the highest-earning independent films of all time.
Swifties do not want to miss the latest episode of the Kelce brothers' podcast, New Heights, where Travis spills about Taylor's cameo at the Chiefs game.
The country star has given fans some hope following the cancellation of many performances earlier this year due to vocal health issues.
Dan Wootton has been temporarily ousted as a presenter over "misogynistic" comments made by a guest on his show.
Some say the actress looked unrecognizable, sparking rumors that she had cosmetic surgery.
Race relations in Zimbabwe have long been fractured due to colonialism and some argued it was inappropriate for a white person to represent the country.
BY RYAN SMITH
Republicans' criticism of Taylor Swift could massively backfire, as detractors take aim at her efforts to encourage fans to register to vote.
On September 19, National Voter Registration Day, the singer took to Instagram to share a message urging her fans to register on the nonpartisan, nonprofit Vote.org. According to the organization, Swift's post was followed by a surge of more than 35,000 registrations—an almost 25 percent increase over the same day last year.
"I've been so lucky to see so many of you guys at my U.S. shows recently," Swift, 33, wrote to her more than 273 million followers via Instagram Stories. "I've heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you're ready to use them in our elections this year!" Her post included a link to register at Vote.org.
Per NPR, Andrea Hailey, the CEO of Vote.org, said in a statement that the single-day surge in registrations was a "highly encouraging sign of voter enthusiasm," particularly as there was a 115 percent spike over 2022 in newly eligible 18 year olds registering to vote.
"Time and time again young people are showing up and demonstrating they care about their rights and access to the ballot box," Hailey added.
However, the news has been followed by criticism of Swift from a number of Republican voters—likely stemming from the musician's own outspoken stance against politicians in their party, most notably former president and 2024 candidate Donald Trump.
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