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Selena Gomezis stepping behind the camera for the final chapter of "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place."

Disney announced in a press release Thursday that Gomez, anexecutive producerand guest star on the hit "Wizards of Waverly Place" revival series, will make her directorial debut with the premiere episode of the final season.

Selena Gomez, David Henrie say 'Wizards Beyond Waverly Place' is a 'love letter' to fans

She will also reprise her original series role as Alex Russo in multiple episodes for the upcoming season, according to the release.

The actress and singer helped bring "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" to life with her former "Wizards of Waverly Place" co-star David Henrie. Henrie is also an executive producer on the revival series, as well as a season regular, reprising his role as Justin Russo, Alex's brother.

The first season of "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" premiered in October 2024.

At the time, Gomez and Henriecalledthe new show a "love letter to fans" of the original series, which aired from 2007 to 2012.

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"This means a lot to them," Henrie said at the revival's Hollywood premiere in 2024. "We really wanted this to be this big, warm hug to them, a love letter to them, but at the same time, just this invitation to pass the wand to a new generation."

Also starring in "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" are Janice LeAnn Brown as young wizard Billie, Alkaio Thiele as Roman Russo, Max Matenko as Milo Russo, Taylor Cora as Winter, and Mimi Gianopulos as Giada Russo.

The press release for the final chapter of "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" says that it will be a four-part event, picking up after season 2.

Selena Gomez, David Henrie to executive produce pilot for 'Wizards of Waverly Place' sequel

"Billie, still reeling from losing Alex at the end of Season 2, discovers that the only way to rescue her mother is to reunite with her long-lost father," the press release states. "As her family bands together to find Alex, Billie realizes that their combined power is the only way the Russos can defeat the evil plaguing them."

While production on the final season begins next week, fans can catch up on the first two seasons of "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" on Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and "Good Morning America."

North Westis ready for "all of the lights."

The 12-year-old daughter ofYe(formerly known as Kanye West) andKim Kardashianjoined her father onstage at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, performing two songs for the sold-out crowd of 70,000 on Wednesday night.

The concert marked the first time the rapper has performed on U.S. soil since 2021.

North, dressed in all black and sunglasses with her long blue hair in pigtails, stepped onstage to her 2024 track "Miss Westie." She then performed two newer songs, "Talking" and "Piercing on My Wrist" — the latter possibly inspired by themultitude of microdermal piercingson both her hands.

The preteen's appearance came toward the end of her father's 33-song setlist, featuring hits like "Can't Tell Me Nothing," "Mercy," "Heartless," "Jesus Walks," "All of the Lights," and "Runaway."

Not only did North get up in front of an enormous crowd, but she also conquered any possible fear of heights, as the entire show took place atop a giant dome illuminated with a projection of the earth. For obvious safety reasons, it appears bothYe and North wore harnesses.

North wasn't the only special guest to join Ye onstage. Don Toliver also performed "Moon," his track with the rapper off 2021'sDonda.

Days before the L.A. show, Ye released his 12th studio album,Bully, which hasn't exactly received rave reviews from critics.Pitchforkdubbed it  "a cheap hit of retro-Kanye," whileRolling Stonegave it 2.5 stars for offering "plenty of fan service, but little substance."

Subsequently, one of the featured producers, James Blake, has publicly requested his name beremovedthe credits of "This One Here," a song he first worked on with Ye back in 2022.

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"My original version is a completely different production in spirit" than the version on Bully, he told fan on his social media platform,Vault. "Happy for the fans but I've asked to be taken off the producer credits for now as I don't want to take credit for other people's work and this version isn't what I created with Ye."

Wednesday's concert was not the first time Ye's daughter nearly stole the show. At the age of 6, North made her musical debut at 2020 Paris Fashion Week during her dad's Yeezy show.

Back in January, the preteen traveled to Mexico City to surprise Ye's 40,000 fans at the Monumental Plaza de Toros with the first live performance of "Piercing on My Hand."

Ye's latest tour, in support ofBully, continues for a second night at SoFi Stadium on April 3, before heading to India, Turkey, Netherlands, France, Spain, and Portugal this summer.

In January, the rapper published an essay in theWall Street Journalapologizingfor his past anti-semitic behavior, such as praising Nazi dictatorAdolph Hitlerand even selling T-shirts emblazoned withswastikas.

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Citing a car accident 25 years ago that caused damage to the frontal lobe of his brain, yet went "unnoticed" according to Ye. Over time, he added, "I lost touch with reality."

Ye continued, "I said and did things I deeply regret. Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst. You endured fear, confusion, humiliation, and the exhaustion of trying to have someone who was, at times, unrecognizable. Looking back, I became detached from my true self."

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

NEW YORK (AP) — Blake Lively'ssexual harassment claimsagainst Justin Baldoni over the movie "It Ends With Us" were dismissed Thursday by a federal judge who left intact three claims, including retaliation, that will let a jury hear many of the allegations anyway.

The written ruling by Judge Lewis J. Liman in Manhattan came after Lively, who starred in and produced the film, sued her co-star and director in December 2024. A trial is scheduled for May 18.

Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios had countersued Lively and her husband, "Deadpool" actor Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion. The judge dismissed Baldoni's claims last June.

In his ruling, Liman determined that Lively was an independent contractor rather than an employee. On that basis, he said she was not entitled to bring sexual harassment claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That law prohibits employment discrimination on various grounds, including gender.

As to retaliation, the judge said some evidence might enable a jury to conclude that Baldoni's production company planned not only to damage Lively's reputation but to destroy her career amid fear she'd file a discrimination claim. Lively alleges a smear campaign has been "devastating for her reputation and career," the judge noted.

In an analysis of the sexual harassment claims, the judge said Lively's claims had to be viewed in the context of the movie they were working on.

"Lively claims that during filming, Baldoni leaned in and gestured as if he was intending to kiss her, and that he kissed her forehead, rubbed his face and mouth against her neck, put his thumb to her mouth and flicked her lower lip, caressed her, and leaned into her neck, saying 'it smells good,'" the judge wrote.

He said there was no question that the conduct would support a hostile work environment claim if it happened on a factory floor or in an executive suite.

However, the judge noted, Baldoni was "acting in the scene" and his "conduct was not so far beyond what might reasonably be expected to take place between two characters during a slow dancing scene such that an inference of hostile treatment on the basis of sex would arise. At least in isolation, the conduct was directed to Lively's character rather than to Lively herself."

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Liman added: "Creative artists, no less than comedy room writers, must have some amount of space to experiment within the bounds of an agreed script without fear of being held liable for sexual harassment."

Despite those findings, the judge said some sexual harassment claims may be put to a jury to support two retaliation claims that survived the ruling, including one against It Ends With Us Movie LLC and Wayfarer Studios, and a third claim that was left intact alleging breach of a contract rider agreement against It Ends With Us Movie LLC.

The judge noted that Baldoni once said "pretty hot" after asking Lively to remove her jacket, exposing a lace bra underneath, and that when he was warned that it was inappropriate and distracting to make such comment, he allegedly rolled his eyes and responded: "Sorry, I missed the sexual harassment training."

Liman also cited a scene in which Baldoni pushed for Lively to perform a birth scene naked and then the scene was filmed over several hours without the set being closed to nonessential personnel.

In a statement, Lively attorney Sigrid McCawley wrote that Lively "looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation so that it become easier to detect and fight."

She added: "This case has always been and will remain focused on the devasting retaliation and the extraordinary steps the defendants took to destroy Blake Lively's reputation because she stood up for safety on the set and that is the case that is going to trial."

A lawyer for Baldoni and his production company did not immediately comment.

"It Ends With Us," an adaptation ofColleen Hoover's bestselling 2016 novelthat begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August 2024,exceeding box office expectationswith a $50 million debut. But the movie's release was shrouded by speculation over discord between Lively and Baldoni.

Lively appeared in the 2005 film "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and the TV series "Gossip Girl" from 2007 to 2012 before starring in films including "The Town" and "The Shallows."

Baldoni starred in the TV comedy"Jane the Virgin,"directed the 2019 film "Five Feet Apart" and wrote "Man Enough," a book challenging traditional notions of masculinity.