Benson Boone's Pop Star Rise, Disney's Wild Poster Morph, And Amy Poehler's New Peacock Series

Howdy everyone, and happy late Friday!

In this week’s TFL, we’re covering:

• Benson Boone, his current pop-stardom, and how he could be filling the empty void of the leading male pop star

• Disney’s wild poster morph from Thunderbolts* to Lilo & Stitch

• A mini Parks And Rec reunion in the form of a new Peacock series starring Amy Poehler

• An eclectic new “Good Noise” playlist featuring 30 new songs you need to hear from this week

• A round-up of this week’s new trailer drops

• Plenty of tidbits across the entertainment industry going on and in the works!

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Thank you for being here - now let’s get into it!

—Stephen Frost

🎵 Could Benson Boone Be Filling the Void of a Top Male Pop Star? We Think So.

Pop sensation—and prominent backflipper—Benson Boone is having a year. After kicking off 2024 with the chart-topping, record-breaking single “Beautiful Things,” the momentum hasn’t slowed. If anything, it’s only gotten louder.

While female artists have been dominating the pop genre in recent years—Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX—there hasn’t been a definitive male counterpart leading this generation’s pop class. Aside from Harry Styles, Justin Bieber and The Weeknd (who both feel more adjacent than active at the moment), no one has truly stepped into that role. But Benson Boone just might be the one to fill that gap.

In 2025 alone, Boone has:

• Earned a Best New Artist nomination at the Grammys

• Delivered one of the most acclaimed and buzzed-about performances at the ceremony

• Dropped two new singles—“Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” and “Mystical Magical”—off his upcoming sophomore album American Heart

• Stunned at Coachella, debuting new music and bringing out Queen’s Brian May during his set

• Announced the American Heart album (coming just shy over a year after his debut Fireworks & Rollerblades)

• Made his SNL debut this past weekend

• And is now gearing up for a 30-date world arena tour in support of the new record

Between the critical love, viral moments, and sheer consistency, Boone isn’t just on the rise—he’s actively shaping pop culture in real time. And if the rest of this album cycle continues at this pace, he won’t just be a breakout star…he’ll be the guy.

🍿 Disney’s Wild Poster Morph: From Thunderbolts*  to Lilo & Stitch

Disney’s marketing team has been cooking—and this week, they pulled off not one, but two bold campaign moments that had film fans doing double takes. Let’s break it down.

Phase 1: Thunderbolts*

Ahead of the release of Thunderbolts*  last Friday, Marvel fans were abuzz with one simple question: what’s with the asterisk? If you caught the film opening weekend, you already know—it ties to a major third-act reveal that flips the title on its head.

Then on Monday, Marvel made the big twist public. In a spoiler-heavy video shared by the cast, the new official title was unveiled…

Phase 2: The New Avengers

In a slick switch-up, Marvel replaced the original Thunderbolts*  poster with a new version that looks torn to reveal its true name: The New Avengers. Director Jake Schreier told The New York Times the studio had this plan in place for over a year, saying, “Hopefully it doesn’t feel sweaty—it feels like this was a plan and we built up to it.”

But just when you thought the campaign peaked, Disney added one more chaotic twist.

Phase 3: Stitch Crashes The Party

In Los Angeles, one of the updated New Avengers posters got hijacked—by none other than Stitch, the mischievous blue alien from the upcoming live-action Lilo & Stitch. The ad now shows Stitch literally ripping through the Avengers promo in true cross-promotional mayhem.

It’s a brilliant callback to the character’s 2002 marketing campaign, which featured Stitch crashing Disney classics. Now, 23 years later, he’s back at it—stealing posters, Super Bowl spots, and even screen time in Regal’s latest theater intro. Some things never change.

📺 Amy Poehler’s Mini ‘Parks And Rec’ Reunion Is A New Peacock Series

Amy Poehler is having a serious glow-up era. Fresh off voicing Joy again in Inside Out 2, launching her new podcast Good Hang, and continuing her “Restless Leg” comedy tour with Tina Fey, she’s also been quietly dominating TikTok and staying busy behind the scenes as a writer and producer.

Now, she’s stepping back in front of the camera—reuniting with Parks and Recreation creator Mike Schur for her first live-action TV role in a decade. The new Peacock series, Dig, is based on the 2023 novel Excavations by Kate Myers and already has a series order.

Here’s the logline: Dig follows “a group of four female archaeologists at a wildly different crossroads in their respective lives. While unearthing a site in Greece, the team unexpectedly discovers a long-buried secret that could rewrite history as we know it, kicking off a high-stakes international conspiracy.”

Poehler will star, co-write the pilot with Schur, and executive produce alongside Schur and J.J. Philbin. It’s a full-circle moment for the beloved SNL alum, and we can’t wait to see her back in a starring role.

That’s it for this week folks. Let me know if you have any feedback or comments on what’d you like to see in this newsletter, feel free to reply to me on this email.

We’ll see you back again next Friday & have a great weekend!

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