Orville Peck

Orville Peck hasn’t just infiltrated the country music scene he’s officially incorporated it into the LGBTQ+ community as a brand. Where the genre was once dedicated to pining about heteronormative relationships, Beck inserted same-sex ones, and no one batted an eye. His music is boisterous, theatrical and above all else relevant.



T.J. Osborne (of Brothers Osborne)

Talk about being brave, T.J. Osborne threw the music industry a curveball. When he came out, he and his brother John were already big names in country music with huge numbers ones like “It Ain’t My Fault,” and “All Night.” Then T.J. let the world know in 2021 that he is gay. It was a game-changer, he became the first A-list country star to be gay and have a contract with a major country music label. The industry didn’t collapse and neither did the groups fan base. In fact, the reaction was positive and supportive, another sign that subverting the dominant paradigm creates cultural change.



Brandi Carlile

Perhaps now considered a veteran in the country music landscape Brandi Carlile has become an icon in the industry. The Grammy-winning artist couldn’t care less about what people think about her sexuality; with her dedicated humanitarian away from the stage, it’s probably the furthest thing from her mind, especially as a mother and wife. After all is said and done Carlile is still doing tours and filling seats. Her powerhouse vocals are what matters and people seem to understand that.



Amythyst Kiah

The term “Southern gothic” sounds foreboding. And it is. Maybe “Alt Blues” sounds better. Musician Amythyst Kiah does both while keeping her queer black identity intact. Her songs capture the rootsy parts of South while still being firmly set in rock. Her song “Still + Bright” is a haunting mixture of saloon style live music with a pop style beat which sounds more mainstream than down home.  This isn’t what traditional country sounds like but we appreciate the expansion.



Adeem the Artist

If you’re looking for some real country twang for nostalgia’s sake, Adeem the Artist lives in that space on the country charts. Their storytelling is reminiscent of artists like Hank Williams or even Patsy Cline.  Fearless and uncompromising, Adeem the Artist doesn’t sanitize the message and clearly doesn’t need validation.
 


Fancy Hagood

Country artist Fancy Hagood used to be a pop singer. Apparently, that wasn’t his true calling because today he’s a successful country singer and he’s leaned completely into it.  Listen to his pure country tune “Ever Really Ready” from his latest album to understand his style. It might be a little twangy for some, maybe not enough for others, but it’s pure gold through and through.



Ty Herndon

Gender pronouns in songs mattered back in 1995 when Ty Herndon’s hit “What Mattered Most” charted at number one on the Country Chart. The song is about a man regretting that he never saw what was in his girlfriend’s heart. It’s beautiful. Except it’s not technically honest. Herndon came out in 2014, a brave thing to do even later in life.  Thankfully he amended that in 2019 by singing the song using male pronouns at Pride events. Herndon is still booking gigs and making albums, but now from outside the closet.

Rousey and Carano made their first public appearance Tuesday to promote their comeback bout at Intuit Dome.

“This is the biggest fight in MMA right now,” Rousey said. “There are no two people in this sport with more international name recognition than me and Gina — except Conor (McGregor), but no one is going to sanction that.”

Both fighters were pioneers in the nascent days of women's MMA. Carano became the sport's biggest early television star in the 2000s before Rousey's talent singlehandedly persuaded the UFC to create women's divisions in the 2010s.

But the sport accelerated past the MMA icons, who both moved on to entertainment careers after their star power appeared to exceed their cage abilities. Carano, who turns 44 next month, hasn't fought at all since 2009, while the 39-year-old Rousey last competed in 2016 before having two children.

But neither fighter had fully given up on MMA, and this bout was too tantalizing to pass up.

“We only get to live once, and this makes me feel so alive,” said Carano, who also revealed for the first time that she has married her longtime partner, muay thai fighter Kevin Ross.

Rousey and Carano have finally decided to return for a fight that's been anticipated and predicted for many years despite the fighters' long career detours.

Carano said that while she never formally retired, she was persuaded to return after lengthy conversations with Rousey, who was still pregnant when she proposed the bout more than a year ago.

“This is the only fight I wanted to come back for, the only fight that can inspire me like that,” Rousey said.

Rousey sharply criticized the UFC for a financial offer that was much smaller than what she is getting for this fight. Rousey initially wanted to make her comeback with the sports' dominant promotion on its final pay-per-view card, but she turned down its offer.

Rousey said she still loves UFC President Dana White, but the promotion's corporate overlords have strangled fighter pay.

“Now it's become about changing the entire landscape of the sport and challenging the monolith that the UFC has become,” Rousey said.

The Netflix show is being promoted by YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, but Rousey made it clear she is heavily involved in the promotional end. Paul hopes to promote many more MMA shows in the future.

The bout, which is scheduled for five five-minute rounds, will be the main event at Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer's opulent new arena south of downtown Los Angeles.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou also will appear on the card, fighting 40-year-old Philipe Lins.

On Tuesday he closed out a starry Paris Fashion Week with folklore treated as high fashion — capes, cowbells, shearling caps and walking sticks draped with handbags.

Ghesquière called the collection “Super Nature” and said he wanted to find what mountain people from the Alps to Central Asia to the Andes all have in common: clothes shaped by weather, altitude and the need to keep moving.

Zendaya, Ana de Armas, Jennifer Connelly and Jaden Smith sat in the front row.

The set, designed by “Severance” production designer Jeremy Hindle, turned the Louvre's oldest courtyard — the Cour Carrée — into something between a sci-fi landscape and an Alpine postcard.

Wolves, sheep and sailor hats

The show opened with shaggy capes and exaggerated shoulders.

Fur epaulettes swallowed models’ arms and cone-shaped hats recalled the paper sailor hats kids fold for fun. Some models hoisted enormous wicker baskets overhead. Others carried branches.

Wolves, sheep and rabbits appeared embroidered across jackets and skirts.

Ukrainian artist Nazar Strelyaev-Nazarko painted the lambs. Ghesquière reinterpreted a Man Ray parure once worn by Catherine Deneuve, studding it with the nailheads of a Louis Vuitton trunk.

The bags stole the show

The Noé returned in its original 1932 shape. Mini Malles came in soft new versions. Heels were carved to look like antlers.

Where the clothes pushed toward the conceptual, the accessories pulled everything back to earth.

Tuxedo trousers swapped satin side-stripes for strips of fluff and rain capes in scarlet and baby blue crackled against the earthy palette. Coats were lined in hemp-based faux fur.

The house called its material approach “hyper-craft” — not imitation of nature but sublimation of it.

K-pop stars Felix and Lisa, the band Haim, Phoebe Dynevor, Ava DuVernay, Alicia Vikander, Chase Infiniti, Chloe Grace Moretz, Erin Doherty, Katherine LaNasa and Olympic gold medalist figure skater Alysa Liu were also in attendance.

Ghesquière has led Louis Vuitton womenswear since 2013, outlasting more than a dozen creative directors at rival houses.

Miu Miu

Across town a few hours later, the runway at Miu Miu looked like a churned forest floor.

Staff scattered twigs and moss by hand right up until showtime.

Where Ghesquière built a world, Miuccia Prada took one away.

“You, as a human person, you are enough,” Prada said. “You have your mind. That should be enough against whatever happens.”

Last things left in the wardrobe

The clothes looked like the last things left in someone’s wardrobe. Tiny tank dresses. Shrunken washed-leather jackets. Crinkled cotton blazers soft from wear.

Slim coats worn to a sheen, matched with flared pants that dragged through the dirt.

Cotton poplin, boiled cashmere, linen, embroidered tulle—all pulled tight to the skin. Bows recalled underwear. The garments closest to the body.

No armor. No volume. Just the person inside.

Casting as statement

Prada drove the point home with her casting.

Gillian Anderson walked. So did Chloë Sevigny and Kristen McMenamy.

The TXT member Yeonjun appeared alongside Diana Silvers and Gemma Ward.

The lineup spanned generations and gave the stripped-back clothes a weight that a cast of teenagers would not have.

The accessories did the work the clothes refused to. Embellished chapkas, crystallized belts, bedazzled sneakers. One loud element against all that quiet fabric.

After a month of shows that armored the body, padded it and buried it in texture, Prada ended the season arguing the opposite.

The body is already enough. The clothes just need to get out of its way.

“Every year is different,” Taylor said in a recent interview alongside film Academy CEO Bill Kramer. “Every season is different. Every set of movies is different. And so, the show is always different every year.”

It’s a tricky thing to both honor the people in the room while also making an entertaining show for a home audience. But behind the scenes, from returning host Conan O’Brien to the producers and Emmy-winning production design team, is a group of people who know how to dazzle a global audience.

“I think we, in the past couple of years, have really hit that balance right,” Kramer said. “We’re looking at that puzzle constantly and this year is going to be spectacular.”

Final preparations are underway for the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday and everyone is feeling good about what they have planned, including performances, tributes and a special spotlight for their newest award for casting. It helps that the top nominees, “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another,” happen to be great.

“It’s always about the movies and the movies this year? They’re all the things,” Taylor said. “There are escapist movies, big commercial movies, there are movies that are really brave and really bold in their storytelling … I get really emotional when I talk about the quality of this year’s films.”

Growing the audience

The ratings for the Oscars have been ticking up since plummeting to an all-time low in 2021 during the pandemic. The winning movie last year, “Anora,” might have been smaller than “Oppenheimer” the previous year, but ratings still went up slightly from 19.5 million in 2024 to 19.7 million in 2025.

The show had an especially big lift among people ages 18 to 49, driven by mobile and laptop watches from younger viewers. Last year was the first time the ceremony was available to stream live on Hulu. They’ve also been partnering with popular internet personalities like Amelia Dimoldenberg in an effort to reach new audiences in a way that still feels “Academy appropriate.”

“Our audiences are growing,” Kramer said. “And young people are watching the show in ways that we’ve not seen before and that’s really great.”

Early planning and last-minute pivots

Boosted ratings might not be a coincidence with the fact that planning for the show has been starting earlier and earlier in recent years.

“It gives us time to talk through so many things pre-nominations. So once the nominations happen, we can start focusing on what that means for the show,” Kramer said. “There’s not a lot of last-minute panicking over anything.”

One of the ways that will manifest in this year’s show is the production design, from the set to the red carpet, details are pored over for many months.

“They’ve done such beautiful work … and this year, they’ve just gone a whole step further with a different feel that’s very intimate and warm,” Taylor said. “It’s a bit of a departure.”

Though a lot is pre-planned, they're also always thinking of ways to meet the moment, which has led to some major showstoppers. Last year’s big opener with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande was a relatively late addition and ended up being one of the more memorable parts.

“We’re open to pivoting, depending on what’s going on in the world,” Kramer said.

A very special In Memoriam

The deaths of many beloved figures in the film world over the past year have hit hard, including Robert Redford, Diane Keaton, Rob Reiner, Catherine O’Hara, Robert Duvall, Val Kilmer, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, James Van Der Beek and Claudia Cardinale, just to name a few.

Last year Morgan Freeman took the stage to honor Gene Hackman, who had been found dead just days earlier, and others. This year there have been rumors about Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal joining forces for Reiner, but the organizers are neither confirming nor denying that reunion.

“Obviously we’re paying special attention to the In Memoriam this year. It’s going to be robust and beautiful and very, very moving,” Kramer said. “We won’t give away any secrets. You’ll have to tune in.”

As always, there will be a longer version of the In Memoriam available online to recognize people who might not make the broadcast cut.

It'll be three-and-a-half hours. Really.

The longest broadcast in Oscars history, the 74th show in 2002 hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, clocked in at four hours and 23 minutes. But even with a new category, the people behind the show are striving to do it in three-and-a-half hours, or less.

“It’s a lot of moving pieces, but it’s totally doable,” Kramer said. “And casting’s going to get a gorgeous moment on the show.”

Taylor added that awards shows are like movies. Sometimes a long film can feel like “watching paint dry.” Other times, it flies by.

“We really focus on making the show as dynamic and emotionally connecting as possible and really celebrating movies in a way that audiences want to stay tuned for,” Taylor said.

Looking toward 100 and a future on YouTube

Planning is already underway for the 100th Oscars in 2028. They’re also charting a course beyond too: In 2029, the Oscars will move from traditional broadcast television to YouTube.

“YouTube signals our desire to be a more global organization that reaches more audiences around the world,” Kramer said. “The Oscars are just one part of a year-round deal where we’re building a hub for cinema on YouTube that will have our SciTech Awards, our museum programming. Google Arts and Culture will be digitizing components of our collection and making it available to the public. This is all about reach and growing audiences.”

Tink is being written and executive produced by Liz Heldens and Bridget Carpenter, who previously collaborated on the series Friday Night Lights. Heldens' production company, Selfish Mermaid, is also involved through executive producer Quinn Haberman. Gary Marsh, former President and Chief Creative Officer at Disney Branded Television, serves as an executive producer, with the series coming from Disney's 20th Television.

Tinker Bell first appeared as a key character in Disney's Peter Pan, released in 1953, and has since become an official mascot for the company, appearing in its logo and starring in multiple animated films and series. Voice actors for the character have included Mae Whitman, Lucy Liu, Raven-Symoné, America Ferrera, Kristin Chenoweth, and Pamela Adlon across various features. Her most recent live-action portrayal was by Yara Shahidi, a Black actress, in the 2023 Disney+ film Peter Pan & Wendy.

Earlier attempts to adapt Tinker Bell into live-action include a 2015 project titled Tink, which had Reese Witherspoon attached to star but evolved into the current drama series format. This places Tink within Disney's broader wave of live-action remakes and adaptations, which has included successes like 2015's Cinderella, grossing $543.5 million worldwide, and 2017's Beauty and the Beast, which earned $1.266 billion. Other entries, such as 2019's Aladdin, 2014's Maleficent, and photorealistic films like The Jungle Book and The Lion King, have also performed strongly, though recent projects like 2020's Mulan, 2023's The Little Mermaid, and 2025's Snow White faced financial challenges.

The announcement comes amid other Disney developments, including the recent release of a Stoney Clover Lane collection featuring Tinker Bell merchandise. No release date for Tink has been announced, but it is confirmed for Disney+.

While the series focuses on Tinker Bell's story, its development aligns with Disney's history of diverse casting in adaptations, as seen with Yara Shahidi's role and voice talents like Raven-Symoné, an openly gay actress, and America Ferrera, who has advocated for inclusive representation. LGBTQ+ media outlets have not yet issued specific responses to the Tink announcement, but the project's emphasis on a strong female lead produced by women like Heldens and Carpenter could offer opportunities for affirming narratives resonant with transgender and queer audiences who see fairies as symbols of transformation and fluidity. Past Disney projects, such as Peter Pan & Wendy, have sparked discussions in LGBTQ+ communities about reimagining classic tales with diverse leads. No on-the-record statements from LGBTQ+ organizations like GLAAD were available at the time of reporting regarding this series.

This project underscores Disney's commitment to expanding its animated legacy into live-action streaming content, potentially reaching global audiences through Disney+.

Robert Cosby Jr., aged 23, died on February 23, 2026, following a struggle with drug addiction, with the cause of death still under investigation after police responded to a possible overdose.

Andy Cohen, host of Watch What Happens Live and executive producer of the Real Housewives franchise, detailed the event during his SiriusXM show, Radio Andy Live, on March 9, 2026, though he could not attend in person. Cohen described the Pentecostal ceremony as "absolutely incredible," "uplifting and so moving and absolutely kind of rapturous."

He highlighted Mary Cosby's powerful presence, noting she was "spiritually on one" during the service. Robert Cosby Sr., Mary's husband and Robert Jr.'s father, delivered a speech that Cohen called "unbelievable," based on reports from attendee Kyle Richards.

The entire Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast attended, including Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks, Heather Gay, Whitney Rose, Bronwyn Newport, Angie Katsanevas, and Britani Bateman, along with the production team. Out-of-town Bravo stars Kyle Richards from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and Cynthia Bailey and Shereé Whitfield, alums of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, also showed up, earning praise from Cohen as "real ones" for their kindness. Cohen stated, "I love it that they went. I think that is so kind. They are real ones, those three."

Notably, the service was not filmed for Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 7, despite producers' presence, as confirmed by sources connected to the show. Production on Season 7 had paused briefly after Robert Jr.'s death but resumed the previous week without Mary Cosby.

Robert Jr. had previously shared his struggles with substance abuse and mental health alongside his mother on the show. The memorial underscored the tight-knit Bravo network, with attendees crossing franchise lines to honor Mary during her grief. No specific LGBTQ+ perspectives were reported in coverage of the event, though the inclusive Bravo community, known for diverse representation, demonstrated solidarity.

The turnout highlighted cross-franchise bonds within the Real Housewives universe, offering Mary Cosby a network of support amid personal tragedy. Production for Season 7 resumed the week of March 2, with uncertainty about Cosby's involvement.

Their statement directly addressed discriminatory commentary, stating: “Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist/homophobic/biphobic/misogynist/ageist/ableist/parasocial/bigoted comments of any kind. None of us need your hateful ‘love.’” Williams and Arnaud further countered efforts to sow division among the cast, affirming: “We all respect and support and love each other and are on the same side. If you can’t accept that gtfoh.” This message highlighted unity behind the scenes, rejecting parasocial dynamics where fans project conflicts onto real relationships.

Heated Rivalry, created by Jacob Tierney and streaming exclusively on Lionsgate Play, centers on the evolving rivalry-turned-romance between two hockey players, delving into themes of love, ambition, identity, and obsession in a queer context. The series has garnered global attention for its portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships, blending intense sports action with personal emotional journeys. However, its rising popularity has coincided with a surge in online harassment, including homophobic and biphobic remarks targeting the cast, particularly the actors depicting the central queer storyline.

The actors' intervention follows a post from co-star Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova on Sunday, March 8, 2026, coinciding with International Women's Day. Kharlamova challenged assumptions diminishing women's roles at industry events, writing: “Since it’s Women’s Day I want to say the women you see at industry events are there they are just as deserving of being in those rooms. The assumption that we are there because our male costars invited us takes away the work we also put in. Celebrate women’s achievements!” In a follow-up, she clarified: “Also if you’re using this tweet to criticize my cast mates you missed the point. They are amazing!! I said celebrate women not hate on male actors.”

These statements reflect a broader pattern of cast members addressing fandom toxicity, fostering a safer space for discussion of the show's LGBTQ+ themes without harassment. The pushback underscores the challenges faced by actors in queer narratives, where passionate engagement can veer into bigotry, impacting transgender people, bisexual individuals, and other LGBTQ+ communities depicted or supported by such stories. By rejecting hate, the cast promotes respectful appreciation, aligning with ongoing industry conversations about online abuse. This united front from the Heated Rivalry team serves as a model for handling divisive fan dynamics in LGBTQ+-affirming media.

Ready to succeed them as music director on Sept. 1, he added the only color shot in the room: himself with his mentor, José Antonio Abreu.

Dudamel plans on a colorful tenure atop one of the world’s premiere podiums, realizing times have changed in the seven decades since Bernstein injected his energetic personality into the orchestra and audience.

“It’s very fast,” Dudamel said of contemporary culture during a Jan. 23 interview with The Associated Press. “We have social media, it is a different world. Everything is very ephemeral.”

Dudamel’s first season will have a triple opening, the orchestra announced Tuesday.

The 45-year-old Venezuelan begins as music director with a performance at 6,000-capacity Radio City Music Hall on Sept. 10 followed by a 9-11 25th anniversary concert the next day at the World Trade Center’s Perelman Performing Arts Center.

Several world premieres are scheduled

Dudamel’ subscription concerts at Lincoln Center’s 2,200-capacity David Geffen Hall start Sept. 16 with John Adams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning “On the Transmigration of Souls,” written following the terrorist attacks; a Zosha Di Castri world premiere; and Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, conducted by Dudamel during his New York Philharmonic debut on Nov. 29, 2007.

Dudamel’s season includes the world premiere of Tania León’s “of Imágenes mestizas” (Sept. 25) paired with Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, which he conducted during his second appearances with the New York Philharmonic in January 2009.

“New York, is a very symbolic place,” he said. “This is the orchestra of the Americas.”

He is appointing Serbian performer Marina Abramović and Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla as artists in residence.

Dudamel will conduct the world premiere of Santaolalla’s “El Payador perseguido” to video and still images by Venezuela director Alberto Arvelo (starting March 3, 2027) and Abramović’s staged production of Stravinsky’s “The Soldier’s Tale” and de Falla’s “El Amor brujo” (March 10, 2027).

His initial season includes a 10-concert European tour from Oct. 9-22; Puccini’s “Tosca” with tenor Jonas Kaufmann (Nov. 13) that begins a five-year concert opera commitment at Carnegie Hall; and the orchestra’s first performances of Bernstein’s “MASS,” commissioned to open the Kennedy Center in 1971 (June 9, 2027).

“What’s powerful is the vision and the inspiration that we’re conveying, and everything else falls into place,” said Matías Tarnopolsky, who became the New York Philharmonic’s CEO last year.

Trying to find orchestra's unique sound in homogenized era

Hired in February 2023 to start this fall, Dudamel spoke with 83-year-old conductor Daniel Barenboim about the challenges of a 21st-century music director.

“The orchestras, a little bit they sound the same. Everything is becoming very uniform,” Dudamel quoted Barenboim as saying. “In the past you didn’t have access to recordings. It was very difficult to listen to another orchestra. So we have to go back to build that culture -- not only about making a sound, understanding why we make the sound.”

Dudamel concludes 17 seasons as Los Angeles Philharmonic music director this summe r and in New York succeeds Jaap van Zweden, whose six-season tenure ended with 2023-24.

Dudamel intends to conduct in Harlem and Brooklyn.

“Art institutions have to go to the people, not only (be) expecting the people to come to you,” he said.

Times and tastes have changed since Bernstein was television force

While Bernstein was able to emphasize music education with 53 Young People’s Concerts on CBS from 1958-72, Dudamel faces a fractured media landscape where classical music has lost prominence. Tarnopolsky is hoping to develop “Gustavo’s connection to education plus whatever it is in digital media” in an effort “to connect globally on a music education platform that we don’t know what it is yet.”

Dudamel is obsessed with trying to schedule what would be the New York premiere of Messiaen’s 1983 opera “Saint François d’Assise” but says it would have to be in a special place, not Geffen Hall.

He grew up in El Sistema, Venezuela’s famed music education system. His nation has endured political turmoil, including the U.S. capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

“I have to say it’s a sense of hope. We need that. My country needs that. Not only to see the light far (away), if not to arrive at that light,” he said. “We have been talking with the team in El Sistema to create connections with the young people. We have that program that I want to bring here, the fellows, to have to open more opportunities for young conductors to be assistants here.”

“I guarantee you when I was … literally hanging under a helicopter above the Florida Keys over the Seven Mile Bridge in Florida, I did not imagine I’d be sitting in New York City that many years later with Nicole Kidman,” Curtis said. “Not only being co-bosses on a show, but then also playing her slutty sister. I was not imagining that as my future.”

The Oscar winners co-executive produced and star in “Scarpetta,” a new mystery crime series from Prime Video, out March 11, based on Patricia Cornwell's popular books. Curtis credits Kidman as one of the major Hollywood players who helped shrink the gulf between perceptions of film and TV roles with prestige series like “Big Little Lies” and “Nine Perfect Strangers.”

Kidman, 58, plays the titular character Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a forensic pathologist who solves complex murders. Upon returning to Virginia, she comes across cases eerily reminiscent of one three decades prior that catapulted her career forward. To prepare for the role, Kidman spent time with a medical examiner in Tennessee, where she learned how to hold a scalpel, and how to identify and dissect organs.

“My sister and my mother were obsessed with the novels, so I would read them,” the Emmy-winning Kidman said. “When I mentioned it to my sister, she was like, ‘Well, I mean, that’s it. You have to do it.’”

Perfect timing for an adaptation

The book rights to Cornwell’s iconic fiction series were optioned throughout the years with megastars sometimes attached, including actors Demi Moore, Angelina Jolie, and even Kidman previously. But those iterations didn't come to fruition.

At the 2021 Oscars, Kidman approached Curtis’ table and introduced herself — they'd never met, despite working in similar circles for decades. Months later, when Kidman heard Curtis was leading the charge on “Scarpetta,” she wanted in.

“I have a philosophy where characters come to you at the right time,” Kidman said. When she first considered playing Kay Scarpetta, the timing wasn't right, and neither were the scripts. But the second time, it all came together. “Here she is, and I’m ready now," she said, reflecting on her decision to embrace the project.

Curtis plays Scarpetta’s free-spirited sister Dorothy. The “Halloween” franchise star had no intention of acting in the show but agreed to at Kidman’s request. The eight-episode season was led by showrunner Liz Sarnoff, whose credits include “Lost” and “Barry,” and is also a longtime fan of the books.

The cast includes Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale as Pete Marino, Kay's ex-partner and Dorothy’s husband and “The Mentalist” star Simon Baker, who plays FBI profiler and Scarpetta's husband Benton Wesley. Another Oscar winner, Ariana DeBose, is Dorothy’s tech-savvy daughter, primarily raised by Kay.

A companion storyline set in the '90s follows the doctor's early career, with Rosy McEwen, who bears a striking resemblance to Kidman, portraying the younger version. Jake Cannavale — Bobby’s actual son — plays the young Marino, with Hunter Parrish portraying babyfaced Benton.

DeBose, who presented Curtis with her Oscar for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” was offered the role in a personal text message from Curtis. Her character, Lucy, is grieving her dead wife and seeks comfort in an AI replica. It’s a pivot for an actor known for upbeat Broadway performances.

“I hope audiences will also find a way to have compassion for her,” said the 35-year-old, of a fictional character that had real-life reverberations. Five months after filming, DeBose faced a loss of her own when her mother died. “I’m more clear now than I was when I was actually shooting this series … that grief manifests in very different ways.”

Betting big on screen adaptations

Cornwell, who has sold more than 120 million copies of the “Scarpetta” series worldwide, was heavily involved in the adaptation.

“Dream come true — literally,” said the New York Times bestseller, who started the series in 1990. The 69-year old, who began penning “Postmortem” while working in the office of Virginia's chief medical examiner, is currently writing the 30th book centered around a serial poisoner. She says Kidman and Curtis uncovered new layers of her beloved characters.

“I’m learning things from them," she said. “When I sit back and I’m working on my book, suddenly I’m seeing Jamie in my head, or I’m hearing Nicole. My characters have come alive.”

Prime has found massive success with popular novel adaptations like “Reacher,” “Jack Ryan,” the “Bosch” universe and “Cross,” all possessing deep troves of source material. They’re betting “Scarpetta” will be their next big hit.

Kidman, whose divorce from country music star Keith Urban was finalized in January, has a busy slate of upcoming projects, including the series “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” “Girls and Their Horses” and “Discretion,” as well as the films “The Young People” and “Practical Magic 2.”

Curtis' view of Hollywood

Curtis hopes the series, produced by her company Comet Pictures, inspires young women in the industry with another model for leadership, both in front of and behind the camera.

“I hope that they see people — women — doing all these different jobs. This show doesn’t exist without me calling Jason Blum, saying, ‘Hey, I found out that the rights to Patricia’s books are available. Let’s (expletive) go!’" said Curtis, recalling her conversation with the Blumhouse Television founder, who helped produce it. “They will hear that and go, ‘Oh, that’s how you get (expletive) done!’ You persevere.”

Two “Scarpetta” seasons were ordered, and Curtis has famously said she will leave acting before Hollywood leaves her. Could more success delay her plan though?

“When my parents were in their heyday, they were enormous movie stars. There is a point where the industry just moves on. … I want to be able to end it on my own terms … I’ve been saying that since I was 30,” said the 67-year-old Emmy winner. “I want to be able to walk away with the dignity and pride in my work, and not kind of be grasping at something that’s fading away.”

“Pay no attention to her,” Kidman interrupted, and said to Curtis, “We’re not listening to that because we’re asking you to stay forever."

The two teased each other playfully, like real-life sisters.

“She will be working well past 100, probably," Kidman said, "And we’ll all be going, ‘That’s an inspiration.’”