Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessell on Their 'Yellowjackets' Initiation, Meeting the Younger Stars (Exclusive)

Diddy is opening up about his friendship with Sting, revealing that the pair are on good terms, even after the rapper sampled his hit song ‘Every Breath You Take’ without permission back in 1997.Following the tragic death of the Notorious B.I.G. Diddy wanted to honor the iconic artist with a new song.

Brad Pitt has proved to be a very good neighbor. It seems the Hollywood star allowed a widowed man to live in his Los Angeles residence until his death at 105, according to actress Cassandra Peterson, best known for her iconic ‘Elvira’ character.Cassandra was the previous owner of the property located in Los Feliz, California, until 1994 when the actor bought it.

Like looking in a mirror! Yellowjackets follows a group of survivors — in the past and present — after a plane crash leaves them stranded in the Canadian wilderness.

What to watch: 7 movies and show to stream this week - March 10What to watch: 7 movies and shows to stream this week - March 17“Yellowjackets” has been one of the most welcome surprises in television. The series was an unexpected hit, robooting the career of Melanie Lynskey, one of her generations best talents, with some girls lost in the wilderness drama. The series is set in two timelines, the present, and the past, following a girls’ soccer team that went missing after a plane crash in the ‘90s.

Warning: Spoilers for “Yellowjackets” seasons 1-2. Do not read if you have not watched the season 2 premiere, “Friends, Romans, Countrymen,” written by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson and directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer.  

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains plot points from the season premiere of Yellowjackets on Showtime.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Following one of the most shocking finale episodes in recent TV history, the highly anticipated second season of “Yellowjackets” is finally here. The Emmy-nominated series arrives on Showtime on Friday, March 24 but will also be available to stream for free on Paramount+ beginning Sunday, March 26. The Showtime breakout hit — which stars Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci, among others — follows a high school soccer team after a near-fatal plane crash leaves them deserted in a remote location in the wilderness. The girls find themselves at the center of a “Lord of the Flies”-inspired survival horror story in the 19 brutal months before they’re rescued.

Christina Ricci liked acting as a child because the work allowed her to "escape" from "a horrendous childhood". While speaking to Entertainment Weekly for a new interview, the Yellowjackets star discussed how her rise to stardom as a child wasn't as bad as her real life.

Now that has returned with season 2, there's been a renewed search for answers to the biggest questions about the show, including everything from when the young survivors will become cannibals in the past to what's going on with Adult Lottie (Simone Kessell) in the present. While at its core, the Showtime drama is about what happened to a group of teenagers after a plane crash stranded them in the wilderness for 19 months and how a few of the grownup survivors are reckoning with the secrets that amassed both then and now, it's a puzzle box series that introduces new pieces with each episode. And as a result, fans have run wild with theories and ideas about every detail of the series, much to the delight of its creators, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who admitted to ET that they «have been, along with the entire cast and most of our EPs, trolling Reddit a little bit and watching Twitter.» And in doing so, they noticed during season 1 that «somebody out of the thousands of comments that have come up has rightly predicted almost everything.»That said, there are still many (new and old) questions to be asked, theories to be addressed and answers to be debated. And as season 2 continues to roll out, this article will be updated with information from each new episode as well as additional insight from the creators and the cast, including the adult players, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey and Tawny Cypress, and their younger counterparts, Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liv Hewson, Sammi Hanratty, Sophe Nelisse and Sophie Thatcher.

It’s good to be back. Yellowjackets left fans with plenty of questions about the fate of the group in the wilderness — and whether the aftermath of their trauma would lead to more shocking deaths.

Yellowjackets kicks off its second season this month.Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the mystery thriller series follows a girls’ football team in 1996 who, while travelling to a tournament in Seattle, crash-land in the Canadian wilderness and are left stranded for nineteen months. Between their attempts to survive, the show also jumps to their adult lives in the present day.The show’s first season received seven nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards last year, including Outstanding Drama Series and acting nods for Melanie Lynskey and Christina Ricci.Other members of the cast include Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Sophie Nelisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Sammi Hanratty and Juliette Lewis.The exact number of episodes hasn’t been officially confirmed.

Melanie Lynskey would really like to stop being asked about being body shamed on the set of Yellowjackets.

Christina Ricci this week said, for her, acting at a young age was an "escape" from her "horrendous" childhood. "When I first started, and still as adults, this career has always been an escape for me," the actress, who first became famous as Wednesday Addams in 1991’s "The Addams Family," told Entertainment Weekly when asked about surviving childhood stardom.  The actress, who now stars in Showtime's "Yellowjackets," continued, "As a kid, it was an escape from, like, a horrendous childhood and just getting to go away – be in hotels and be on set and be with other adults and be valued.

“Yellowjackets” has returned, and if you thought things couldn’t get any more wild on the Showtime drama series, prepare to be proven wrong. Season 2 continues the bifurcated storylines of the titular soccer team stranded after a plane crash in the 1990s, and the grown-up survivors dealing with their past trauma in present day.New revelations, expanded mythology and new characters permeate the new season as the story barrels forward, with Shauna (Melanie Lynskey, Sophie Nélisse), Taissa (Tawny Cypress, Jasmin Savoy Brown), Misty (Christina Ricci, Sammi Hanratty), Natalie (Juliette Lewis, Sophie Thatcher) all returning.Elijah Wood joins the cast as Walter, a citizen detective, while Lauren Ambrose appears in Season 2 as the adult version of Van (played in the 1990s timeline by Liv Hewson) and Simone Kessell plays the adult version of Lottie (played in the ‘90s by Courtney Eaton).The new season picks up pretty immediately after Season 1 left off, with the survivors dealing with a harsh winter and dwindling food supply back in 1996 while the present day versions of the characters find that their past continues to haunt them in significant ways.

BreAnna Bell “Each survivor must determine if the darkness is coming for them or from them,” reads Showtime’s official description for Season 2 of “Yellowjackets” and the writers this season reveal they were not holding back as they embarked on this follow up to their explosive debut. Executive producers Jonathan Lisco and Drew Comins teased the themes of trauma and ptsd explored in Season 2 of Showtime’s thrilling drama “Yellowjackets,” and how it will affect the present-day players at the second season premiere held at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theater on Wednesday night. With new cast members including Simone Kessell and Lauren Ambrose, who portray adult Lottie and Van, the teenage and adult yellowjackets crew along with creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson walked the red carpet to the theater for a special screening which was followed by a brief Q&A segment.

TV’s favorite soccer team is back — and fiercer than ever! The cast of Yellowjackets slayed at the season 2 premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 22. 

many new faces joining when the Emmy-nominated drama returns with season 2 is Elijah Wood. The 42-year-old actor will play a citizen detective named Walter during a season-long guest arc on the series. According to Showtime, he is expected to challenge Christina Ricci's character, Misty, one of the grownup survivors trying to figure out who is threatening to expose the secrets of what went on when she and her soccer team were stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash 25 years prior. «A lot of my scenes this season have been with Elijah Wood and it's wonderful working with him again,» Ricci previously told ET about reuniting with the actor, whom she previously shared the screen with in the 1997 film, . Ahead of the series' return on Sunday, March 26, the reunited co-stars opened up about working together again and teased what's in store for their characters, including a possible on-screen romance for the duo we're dubbing «Wisty.» Looking back on, Ricci admits to ET's Deidre Behar, «We weren't really adults at that time.

know a thing or two about survival onscreen — and off. In the breakout Showtime series, Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Tawny Cypress, Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessell each play the adult versions of members of the Wiskayok High School girls soccer team, who survived a horrific plane crash that left them stranded in the Ontario wilderness. ET's Deidre Behar spoke with each of the actresses -- who have all successfully navigated their careers -- and asked them about their secrets to surviving and thriving in Hollywood. «When I first started, and still as adults, this career has always been an escape for me,» Ricci told ET.

Christina Ricci is always down to play around in the weird and macabre world of Netflix's She just can't say whether or not that's actually in the cards just yet.The celebrated actress walked the carpet at the season 2 premiere of, held at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood on Wednesday, and she spoke with ET's Deidre Behar about both of the highly rated TV shows she's been a part of just in the past year.In, Ricci stars as the seemingly sweet and supportive teacher Marilyn Thornhill, who is ultimately revealed to be secretly evil. She's ultimately defeated by some angry bees and a swift kick in the face, but her actual fate is left somewhat ambiguous.However, Ricci understandably played coy when asked if she might be a part of the hotly anticipated second season, telling ET, «I don't think I'm allowed to say.»However, Ricci happily added, «On my end, the door is open» for a return, if the show wants to bring her back.«She was so fun to play!» Ricci marveled.

Melanie Lynskey says she feels very «fortunate» for the best things in her life, including her career, her sweet husband, Jason Ritter, and their adorable daughter.The celebrated actress walked the carpet at the season 2 premiere of , held at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood on Wednesday, and she spoke with ET's Deidre Behar about Ritter, and his casting in the second season of her popular showtime series.«I don't think I can tell you anything,» Lynskey admitted, when it came to details about who Ritter would be playing in the hit psychological horror drama, and added that she didn't have anything to do with his casting — which was entirely the idea of creator Ashley Lyle.«Ashley, in fact, came to him and said, 'Would you want to do this particular thing?' And he was really excited,» said Lynskey, who also added that she and Ritter «have no scenes [together]. We didn't work together.»Ultimately, Lynskey said it was «kind of helpful to not work together because, you know, one of us has to be with our child.»Lynskey and Ritter — who began dating in 2013 — got engaged in 2017 and welcomed their baby girl in December 2018.

Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey, and Tawny Cypress look amazing at the premiere of their Showtime series, Yellowjackets!

know a thing or two about survival onscreen — and off. In the breakout Showtime series, Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Tawny Cypress, Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessell each play the adult versions of members of the Wiskayok High School girls soccer team, who survived a horrific plane crash that left them stranded in the Ontario wilderness. ET's Deidre Behar spoke with each of the actresses -- who have all successfully navigated their careers -- and asked them about their secrets to surviving and thriving in Hollywood. «When I first started, and still as adults, this career has always been an escape for me,» Ricci told ET.

One of the most talked-about TV series in recent years is set to return with the long-awaited second season of “Yellowjackets”.

EXCLUSIVE: 1091 Pictures has acquired the U.S. rights to the new romantic drama Under My Skin. The film marks the feature debut of Australian writer-director David O’Donnell and is produced by Raynen O’Keefe and Alex Russell. 1091 Pictures is planning a June 6 on-demand release.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. SZA is a Skims stan. In a new underwear campaign for Kim Kardashian’s shapewear and clothing brand, which released Wednesday morning, the Grammy-winning artist poses effortlessly in a dark brown matching underwear set from the brand’s Fits Everybody collection. The campaign comes ahead of SZA‘s final tour stop at The Forum in Los Angeles, which on Wednesday night will be surrounded by billboards donning the campaign images, shot and directed by Greg Swales. “I’m excited to be in Skims’ latest Fits Everybody underwear campaign and to align myself with a brand that strives to make women feel both comfortable and sexy,” SZA said in a statement.

There’s a lot going on in this troubled-girl-on-a-journey story, which recalls the late-’90s proliferation of books like Elizabeth Wurtzel’s Prozac Nation and Susanna Kaysen’s Girl, Interrupted. Brittany Snow’s directing debut doesn’t so much add to that canon as dust it down a bit for a new generation, and its success is mostly attributable to its empathetic star Courtney Eaton — the deserving winner of a SXSW Special Jury Recognition for Performance — whose low-key work anchors a needlessly busy film that never quite settles down.

Like a fungus, the truth eventually has come out. It seems actor Jason Ritter made a quiet cameo as a clicker (the nickname for those infected with the mutated cordyceps fungus) on HBO’s “The Last of Us.”

Christina Ricci revealed she was threatened with a lawsuit after objecting to participate in a sex scene.  The "Yellowjackets" star opened up about the shocking moment while discussing how the dynamic in Hollywood has changed since she first started her acting career.  "It's really great. Us older ladies talk about it all the time. It's amazing to see that they don't necessarily have to go through the things we had to go through.They're able to say, 'I don't want to do this sex scene,' 'I'm not going to be naked,'" Ricci explained during an appearance on "The View."  "They can set boundaries for themselves that we were never allowed to do.

Peacock and Sky have set the cast for their adaptation of The Tattooist of Auschwitz. 

“Yellowjackets” definitely hit a nerve with its inspired combination of “Now and Then,” “Lord of the Flies” and “Alive”; the series quickly became one of Showtime’s most successful ever, with about 5 million viewers tuning in each week. The inspired premise of a group of plane crash survivors — told in the “then” and “now” — was only enhanced by the stellar cast who brought it to life, like Melanie Lynskey as Shauna, now a suburban mom and housewife with homicidal impulses; Juliette Lewis as the edgy, extremely damaged grown-up Natalie; and Christina Ricci as the obsessive Misty, who was basically to blame for the entire disaster, as her teenage self (Samantha Hanratty) was enjoying the camaraderie of the girls’ life in the wild so much that she destroyed the plane’s black box to prevent the team from getting rescued in the first place.The “Yellowjackets” casting team deserves all the awards, as the older and younger versions of the main characters match up seamlessly.

With a show like “Yellowjackets,” where the mysteries are everything, you can’t reveal too much too soon. David Lynch and Mark Frost learned that lesson with “Twin Peaks,” a clear inspiration for Showtimes‘s hit series in terms of tone and setting, which solved its central question halfway through its second season and then quickly faltered for the remaining episodes (until, of course, the divine “The Return,” two decades later, which defied all conventions).  READ MORE: New ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 2 Trailer: Showtime’s Cult Hit Series Returns On March 24, Premieres On-Air On March 26 Co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson said they envisioned their Showtime hit as a five-season series, and so far they are doing an excellent job of keeping up the momentum while also keeping the show as wild and weird as possible.

Christina Ricci is happy to say things have improved for young women in Hollywood.

With a show like “Yellowjackets,” where the mysteries are everything, you can’t reveal too much too soon.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Jonah Hauer-King (“The Little Mermaid”) and Anna Próchniak (“Baptiste”) are starring in the limited event series adapted from Heather Morris’s “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” for Sky and Peacock. Now in production, the Peacock Original series is being produced by Synchronicity Films and will be entirely directed by Tali Shalom-Ezer, whose past credits include “Princess.” Claire Mundell and Jacquelin Perske are executive producers. A global bestseller, “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” has sold more than 12 million copies around the world. “In Auschwitz, a factory of death and dehumanisation, Lale and Gita’s love story is an act of defiance,” said Shalom-Ezer. “It is the choice to remain human. I’m inspired and honoured to bring this story to life, alongside the talented team of people assembled,” Shalom-Ezer continued.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Christina Ricci revealed on a recent episode of “The View” (via Entertainment Weekly) that she once got threatened over refusing to perform a sex scene in a certain way. The “Yellowjackets” star was asked by the talk show’s hosts how film and television sets have changed over the years for young woman, to which she said they’re heard more clearly when they state their boundaries. “It’s really great,” Ricci said. “Us older ladies talk about it all the time. It’s amazing to see that they don’t necessarily have to go through the things we had to go through. They’re able to say, ‘I don’t want to do this sex scene,’ ‘I’m not going to be naked.’ They can set boundaries for themselves that we were never allowed to do.”

Sasha Urban editor The Elton John AIDS Foundation raised more than $9 million at its annual Academy Awards viewing party on Sunday night. The star-studded evening featured a performance by Rina Sawayama and Sir Elton John, a dance party into the night and a live auction for original Keith Haring artwork and the host’s iconic crystalized Dodgers robe. The evening hosted stars including Donatella Versace, Michael Imperioli, Melanie Lynskey, Tiffany Haddish, Kesha, Troye Sivan, Emma Watson, Heidi Klum, Maggie Rogers and Brooke Shields. Smokey Robinson and Nile Rogers sat next to each other for dinner, while special guests Eric McCormack and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez encouraged the audience to donate via text during commercial breaks.