From Country Concerts to Stand-Up Comedy: 11 Things to See and Do This Summer!

A Summer of Blockbuster Sequels

Familiar faces and established franchises could make for serious box office magic. Five cinematic worlds we’re looking forward to revisiting 

Deadpool & Wolverine
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s real-life bromance gets the Marvel treatment in this over-the-top third installment of the Deadpool franchise. The only thing sharper than the blades is the banter. In theaters July 26.

A Quiet Place: Day One
A prequel to John Krasinski’s 2018 apocalyptic horror about aliens with ultrasonic hearing, the film stars Lupita Nyong’o and Stranger Things favorite Joseph Quinn. In theaters June 28.

Alien: Romulus
The seventh film in the seminal sci-fi horror franchise, set in the aftermath of the events of the original, Romulus stars Cailee Spaeny in a new pulse-pounding scenario. In theaters Aug. 16.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
For the first time in 30 years, Eddie Murphy returns as the street-smart detective Axel Foley, a part that allowed for plenty of improv. “When you have someone like Eddie, you want to let him be free,” director Mark Molloy told Entertainment Weekly. On Netflix July 3.

Twisters
A stand-alone sequel to the 1996 disaster epic Twister, this thriller follows a dedicated storm chaser (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and a social media daredevil (Glen Powell) through close encounters of the meteorological kind. In theaters July 19.

Stand-Up Tours Worth Stepping Out For

Looking for a few laughs? These six comedians are sure to get the crowds rolling at a venue near you

John Mulaney
A comedian who made the leap to legitimate superstar, Mulaney released the taut special Baby J in 2023 and in May the more meandering talk show Everybody’s in L.A. Expect bits of both in limited dates this August.

Nikki Glaser
If you saw Glaser skewer Tom Brady on his Netflix roast, you get the gist: It’s R-rated and cuts deep. Catch her before the end of 2024.

Sebastian Maniscalco
One of comedy’s most in-demand performers, he brings his acerbic, high-energy shows to 47 cities beginning this month.

Taylor Tomlinson
The host of After Midnight, recently renewed by CBS, takes a break from late night to perform her raw, personal material through September. 

Nate Bargatze
Self-effacing and squeaky-clean, the comic—who rocked his SNL hosting debut last fall—will have the whole family giggling. His Be Funny tour runs through October. 

Wanda Sykes
The veteran, who’s been entertaining audiences since 1987, resumes her first major run in six years—the Please & Thank You tour—this fall.

Children’s Books Written by Celebrities

You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!) by Taraji P. Henson
The actress, 53, was inspired by her grandmother and her own mental health advocacy.

The Make-Believers by Ryan Seacrest and Meredith Seacrest Leach
The presenter, 49, and his sister collaborated on a story about sharing your dreams.

Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries by Eva Mendes
“A love letter to my kids and yours,” says the actress, 50, of her debut, out in September.

My Lost Freedom by George Takei 
The 87-year-old actor’s poignant tale of living in WWII Japanese internment camps.

Joshua Boone, Broadway’s Rising Star

The secret weapon in the Angelina Jolie-produced, Tony-winning Broadway musical The Outsiders, Virginia native Joshua Boone plays the role of greaser Dallas Winston (the character portrayed by Matt Dillon in the 1983 film) with charisma and confidence. “It feels like I’m supposed to be here,” he told The Hollywood Reporter at the 2024 Tonys — where he was nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical — “because I am.” 

Cyndi Lauper’s Farewell Tour

Cyndi Lauper’s 23-city tour, aptly named the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell, hits the States on Oct. 24 in Detroit. It’s the perfect time to show your true colors.

The Demissance is Upon Us!

It wasn’t just her smoldering turn in Feud: Capote vs. the Swans or the 13-minute standing ovation her upcoming horror thriller The Substance received at Cannes or even her charming interview in the documentary Brats. It wasn’t just the looks she slayed on carpet after carpet (in Balenciaga at Cannes, Balmain at MoMA and Harris Reed at the Met Gala) and sometimes holding her Chihuahua Pilaf. It was all of the above, and the fact that at 61, Demi Moore is clearly having the time of her life. It’s a renaissance all her own.

Zoe Kravitz’s Directorial Debut

The actress and singer, 35, adds a line to her résumé with Blink Twice, her feature directorial debut, in theaters Aug. 23. The dark comedy, which she also cowrote and produced, stars her fiancé, Channing Tatum, as a mysterious tech mogul billionaire. “It’s a good test,” she told GQ of the collaboration. “We came out even stronger.”

Paul Walter Hauser’s Big, Bonkers Year

From his critically lauded role in Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell to an Emmy-winning turn as a serial killer in the Apple TV+ miniseries Black Bird, Paul Walter Hauser has proven his range—and now he’s just showing off. Next month he appears in the heist thriller The Instigators alongside Casey Affleck and Matt Damon, and he recently signed on to Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot, a Naked Gun update and Josh Gad’s anticipated Chris Farley biopic. After that Hauser, 37, says he’s done with the “heavyset” roles. “I’ve played every type of chubby, misguided person,” says the father of two (and, oh yeah, part-time professional wrestler). “I look forward to being healthy, around a long time for my wife and kids—and seeing what else I can do.”

“The Bear” is Back

A third season of the hit FX comedy drama premieres on June 27, bringing with it sky-high tension as tortured chef Carmen Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White, above with Lionel Boyce and Ebon Moss-Bachrach) demands perfection from his restaurant staff.

Chappell Roan is Burning Up the Summer

The 26-year-old pop singer (born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz) has had a meteoric rise, with buzzy sets at Coachella and Governor’s Ball, shout-outs from Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, and a No. 1 iTunes album featuring the catchy hit “Good Luck, Babe!” “It’s really hard to keep up,” she recently admitted to a concert crowd.