Ariana Grande has launched the Brighter Days Ahead Foundation to support youth mental health, arts education and community causes.

On Friday, the 3x Grammy winner announced the nonprofit, which is designed to uplift and directly fund small organizations doing meaningful work through partnerships that will create longterm impact.

“I am beyond excited to finally announce the Brighter Days Ahead Foundation. Our mission is to support, protect and provide resources for our vulnerable friends in need,” said Grande in a statement. “Through four different funds, we will be supporting handfuls of incredible organizations that provide the safe space and care that is desperately needed by so many right now. 

Grande added, “It has been my privilege to be able to support these causes on my own over the years, and I’m grateful to now be able to expand that reach and amplify the life-saving work that these organizations do through the brighter days ahead foundation.”

The Brighter Days Ahead Foundation channels its support through four core funds: the Protect & Defend Fund, for grassroots groups advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, civil rights and reproductive justice; the Heal & Dream Fund, which expands access to mental health care and community support; the Seen & Celebrated Fund, helping ensure LGBTQ+ voices and stories are heard and shared; and the Emergency Support Fund, a responsive fund to help communities with rapid support and relief during urgent moments, through aid and resources.

Recent grantees across all funds include Defending Our Neighbors Fund, Elevated Access, G.L.I.T.S, Lambda Legal, Transgender Law Center, Trans Youth Emergency Project, Trans Lifeline, Backline, National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network, Jack.org, Gender Liberation Movement, Glisten Rainbow Library, SAGE USA, TransLash, Transanta, Humanity Crew, New York Cares, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Save the Children UK, This Is About Humanity and Troop 6000.

The nonprofit’s name comes from the Brighter Days Ahead short film, accompanying her Eternal Sunshine expanded edition, which deals with themes of healing, resilience, hope, and moving forward.

Ciara Miller and Tefi Pessoa made their first appearance on Love Island USA ahead of the premiere of their weekly talk show Love Island USA Aftersun.

The Summer House star and the podcaster entered the villa to host a game with the Islanders. The duo had their slo-mo entrance, making them officially part of the Love Island universe.

Miller and Pessoa were greeted by enthusiastic cheers from the Islanders, with Kayda Reese Bosse fangirling over the presence of the Bravo star.

“Look at you!” Kayda is heard saying as Miller walked in.

Pessoa asked the Islanders if any of them watched Bravo, and Kayda was the loudest one in the villa, raising both of her hands and saying, “I dooooooo!”

Miller asked Kayda what her favorite Bravo franchise was, and without hesitation, she said, “Summer House, baby!”

“Great answer! Locked that sh** in,” Miller told Kayda.

The Aftersun co-hosts went on to host the game, and at the end of the episode, Peacock aired a preview for their weekly companion series, which will premiere on Saturday, June 13 at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Miller and Pessoa would welcome the first two Islanders dumped from the villa. They also announced that they will air the aftermath of the Islanders being dumped from the villa.

The nurse and media personality has been a mainstay on Summer House since joining in Season 5. Bravo’s reality series has been in the midst of a whirlwind after co-stars Westling Wilson and Amanda Batula admitted they were in a relationship. Miller was seemingly blindsided by both her ex (Wilson) and her best friend (Batula), and will confront them during the upcoming reunion.

Miller was also recently confirmed for the cast of Dancing with the Stars Season 35, which will also feature The Traitors US star Maura Higgins, who previously hosted Aftersun.

Watch Miller and Pessoa make their Love Island USA Season 8 debut in the video below.

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit.

It is finally time to stop watching and start voting, people. Emmy ballots are in hand (or laptop) and if you think this has been a long season, it has actually been longer than that.

I cannot remember a year in the four decades or so that I have been a voting member of the Television Academy where the campaign cycle has been this exhaustive. By my count I have received at least (I lost track) 450 official invites sent through the TV Academy on behalf of every FYC and event or viewing lineup networks, streamers, and studios could dream up. The first one came way back on January 5, for an FYC event for Palm Royale. The most recent one came last Sunday for Wonder Man, both held at the Academy’s Saban Media Center in North Hollywood which is raking in the dough for these FYC events, usually consisting of an episode screening and a panel following with stars and creatives and finally a reception with free drinks and food. Or if they aren’t doing an FYC they are sending out their entire portfolio for digital viewing. There have been hundreds of them. Since May 1 alone I have received 210 emails from the Academy, either informing me of another FYC event, or viewing program for our digital viewing platform from the various companies with Emmy hopefuls this year. Who can possibly watch all this content???

The list is endless and of course it includes starry evenings with the likes of Hacks, The Pitt, The Bear, Beef 2, and on and on with the usual suspects. No show with any Emmy hopes at all will pass up the chance to do one of these events because the audience (and there are usually turnaway crowds) is likely made up from the 24,000 -strong membership of the Academy. It is a must do, even for those without such high profiles and big bucks behind their campaigns. I got invites to see such shows as Subway Takes With Kareem Rahman, Michael Cruz Conway: Sorry For Your Loss, League Of Legends: World Championship Opening Ceremony, Grandma Stand, Amy’s Dead End Dreamhouse, and Balance: A Perimenopause Journey to name a few with Emmy dreams popping inside their head.

Of course this isn’t free. All these entities pay a fee to get their wares in front of the members. Still , considering the volume of missives from the Academy I was a little surprised to see that actual submissions, when all was said and shot, were 555 entries in the top 14 program categories. That is down from last year’s 600 or so entries. A look at the ballot in just the program categories (and we all get to vote in those, plus individual branches if you are a member of one of them like I am in the Writers Branch) sees 110 entries for Drama and 71, about even with last year, for Comedy. The sorriest category I see after perusing the ballot is Outstanding TV Movie, once again a mere shell of the prestige category it used to be. The streamers which make the most movies these days generally seem to prefer trying to go for Oscar rather than Emmy, and you can see that from the lack of hot titles. Netflix has one of the best, Remarkably Bright Creatures with Sally Field, and there was some talk about holding that back for Oscars, but instead the decision was made to jump into the Emmy race. Beyond that it is slim pickings there again, a handful of good films including People We Meet On Vacation and Swiped, but to fill out five choices it might be tough unless I go for The Wrecking Crew, A Grand ‘Ol Opry Christmas , Balls Up, and Pizza Movie.

Some of the campaigning has been getting a little more inventive this year. The Traitors staged a big fashion show at L.A.’s Trophy Room. Jury Duty: Corporate Retreat brought food trucks (with hot sauce) to the Mall. Just this week Jimmy Kimmel Live ! invited Academy voters to see a taping of the show, not in the actual audience, but next door at the El Capitan Theatre on a live feed, followed by a barbecue with Jimmy and Guillermo (they were in person). Recently I got an invite to have dinner with the cast of The Madison at a curated “Farm To Table” meal in Los Angeles. I didn’t make either one but the turnout I understand was strong, and how many chances are you ever going to get to have trout with Michelle Pfeiffer.

By the way the campaign for Taylor Sheridan’s shows on Paramount+ is especially heavy this year. With genuinely great television programs like The Madison and Landman, could this finally be the year Sheridan breaks through? For some reason the Academy has never warmed to his enormously popular and exceptionally well-crafted lineup of shows the ways audiences do. There is a reason he is able to attract actors of the highest caliber over and over. Sheridan himself stays out of the limelight, but it seems to me the Academy might take a look before casting that ballot.

Voting is now live with final ballots due June 22 at 10pm.