HBO Max has launched, but it’s more than just HBO on steroids. As one entertainment writer said, it would be more accurate to call it “Warner Media Max.” HBO is just one of the properties under the Warner Media. They also have CNN, TruTV, Turner Classic Movies, and Cartoon Network, among others. They just went with HBO Max because it’s good for branding. One of the most popular shows right out of the gate is “The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo,” starring the most lovable, huggable muppet on Sesame Street. Elmo hosts the show in the last 15 minutes before bedtime. His very first guest was Jimmy Fallon, and he got to sing Ernie’s “Rubber Duckie” song with Kacey Musgraves and “Elmo’s Song” with Lil Nas X! HBO Max was supposed to launch with the “Friends” reunion, but that was scrapped because of coronavirus. We still don’t have a target date for that to take place.

A glimmer of hope for Hollywood as producer Jon Landau announced on his Instagram that a small crew is returning to New Zealand to resume production on the “Avatar” sequels. He posted a picture of a couple ships that will be used in the new movies, and captioned it, “Our #Avatar sets are ready — and we couldn’t be more excited to be headed back to New Zealand next week. Check out the Matador, a high speed forward command vessel (bottom) and the Picador jetboat (top) — can’t wait to share more.” There are four “Avatar” sequels being filmed all at once, with a budget of around $1B. The first is due in December 2021, with three more sequels set to follow in 2023, 2025 and 2027.

We had an idea these two were dating back in March when they were seen biking around Malibu together, but now Nina Dobrev and Shaun White are Instagram official! She posted a photo on her Instagram where she’s about to cut Shawn’s hair. He posted a photo along with a time-lapse video of Nina doing her thing and captioned it, “My hairstylist said he wouldn’t, so she did.” And she did a fabulous job! A source told People that their friends were surprised about this relationship at first, but now that they’ve seen them together, they totally make sense. On said, “They’re both goofy and have a similar sense of humor and are super adventurous. They have plenty in common.”

Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande are collaborating with the Weather Channel to promote their song “Rain On Me,” delivering weather reports as they’re caught in an LA downpour. Their first videos featured them standing under umbrellas being sprayed with water hoses, and Ariana’s fans caught a glimpse of her current boyfriend Dalton Gomez doing the spraying! This time, Ariana is reporting from her bathtub, which gave her a case of the giggles as she broke character and flubbed her lines. Gaga did hers from her swimming pool.

Halsey dropped out of community college when she was 19, but at age 26, she’s getting her learn on again. Halsey low-key let us know what she was up to on Monday when she posted a series of photos on Instagram. There’s an obligatory bikini shot, some posts about a quiche and a spinach butternut squash ravioli she made, and oh yeah, this book on constitutional law she happens to be reading. When a fan asked her about it, Halsey replied, “I’m studying for the bar exam!” She then tweeted and deleted some responses to internet trolls questioning, “Why do all these celebrities want to study for the bar exam all of a sudden?” Halsey answered, “Why the (BLANK) is it a crime to educate myself beyond just wanting to pass the bar Qs? I am following a law school curriculum even though CA state doesn’t require a degree to take the exam.” If she’s serious, Halsey would also need to complete an apprenticeship as she prepares for the bar.