Culture
Who Won Every Season of ‘America’s Got Talent’?
NBC’s America’s Got Talent is wrapping up its 17th season next week, and Billboard is looking back at the 16 talented winners who made history on the series so far. Created by former American Idol judge, X Factor mastermind and Syco Entertainment founder Simon Cowell, the global talent competition premiered in the U.S. on NBC in 2006. The idea was to find the best talent of any age in the country — whether they specialized in singing, dancing, performing magic tricks, acting as a ventriloquist or even training dogs to do tricks — and then have them headline a show on the Las Vegas Strip on top of winning a $1 million cash prize. The show is currently hosted by Terry Crews and features Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel as the judges, who recruit viewers’ help to crown the m...
First Out: New Music From Saucy Santana, Cavetown, Fletcher & More
In need of some new tunes from your favorite queer artists? Look no further — Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of First Out, our weekly roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists. From Saucy Santana’s banging new single to Cavetown’s reflective new track, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below: Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Saucy Santana, “I’m Too Much” [embedded content] He may be declaring that he’s “too much” on his new single, but don’t get it twisted — Saucy Santana is everything. The bouncing new track from the rising hip-hop phenom is the exact kind of swagger-filled anthem we need for the end of the week. Complete with a jazzy breakdown, a killer b...
Here’s What Gender-Affirming Care Actually Is, Since Brittany Aldean Seems To Have No Clue
Brittany Aldean, wife of country star Jason Aldean, has a lot to say about gender-affirming care. According to experts in the field, approximately none of it is true. For those blissfully unaware of what’s been going on, let’s catch you up. The saga of Aldean’s transphobic comments began when she captioned a post on her Instagram by thanking her parents for allowing her to go through a “tomboy” phase and not “changing my gender.” In a later post to her Instagram Stories, she elaborated by spreading false claims about the medical procedures involved with transitioning as “the genital mutilation of children” and “one of the worst evils.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I will always support my children and do what I can to protect their ...
‘America’s Got Talent’ Locks-In Season 17 Finalists
After several months of tears and cheers, we’ve reached the final stage of America’s Got Talent 2022 and learned the ten survivors who’ll compete for the big prize. The finalists were locked-in as the live shows came to a conclusion this week. This year, 55 contestants were split into competing groups over five nights, with two going through on each occasion. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The penultimate night of performances opened with a recap of the 11 contestants from Tuesday night, and a few choice words from judge Simon Cowell. “We are nothing without these contestants and for some reason this year, you are seeing some of the most astonishing live performances you have ever seen,” he explained. “We’ll see what happens tonight, but I hav...
Harry Styles Says He ‘Popped Very Quickly to Venice to Spit on Chris Pine’ During NYC Show
Harry Styles is in the midst of a Madison Square Garden residency of sorts, playing 15 shows (with interruptions for other events) at the venerated New York City venue. But he’s also at the dawn of a film career, with his two first significant cinematic roles – in My Policeman and Don’t Worry Darling – debuting this year following his small part in the 2017 war film Dunkirk. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news And if you thought My Policeman – the flick where Styles plays a closeted gay policeman in the repressive 1950s – was going to steal the majority of the headlines, Twitter wags would like a word. Don’t Worry Darling — the Olivia Wilde-directed drama starring Harry Styles, Florence Pugh and Chris Pine — might be justified in worrying a...
Kelly Clarkson Shoots Down Daytime TV Competition With Jennifer Hudson: ‘There’s Room for Everyone’
Kelly Clarkson is returning for another season of her hit talk show, but she’s not about to bring any drama to daytime TV. In a new interview, the singer opened up about welcoming pal and fellow American Idol alum Jennifer Hudson into the fold. While America’s original Idol is stepping into the spot recently vacated by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she isn’t feeling too much pressure about filling the long-running talk show’s shoes. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I remember Oprah had that spot forever. And then Ellen came in. And I think what’s helpful for me is that those two women are very different,” she told Variety. “How they did their shows was very different, how they connected with people was different, their humor was different. One...
Kristen Cruz Shows Off Her Incredible Pipes With ‘Nothing Breaks Like a Heart’ Cover on ‘AGT’
Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus’ “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” is the type of song that needs a special, work-hardened voice, one that can hit high notes. It’s also the type of song that can go horribly wrong. Kristen Cruz has that special voice, which she showcased in a performance Tuesday night (Sept. 6) on America’s Got Talent. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The 19-year-old found her groove with confidence, blending blues rock with country tones, hitting an assortment of high notes (though the very last moment might cause her to miss some sleep). The teen singer has no trouble proving her talent. She’s a TikTok phenom with more than 4.5 million followers and and her clips, many of which capture her singing while mixing drinks, and have notched ...
Everything You Need to Know About Disney’s D23 Expo: Where to Buy Tickets, How to Stream Online & More
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Let the magic begin! Disney’s D23 Expo returns to the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Friday (Sept. 9). The annual event, presented by Visa, will feature iconic Disney characters and stories with appearances from Raven-Symoné, Tim Allen, Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, Brie Larson, Lilly Singh, Michelle Yeoh, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Diamond White, Fred Tatasciore, Kyla Pratt, Paula Jai Parker, JoMarie Payton, Cedric “The Entertainer,” EJ Johnson, Alisa Reyes, Karen Malina White, Kal Penn, Soleil Moon Frye and more. This year’s expo will kick ...
Jenna Ushkowitz Recalls Dancing & Lip Syncing While 10 Weeks Pregnant on ‘Celebrity Drag Race’
It was hard for fans not to fall in love with the bright Milli Von Sunshine on Secret Celebrity Drag Race. Pulling out all of the stops on each week of the lip sync-focused program, the disguised star quickly earned a reputation for leaving it all on the stage, especially when it came to her dance moves and elaborate costumes. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news That certainly remained true during last Friday’s episode (Sept. 2), where the drag newbies got to team up with Drag Race stars for a series of show-stopping duets. For Milli, that meant dropping it low with season 13’s Gottmik to Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj’s “Side to Side,” wherein she played the role of a clumsy airline hostess ready to serve up some delicious dance...
How ‘Narco’ Became the Best Intro Song in Baseball
As 42,000 perpetually nervous New York Mets fans looked on as the team clinged to a one-run lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have the best record in baseball, on a breezy late-summer night in September. Ahead of the ninth inning, Australian trumpetist Timmy Trumpet waltzes out of the stands and onto the grass with his trumpet in hand. The 40-year-old musician is attending his second baseball game—the first was the night before—but he knows exactly what to do. With trumpet in hand, the musician fires up the crowd by clapping overhead until the Mets’ All-Star closer Edwin Diaz is visible to the entire stadium. The crowd roars its approval, and Trumpet cocks his instrument back and begins to sharply belt the notes to “Narco,” his 2017 collaboration with Dutch DJ duo Blasterjaxx. As thou...
From A-Z: 25 Labor Day Sales You Should Know About
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Labor Day weekend is finally here. If your holiday weekend will consist of shopping for great savings, then you’ve come to the right place. Below, find a roundup of 25 of the best sales to shop this Labor Day weekend. The alphabetized list includes clothing, beauty, electronics, appliances, shoes and other great deals from Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, Lowe’s, Tory Burch, Bloomingdale’s, Carter’s, Nike and other retailers. The 25 Best Sales to Shop for Labor Day: Amazon — When you need to order something in a hurry, Amazon never fails. It also doesn’t hurt that...
Taylor Swift to Speak at Toronto Film Fest & Show ‘All Too Well’ Short Film on 35mm for First Time
Swifties heading to this year’s Toronto International Film Festival are in for a very special treat. Announced Friday (Sept. 2), Taylor Swift is slated to appear as a guest speaker at the second day of TIFF’s 2022 celebrations, where she’ll talk about her longest directorial project to date — “All Too Well: The Short Film” — and present the video in its original 35 mm form for the first time ever. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The event, titled “In Conversation With…Taylor Swift,” will take place Sept. 9 at 7 p.m., and is expected to last an hour and 15 minutes, according to TIFF’s website. “In addition to music, Swift has long been a visual storyteller,” reads a description on the site. “From influencing the edits of her music videos...
