entertainment blog
Lewis Black Calls for Spotify to Remove His Content Until Comedy Licensing Dispute Is Resolved
Comedian Lewis Black is calling for Spotify to remove his content amid a licensing dispute between the streaming service and hundreds of comics. Black’s request comes in response to Spotify’s removal on Nov. 24 of numerous comedy recordings it offers, including work from major comedy stars like Mike Birbiglia, John Mulaney and Jeff Foxworthy. The streaming giant is currently battling with collection agencies Spoken Giants and Word Collections over whether comedians and spoken word artists should receive royalties for their underlying works, as well as their recordings. “I believe that the written words that go into making songs or comedy should be valued equally,” Black said in a statement to Billboard. “Comedy is an art form that starts on the page before it moves to the stage. Just as in...
Box Office: Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ Sings Off Key With $10.5M Opening
Steven Spielberg’s critically acclaimed West Side Story sang off-key in its domestic debut with a subdued $10.5 million from 2,800 theaters, but the closing song has yet to be written regarding the musical’s box office fate. Heading into the weekend, 20th Century and Disney had hoped the big-budget event pic — which hits the big screen 64 years after the iconic Broadway stage and 60 years after the first movie adaptation — would clear at least $13 million domestically. Some tracking services had first-weekend estimates as high as $15 million more. The good news: West Side Story was able to claim the No. 1 spot on the weekend chart ahead of Disney Animation holdover Encanto. Overseas, West Side Story debuted to an even more disappointing $4.4 million from 37 material markets for a global st...
Foo Fighters Cancel F1 Abu Dhabi Concert Over ‘Medical Circumstances’
Foo Fighters called off their concert at the Formula One race in Abu Dhabi due to “unforeseen medical circumstances,” event organizers said Sunday (Dec. 12). The organizers offered no further details about the medical issue, other than to say that Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters were “unable to travel” to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for Sunday’s concert. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “The band apologizes for any inconvenience or disappointment caused by this unexpected turn of events,” the statement added. The band offered no immediate comment about the issue on social media. Billboard reached out to a representative for the band for comment. Emirati state-linked newspaper The National quoted concert promoter John Lickrish as saying that a member of the band was rushed to a hospi...
Fans Choose MONSTA X’s ‘The Dreaming’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
MONSTA X‘s new album has topped this week’s fan-voted new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll that was published Friday (Dec. 10) on Billboard, choosing The Dreaming as their favorite new music release of the past week. MONSTA X’s The Dreaming, the K-pop group’s second English-language album, brought in an overwhelming majority of the vote, at 86.72%. The K-pop group’s new record was released the same week as their feature film Monsta X: The Dreaming, an inside look at the six-piece’s journey over the past six years. In second place on the poll results was Fighting Demons, Juice WRLD‘s second posthumous release, which had 11.53% of the vote. Suga from BTS guests on the track “Girl of Your Dreams,” and Polo G, Trippie Redd and Justin Bieber also make appearances on the late rapper’s albu...
The Ops Ain’t Feeling Kanye West & Drake Supporting Larry Hoover
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: David Livingston / Getty Kanye West and Drake held a whole concert, that streamed on Amazon, in support of Larry Hoover. Needless to say, the Fed ain’t feeling two A-list rappers supporting the founder of the Gangster Disciples, who is serving six life sentences, by the way. Since his arrest for a murder, Hoover claims he is reformed, and many think his sentence is OD. But the Ops are annoyed because they think the OG shouldn’t be anyone’s inspiration. Reports TMZ: Related Stories One federal law enforcement source — who is connected to Hoover’s case — tells TMZ … prosecutors are “surprised” to see Drizzy and Ye throwing so much support behind the #FreeLarryHoover movement, considering the facts of his case. For those not in the know … Hoover was convicte...
Kid Cudi Confirms He Will Release Two New Albums in 2022
During his headlining set at 2021 Rolling Loud Los Angeles over the weekend, Kid Cudi revealed that he has a few “tasty surprises” coming, including dropping “another album” before the release of his forthcoming record, Entergalactic, which is expected to debut next summer. “I’m teasing all this stuff because, as you know, I have Entergalactic coming in the summer,” Cudi said. “But I wanna drop another album before that. And I got some tasty surprises and I really am excited about all this new shit, this new music to give to you guys. So that’s why I’m teasing this shit now, because it’s coming out soon. So tonight, record this shit.” Cudi later confirmed the news on Twitter in response to a fan’s comment. “Kid Cudi has [two] albums dropping in 2022!!! Entergalactic and another before that...
Billie Eilish Performs ‘Happier Than Ever’ & ‘Male Fantasy’ on ‘Saturday Night Live’: Watch
Billie Eilish returned to Saturday Night Live on Dec. 11, pulling double duty as host and musical guest. Between some hilarious sketches, the 19-year-old superstar singer delivered memorable performances of songs from her latest album, Happier Than Ever. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Following a sweet introduction from her parents, Eilish unleashed her inner rock star with a raucous performance of “Happier Than Ever,” accompanied on guitar by her brother and hitmaker-in-crime Finneas. The performance began with Eilish casually lounging in a cream colored chair beneath a softly lit lamp before turning into a trashing rager with the singer passionately spinning across the stage. For her second performance, Eilish slowed things down with a thoug...
Vicente Fernandez, Towering Icon of Mexican Music, Dies at 81
Vicente Fernández, the towering icon of Mexican ranchera music whose powerful voice defined the lives of generations of fans throughout Latin America, died Sunday morning (Dec. 12) in a hospital in Guadalajara, his family confirms. The cause was complications following surgery for a cervical spine injury after a bad fall last August. Fernández had remained hospitalized since then in stable but serious condition. Over the last 24 hours, his condition deteriorated, according to official posts from his medical team on his official Instagram account. He was 81 years old. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Immediately recognizable for his elegant charro outfits and hat, his bold mustache and his dazzling smile, Fernández was only five-foot-7 but had the stature and bearing of a giant. H...
MrBeast & Bretman Rock Win Top Awards at 2021 YouTube Streamy Awards
MrBeast won the top award, creator of the year, at the YouTube Streamy Awards for the second year in a row. The show, which streamed on YouTube on Saturday (Dec. 11) was a lighter-than-air celebration of the year’s online content and creators. Bretman Rock took show of the year and unscripted series for “30 Days With: Bretman Rock.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Larray was billed as master of ceremonies – a curiously formal, old-school title for a show that had a distinctly young vibe. “Party host” was more like it. Larray was joined by Issa, described in a press release as his best friend. The two openly gay guys had an easy rapport as they rode a double-decker bus around Los Angeles, hand-delivering Streamys to selected winners. The show fe...
REZZ Shares Heartfelt Tribute, Clip of Unreleased Collab With CharlestheFirst After Tragic Death
In the aftermath of the sudden and tragic death of CharlestheFirst, the electronic dance music community has effectively banded together in mourning. Legions of the late DJ’s friends, fans, and collaborators have shared heartfelt tributes over the course of the past 24 hours. The latest to do so is REZZ, who has revealed that she was working on unreleased music with CharlestheFirst, whose real name was Charles Elias Ingalls, prior to his death. She took to Instagram to pay homage to the beloved SOLUS producer and share a clip of an unreleased, spellbinding collab, which she says was never completed. Take a listen below. Recommended Articles According to Nashville.gov, detectives are currently investigating Ingalls’ death. The artist, 25, was reportedly foun...
REZZ Shares Heartfelt Tribute, Clip of Unreleased Collab With CharlestheFirst After Tragic Death
In the aftermath of the sudden and tragic death of CharlestheFirst, the electronic dance music community has effectively banded together in mourning. Legions of the late DJ’s friends, fans, and collaborators have shared heartfelt tributes over the course of the past 24 hours. The latest to do so is REZZ, who has revealed that she was working on unreleased music with CharlestheFirst, whose real name was Charles Elias Ingalls, prior to his death. She took to Instagram to pay homage to the beloved SOLUS producer and share a clip of an unreleased, spellbinding collab, which she says was never completed. Take a listen below. Recommended Articles According to Nashville.gov, detectives are currently investigating Ingalls’ death. The artist, 25, was reportedly foun...
‘Diana, The Musical’ to End Broadway Run This December
Diana, The Musical — which made its debut not on the stage but on the screen in a filmed version that streamed on Netflix — will be ending its run just a short month after it opened. It was announced late Friday evening that the show’s Sunday, Dec. 19 performance will serve as its closing night at the Longacre Theatre. The musical, which traces the life of Princess Diana as well as her legacy, opened on Broadway on Nov. 17 following a series of previews that began on Nov. 2. It will have run for a total of 33 performances and 16 previews. “We are extraordinarily proud of the Diana company and of the show onstage at the Longacre. Our heartfelt thanks go out to the cast, crew and everyone involved in creating the show. And to the audiences who have shown their love and support at every perfo...
