TV/Film
Betty White, Golden Girl of TV Comedy, Dies at 99
Betty White, the quick-witted comedienne whose ribald humor as showcased on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland made her America’s ageless darling, has died. She was 99. The beloved five-time Emmy Award winner and animal advocate, whose career reached another level after she became an octogenarian, died at home on Friday (Dec. 31), her agent told People magazine. White joined the cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show for the CBS sitcom’s fourth season in 1973 as Sue Ann Nivens, the blunt, man-lusting star of the WJM-TV show The Happy Homemaker, and she won two straight Emmys for outstanding continuing performance by a supporting actress in a comedy series. On NBC’s The Golden Girls, which aired for seven seasons, White played the simple-minded Minnesotan Rose Nylun...
Normani Gushes to Childhood Icon Ciara About Her Impact, Says Debut Album Is ‘Almost Done’
Ciara filled in as host for The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Thursday (Dec. 30), and guest Normani told her she’s “almost done” with her debut album. The 25-year-old singer opened up about how being in Fifth Harmony was allowed her to “hide.” But now that she’s in the solo spotlight, Normani says she’s been experiencing firsthand all the difficulties with putting out a project — especially her first — all on her own. “People underestimate how hard it is and how much effort we put into one project, one body of work. And coming out of a girl group, there was a lot that I hard to figure out about myself and fears that I had to deal with head on,” she said. “I was always so safe being in a girl group. I remember my mom when I was little, she was like, ‘Why do you want to be in a girl grou...
‘Saturday Night Live’ Cancels Live Audience Amid Omicron Spike
Saturday Night Live will tape without a live audience on Saturday (Dec. 18) as COVID-19 cases linked to the omicron variant continue to surge in New York City and throughout the world. The venerable NBC comedy show announced the decision to its social media channels roughly eight hours before the episode featuring host Paul Rudd and musical guest Charli XCX was scheduled to tape. Explore Explore Charli XCX See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Due to the recent spike in the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience for tonight’s taping of ‘Saturday Night Live’ and the show will have limited cast and crew,” the show’s message read. “The show continues to follow all government safety guidelines in addition to a rigorou...
Charli XCX Corrects Paul Rudd’s Tongue-Twisted Mispronunciation of Her Name in ‘SNL’ Promo: Watch
Charli XCX is giving Paul Rudd a lesson in how to properly pronounce her name. In a promotional spot for her upcoming Saturday Night Live appearance on Dec. 18, the 29-year-old British singer patiently stands alongside the Ghostbusters: Afterlife star as he attempts to introduce her as the evening’s musical guest. “Hi, I’m Paul Rudd, and I’m hosting SNL with Charli…” the actor says before struggling to finish her name. After a brief pause, the singer politely steps in to help assist Rudd. “X-C-X,” she says. Explore Explore Charli XCX See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news SNL cast member Ego Nwodim quickly chimes in, confidently adding, “I got it, XCX.” Still confused, Rudd asks, “Is that Roman?” Charli XCX previously performed on SNL in December 2014, playin...
Queen of Hearts Talks ‘Masked Singer’ Victory, Instant Covers EP: ‘Music Has Always Been My Own Healing’
[Spoiler alert: This story contains the identity of the winner of Wednesday night’s (Dec. 15) season six finale of The Masked Singer.] The sixth season of The Masked Singer was a wild ride, with the usual complement of legendary singers (Toni Braxton, Ruth Pointer, Natasha Bedingfield, Todrick Hall, Faith Evans) mixed in with TV personalities and comedians (Bobby Berk, Honey Boo Boo/Mama June, Rob Schneider, Larry the Cable Guy, Willie Robertson) and the left-field outliers, including punk icon Johnny Rotten, composer David Foster and his wife Katharine McPhee, rapper Tyga and NBA legend Dwight Howard. But when it came down to it, it was clear the shiniest gem in the bunch — the glittery Queen of Hearts — was destined to take the season 6 crown over the formidable Bull. The Queen lef...
Lady Gaga Reveals She ‘Absolutely’ Took Bradley Cooper’s Advice for ‘House of Gucci’ Role
Lady Gaga‘s friendship with Bradley Cooper is still going strong. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly‘s The Awardist podcast on Monday (Dec. 13), the superstar opened up about how the A-lister’s support ultimately led her to her current starring role in Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Bradley Cooper believed in me for the role of Ally Maine in A Star Is Born, and the way that he empowered me to take helm of that character … it really was the success of our artistic collaboration, I think, that landed me where I am now,” Gaga said during the phone interview. “Absolutely,” she added when asked if she had consulted her one-time co-star and director before tackling the part of Patrizia Gucci. “You know, I’ve c...
Who Do You Think Will Win Season 21 of ‘The Voice’? Vote!
NBC’s The Voice is wrapping up season 21 with part two of its finale on Tuesday (Dec. 14), and Billboard wants to know who you think should win the singing competition! Coaches Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton are neck and neck with two contestants each on their respective teams in the running for first place: sibling trio Girl Named Tom and 14-year-old sensation Hailey Mia (who’s the youngest in the competition) on Team Kelly, and seasoned artist Wendy Moten and Navy veteran-turned-artist Paris Winningham on Team Blake. Gospel performer Jershika Maple is the only one repping Team John. Ariana Grande, who is in her first season as a coach, does not have any contestants in the finale. During part one of the live finale Monday night, Mia channeled two other teen sensations — O...
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...
Box Office: ‘West Side Story’ Heads for Worrisome $10M-$11M Opening
Steven Spielberg’s critically acclaimed West Side Story posted a subdued opening day gross of $4.1 million from 2,820 theaters at the Friday (Dec. 10) box office for a disappointing domestic opening in the $10 million to $11 million range. The good news: if those projections hold, the 20th Century and Disney film will claim the No. 1 spot on the chart ahead of Disney Animation holdover Encanto. West Side Story had hoped to clear at least $13 million in its start. Musicals face a huge challenge in the pandemic era since they rely on older adults, and particularly older females. So far, moviegoers over the age of 35 are the leeriest in terms of returning to theaters. The movie earned an A CinemaScore from audiences, while the largest quadrant were ticket buyers over the age of 55 (26 percent...
Kanye West, Sinead O’Connor, TikTok Documentaries to Premiere at Sundance 2022
The Sundance Institute has unveiled the slate of feature films, indie episodic and New Frontier selections that will screen at the 2022 edition of the Park City festival from Jan. 20-30 – and several music-related documentaries are in the mix, including films centered around controversial pop icons Kanye West and Sinead O’Connor. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Perhaps the most attention-grabbing of the newly announced selections is jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, a documentary described as “an intimate and empathetic chronicle featuring never-before-seen footage from 21 years in the life of a captivating figure.” Directed by Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah – who have jointly directed multiple music videos for the star now known as Ye – th...
Banana Split Duo Talk Making It to ‘Masked Singer’ Finals & The Song You Didn’t Hear
Consider Banana Split officially melted. After making an impressively delicious run on this season of The Masked Singer that included showstopping performances of everything from Michael Bublé‘s take on the Julie London classic “Cry Me a River” to Lady Gaga‘s “Poker Face,” the dynamic duo with the powerhouse voice and smooth piano stylings were eliminated during the Group B Finals on Wednesday night (Oct. 8). Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Following their shocking elimination after covering “Singin’ in the Rain,” the season’s front-runners were unmasked and revealed to be [SPOILER ALERT] American Idol alum Katharine McPhee and her husband, 16-time Grammy winner David Foster. In fact, in a season that boasted a combined 85 Grammy nominations, 2...
Jada Pinkett-Smith Returns as Niobe In ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Trailer: Watch
Get ready to step into the Matrix one last time — on Monday (Dec. 7), HBO Max released the second official trailer for The Matrix Resurrections, the fourth and final chapter of the wildly popular science-fiction movie series, which sees Neo (Keanu Reeves) coming to terms with choices he made in The Matrix Reloaded. “We can’t see it, but we’re all tapped inside these strange repeating loops. Billions of people just living out their lives, oblivious. But this is the moment for you to show us what is real,” characters can be heard saying as current memories and flashbacks of his love interest, Trinity, from the past three Matrix movies play. As Neo grows increasingly doubtful of his surroundings, Morpheus — now played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II instead of Laurence Fishburne — says, “They taught...
