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18 Jan 2023

Lisa Marie Presley’s Cause of Death Deferred by Coroner Pending Further Investigation

It is still unclear what caused Lisa Marie Presley‘s death. The 54-year-old former pop singer — and only child of rock legend Elvis Presley — died last Thursday (Jan. 12) after being hospitalized earlier in the day following a report of a woman in full cardiac arrest at an address associated with Presley.

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At the time, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said paramedics performed CPR and “determined the patient had signs of life” before rushing her to the hospital. To date, no details about a cause of death or any possible precipitating incidents or health issues have been revealed, and according to CNN, that information might take some time.

“Presley was examined on Jan. 14 and the cause of death was deferred,” Sarah Ardalani, spokesperson with the LA County Dept. of Medical Examiner-Coroner, told CNN. “Deferred means that after an autopsy, a cause of death has not been determined and the medical examiner is requesting more investigation into the death, including additional studies. Once the tests/studies come back, the doctor evaluates the case again and makes the cause of death determination.”

Presley, 54, attended the Golden Globes just two days before her passing, on hand to celebrate Austin Butler’s award for playing her father in Elvis. She called his performance “mind-blowing” during a red carpet interview with Entertainment Tonight. “I really didn’t know what to do with myself after I saw it,” she told ET of Baz Luhrmann’s movie. “I had to take, like, five days to process it because it was so incredible and so spot on and just so authentic that, yeah, I can’t even describe what it meant.”

Just days before that, she was in Memphis, Tennessee, at Graceland — the mansion where Elvis lived — to celebrate the 88th anniversary of her father’s birth on Jan. 8. A public memorial for Presley is planned on the front lawn at Graceland on Jan. 22. The general public is invited to attend, with details about the service available here.

Presley will be buried at Graceland next to her son, Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020. Elvis and other members of the Presley family are also buried at Graceland.

18 Jan 2023

Selena Gomez Casually Teases New Album While Freaking About Her Oscar Legend ‘Only Murders’ Co-Star

Everything’s coming up Gomez in 2023. We know this because on Tuesday night (Jan 17), Selena Gomez teased two huge pieces of news in a single Instagram post. In a black and white snap from the now-filming third season of the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building, Sel chilled with a huge smile on her face as she shared the couch with her co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short, as well as two fresh members of the team, second season finale guest Paul Rudd and a Building‘s brand newbie: Oscar icon Meryl Streep.

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“Very, very grateful lady! @onlymurdershulu @hulu @johnnyhoffman5 thank you for making this wanna be an unbelievably, absurdly happy human,” Gomez captioned the snap.

But it was a response she gave to a comment on the pic that really got Gomez Nation hyped. When a fan asked the very pertinent question, “Where is the album,” Gomez responded with some very exciting news: “Oh, it’s coming,” she wrote.

Gomez’s most recent album, Rare, was released in 2020 and featured “Look at Her Now” and “Lose You to Love Me.” At press time there was no additional information on the album or its release date.

Back to Streep, though. While it’s not yet known what role the triple-Oscar winner will play on the show, it will mark her return to the small screen after starring in season two of HBO’s Big Little Lies in 2019; the upcoming season will also feature former Grey’s Anatomy star Jesse Williams.

In another post, Gomez shared some video from set, in which she asked her castmates what was going on and after asking, “could this honestly get any better?,” the camera then pans over to reveal Rudd, who answers, “I do think it could get a little bit better.” Right on cue, Streep pops up from behind a couch to say hello and ask the stars if they need any tea or cozy back pillows.

Check out the on-set snap and Gomez’s album news (in a response to user @abdulitotv):

17 Jan 2023

Bruce Gowers, Director on Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Music Video and ‘American Idol,’ Dies at 82

Bruce Gowers, the Emmy and Grammy winner who directed nine-plus seasons of American Idol and hundreds of music videos, including the seminal “Bohemian Rhapsody” from Queen, has died. He was 82.

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Gowers died Sunday in Santa Monica of complications from an acute respiratory infection, his family announced.

Gowers also directed and co-created the long-running series of Kidsongs sing-along videos for Warner Bros. Records with his wife, Carol Rosenstein.

A specialist in live events and TV specials, Gowers directed and/or produced the Emmys, the Billboard Music Awards, MTV’s Music Video and Movie awards, the ESPYs, the People’s Choice Awards and many other award shows.

He called the shots for 234 episodes of American Idol from 2002-11, from the first season to the 10th, according to IMDb, and won his Emmy for outstanding directing for a variety, music or comedy series in 2009.

His Grammy trophy came in 1986 for his work on the music video for Huey Lewis and the News’ “Heart of Rock and Roll.” Eight years later, he received a DGA award for helming the CBS special Genius: A Night for Ray Charles.

Along the way, he directed comedy specials from Richard Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy and Paula Poundstone and music specials from Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.

Gowers’ touch on Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” filmed at Elstree Studios in London in November 1975 in about three hours for the BBC’s Top of the Pops, helped Freddie Mercury and his mates find superstardom and proved to be a defining moment in the history of the music video business.

It was the first music video ever aired by the influential Top of the Pops, and he said he got $590 for the gig.

“It changed the way music was perceived; everyone was doing videos and bands were seeing their sales and chart positions rise if their videos were good,” he told the Daily Mail in 2018.

“The only thing that upsets me is that they have been using my video for 40 years, and they have never paid me a dime or said thank you.”

Gowers also directed music videos for Rod Stewart (“Hot Legs” and more), Michael Jackson (“Rock With You”), Prince (“1999”), John Mellencamp (“Jack and Diane”), The Rolling Stones (“Fool to Cry”), Rush (“Limelight,” “Tom Sawyer”), Ambrosia (“How Much I Feel”), 10cc (“I’m Not in Love”), Bee Gees (“How Deep Is Your Love”), Supertramp (“Goodbye Stranger”), Chaka Kahn (“I’m Every Woman”), Peaches and Herb (“Reunited”), Journey (“Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’”) and The Tubes (“Prime Time”).

Gowers was born on Dec. 21, 1940, in New Kilbride, Scotland, where his British parents, Robert, an educator, and Violet, a homemaker, were stationed during World War II. He grew up in Enfield, North London, and graduated from The Latymer School.

He attended the BBC Training College and started his career at the BBC, where he was a cable puller, cameraman and production manager before landing producing and directing positions at the Rediffusion and London Weekend Television networks.

Gowers relocated to the U.S. in the ’70s and met Rosenstein on the music video shoot for Stewart’s “Tonight’s the Night.” He also worked with Elton John, The Pretenders, Santana, Van Halen, REO Speedwagon, Christopher Cross, Genesis and Fleetwood Mac during his career.

For the past 23 years, he and Rosenstein resided in Malibu.

In addition to his wife, survivors include his daughter, Katharine; son Sean; grandchildren Sean Jr., Robert, Charlotte and Layla; his former wife, Charlene; and his beloved bulldogs, Baby and Rocky, and parrot, Polly. 

A memorial service is being planned. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to World Central Kitchen and/or Southern California Bulldog Rescue.

Gowers, his family noted, “always brought boundless enthusiasm, energy, passion and joy to his work. He loved and was loved by the crews that he worked with and was known far and wide for his generosity as a colleague, constantly encouraging and promoting the talented people on his team.

“Funny, irreverent and wonderfully candid, he will be remembered in countless legendary stories that will keep his charming spirit alive for many years to come. He was always happiest in the control room, on a boat in the Bahamas, and of course, at home with the dogs, friends and family.”

This article originally appeared in THR.com.

17 Jan 2023

Resellers Sat Through A Snow Storm To Secure A Pair Of “Montreal Bagel” Nike Dunks

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Nike Montreal Bagel Dunk

Source: SNKRS / NIke

Nike Dunk Lows continue to be the hottest silhouette from the Swoosh out in these streets, but would you brave severe weather just to cop the latest pair? These heads would.

On Tuesday (Jan. 17), Nike released the highly anticipated “Montreal Bagel” Nike Dunk Low, and to ensure they’d get a pair, a few resellers in Montreal, MN lined up outside a sneaker spot during a snowstorm because sneakers are indeed life, and getting a small profit on the secondary market is apparently more important than your well-being.

This is what the sneaker game looked like before stores began raffling their products in place of the first come first served method.

Though the Dunks with the sesame seed print on the base sold out instantly, resale prices aren’t worth risking pneumonia as they’re going for around $20-$40 over the sneaker’s retail price of $120.

We’d understand if these were some Travis Scott or Off-White Dunks which could easily fetch you anywhere from $400-$1000 over retail, but braving a snowstorm for gas money isn’t the move, b. Just sayin.’

Though the Nike Dunk continues to be the most popular silhouette in the game today, resale prices for them have plummeted due to over saturation. Unless it’s a special edition or a collaborative release, à la Concepts “Lobster” Dunks, making a big profit on a regular Dunk drop isn’t what it used to be. But hey, if you wanna make some extra train fare, by all means go catch a cold if you want.

Would you risk it all for a pair of sneakers like this? Let us know in the comments section below.

17 Jan 2023

Here’s Why Madonna’s All-Hits Celebration Tour Stands Out From Her Past Outings

Over her 40-plus-year career, Madonna has gone on a steady 11 tours, so what is it about her just-announced 12th trek — The Celebration Tour — that is creating so much buzz?

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Well, for one, she’s promising an all-hits setlist – which for Madonna takes some narrowing down, given her 38 Billboard Hot 100 top 10s and 50 Dance Club Songs No. 1s. And while she’s played a lot of her hits in concert before, as far as we know, this is the first time she’s not touring around a new album — so she truly only has her back catalog to choose from.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie peppers Madonna superfan Keith with questions about the buzzy new global tour — like what lesser-known nuggets are fans dying to hear? And why now for this retrospective tour? Listen to the latest episode now:

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how SZA’s SOS is unstoppable at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, notching a fifth straight week atop the tally, while Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” captures an eighth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, making it the Swift song with the most weeks at No. 1. Plus, Zach Bryan’s slow-burn hit single “Something in the Orange” reaches the Hot 100’s top 10 more than eight months after its release.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s senior director of charts Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)  

17 Jan 2023

Material Girl: Madonna Might Own Missing Painting, French Mayor Says

The mayor of the northern French town of Amiens is appealing to pop star Madonna to loan them what they believe is a missing 200-year-old Neoclassical painting that disappeared from their museum during World War I.

But is Madonna’s version the genuine article, or a copy?

Brigitte Fouré, the mayor, says in a video that the oil painting the singer reportedly owns, called Diana and Endymion, was “probably a work that was lent to the Amiens museum by the Louvre before the first world war after which we lost trace of it,” according to a report in The Guardian.

Now Fouré wants the “Material Girl” singer to provide the artwork as a loaner to help Amiens’ bid to become the European capital of culture in 2028. 

The painting, which depicts the Roman goddess Diana falling in love with Endymion, is thought to have been painted by Jérôme-Martin Langlois, and dates to 1822. After being commissioned by Louis XVIII to hang in the Palace of Versailles, it was acquired by the French republic in 1873, and was exhibited in Amiens at the Musée des Beaux-Arts – now the Musée de Picardie – beginning in 1878. 

The Langlois went missing after the Germans pounded Amiens with bombs and artillery fire for 28 days in March 1917, destroying much of the city including part of the museum. The paintings were taken to safety, but after the war the Langlois was listed as “untraceable” and later deemed to have been “destroyed by the falling of a bomb on the museum,” the Guardian reports.

The painting — or one nearly identical to it — reappeared in 1989 at a New York auction where Madonna paid $1.3 million for it, more than three times its estimated price, says French newspaper Le Figaro.

Madonna is an avid art collector known to have a collection worth an estimated $100 million, People magazine has reported. It includes Frida Kahlo’s My Birth (1932), one of only five painting she created while in Detroit; an extensive collection by Polish Art Deco painter Tamar de Lempicka; and Pablo Picasso’s Buste de Femme à la Frange (1938), which she paid almost $5 million for at Christie’s in 2000.

In 2015, a sharp-eyed curator from Amiens spotted the Langlois painting in the background of a photograph of Madonna at her home that was published in Paris Match magazine.

The painting Madonna bought is reportedly one inch (three centimeters) smaller than the artwork that disappeared from Amiens and was unsigned and undated, leading experts to wonder if it is the original — or a copy.

The museum has lodged legal action against “persons unknown” for the theft of the painting, the Guardian reports. But Fouré, the mayor, says the town doesn’t dispute that Madonna acquired the work in a “perfectly legal auction.” 

The singer “bought it and she owns it,” the mayor says. “I’m not asking her to give it to us but to allow us to borrow it for just a few weeks so people here can see it.”

Fouré would welcome a visit by Madonna to Amiens, a town best known for textiles and its gothic cathedral, and as the birthplace of French President Emmanuel Macron. 

“It would be amazing to have her come here but I can’t imagine it happening,” she says. “Still, now everyone is talking about Amiens!” 

Billboard reached out to Madonna’s team, which had no comment.

17 Jan 2023

Bizarrap & Shakira’s ‘Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53’ Soars Onto Billboard Charts After Less Than 2 Days of Release

Bizarrap forges ahead with a new music session in 2023. The latest release is a collaboration with Shakira, “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” which debuts at No. 8 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart (dated Jan. 21). It’s the Argentinian producer’s first entry there. Shakira, meanwhile, extends her top 10 record among women, with 39 top 10s.

“Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” released Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. ET via Dale Play Records, debuts across multiple Billboard charts with one full day, and 5 hours from the day before, of activity in all metrics. The track also arrives at No. 16 on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart (which blends streams, sales, and airplay) from less than two days of activity. It’s Bizarrap’s highest debut on the list.

On the radio front, “Vol. 53” debuts in the top 10 on Latin Pop Airplay with 1.8 million audience impressions earned in the U.S. in the Jan. 6-12 tracking week, according to Luminate. As mentioned, Bizarrap unlocks his first top 10 with first entry, while Shakira collects a 39th top 10, the third-most overall, trailing only Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin, with 45 and 42 top 10s, respectively. Among women, she extends her top 10 domination with 39. Here’s the scoreboard among female acts:

39, Shakira
19, Ednita Nazario
18, Laura Pausini
16, Jennifer Lopez
16, Paulina Rubio
15, Thalia
13, Gloria Estefan

In the digital realm, “Vol. 53” logged 4.2 million on-demand U.S. streams in the same tracking week, according to Luminate, which yields a No. 17 debut on Latin Streaming Songs — the highest for Bizarrap among his two entries (his previous session with Spaniard Quevedo, “Vol. 52,” debuted at No. 25 in July 2022).

In addition to its streaming total, the song registered 2,000 digital downloads in its first two tracking days, sparking a No. 1 start on Latin Digital Song Sales. The 24-year-old producer clocks his first champ there among six entries, five of those part of his flooding music sessions (he reached a No. 5 with the explosive “Bzrp Music Session, “Vol. 49” with Residente in March 2022 with almost 2,000 downloads in its first week).

Plus, Shakira crosses off a new milestone, securing 13 No. 1s on Latin Digital Song Sales, the most overall. Thanks to its No. 1 start on the latter, she breaks out of a tie with Bad Bunny and J Balvin, both with 12 champs on their account.

Further, the sum yields a No. 16 start on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart, which measures airplay, streaming data and digital sales. Bizarrap notches his highest debut there among five “Music Session” entries.

Elsewhere on the Billboard charts, “Vol. 53” bows at No. 7 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. The new achievement secures Shakira her third top 10. She claimed her first with the No. 5-peaking “Dare (La La La)” in June 2014. Bizarrap posts his second top 10, following “Vol. 52,” with Quevedo, No. 4 high in Aug. 2022.

“Vol. 53” also makes its global debut, arriving at No. 12 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 8 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.

“Vol. 53” will likely surge on next week’s, Jan. 28-dated charts – including a debut on the all-genre, multimetric Billboard Hot 100, following its first full week of activity.

All charts (dated Jan. 21) will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 18).

17 Jan 2023

2023 Urban One Honors, Feting LL Cool J, Bobby Brown & More, To Have Two Encore Airings

Encore presentations of the fifth Urban One Honors will air Thursday at 9 p.m. ET (8 p.m. CT) and Sunday at 6 p.m ET (5 p.m. Central) on TV One and CLEO TV.

Under the theme “Icons of the Culture,” the fifth annual Urban One Honors premiered on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. R&B star Tank hosted the show, which was taped at The Eastern in Atlanta on Dec. 2. Former Destiny’s Child member LeToya Luckett hosted a special backstage pass segment.

LL Cool J received the Entertainment Icon honor. Other top awards went to Bobby Brown (the inaugural Phoenix Honor), Pharrell Williams (the Music Innovation Honor), David Mann and his wife, Tamela Mann (the Inspirational Impact Honor), and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) (a Lifetime Achievement Honor).

The ceremony included performances by Keke Wyatt and Marvin Sapp; a celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip hop with DJ Spinderella, Monie Love and Doug E. Fresh; and a finale performance from T.I. (Clifford Harris) and his son Domani Harris.

Roland Martin, Pusha T, Rev. Run, Lamman Rucker, Keisha Lance Bottoms (former Atlanta mayor and currently director of the office of public engagement in the White House) and Michelle Rice (TV One/CLEO TV president) also appeared on the broadcast.

The show was executive produced by Eric Tomosunas and James Seppelfrick of Swirl Films. Daniel Moore served as musical director; Marilyn Gill as executive producer.

Kashon Powell is vice president of programming for Radio One and Susan Henry is the network’s executive producer in charge of production.

17 Jan 2023

Leslie Jones Makes ‘Daily Show’ Host Debut With Her Thoughts on Accidentally NSFW MLK Jr. Statue

Leslie Jones took over The Daily Show as guest host on Tuesday night (Jan. 17), and she took some time to share her characteristically hilarious thoughts on the new Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Boston.

The statue, which was inspired by a photo of the legendary civil rights leader hugging his wife after he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, features the couple’s arms embracing without their heads — which sparked criticism as some believe that it accidentally ended up looking quite erotic.

Jones wasted no time getting right to the point. “Has anyone in here ever been eaten out?” she asked the audience, who promptly broke out into cheers and laughter. “I’m serious! Has anyone in here ever participated in the munchy, munch, munch, munch? Because they are celebrating you in Boston right now.”

The comedian then turned to the camera with a message for the white viewers at home. “White people, you don’t need to be saying sh– about this statue. Do you understand? Black hands only. You need to sit your a– in the back of the bus for this one. You need to honor this statue. This is our civil rights icon going down on his wife.”

After more roaring cheers, Jones continued, “OK, black people. What the f— are we going to do? We got to talk about this, because you know it’s messed up when black people and the Proud Boys hate the same statue.”

To conclude, Jones compared the statue to other famous ones, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, noting that people probably didn’t love them at first. “Maybe it’s a matter of time,” she joked about the newly unveiled MLK statue. “In time, we will see the statue for what it truly is. Martin Luther King going down on his wife. I can’t unsee it!”

Jones will guest-host three episodes of The Daily Show this week, followed by fellow comedians Wanda Sykes, D.L. Hughley, Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman with weekly stints through Feb. 16. Following the exit of host Trevor Noah, the show will keep up this guest-hosting rotation until the fall.

Watch the full clip below.

17 Jan 2023

Warner Music Group Hires Tim Matusch as EVP of Strategy & Operations

YouTube executive Tim Matusch has joined Warner Music Group (WMG) as executive vp of strategy & operations. The news was announced in a company memo sent last week by CEO Robert Kyncl, who worked alongside Matusch at YouTube before stepping down as chief business officer at the company to join WMG.

Matusch most recently served as managing director of strategy and business operations at YouTube, a role he held for more than two years. Prior to that, he served in senior consulting roles at Boston Consulting Group and Oliver Wyman, where he spent more than 12 years and eventually rose to partner. He also worked in senior operating roles at AOL, including general manager at AOL.com and AOL Products. He graduated from Eton College in 1996 and earned his master’s at the University of Oxford in 2001.

In the memo sent to WMG staff and obtained by Billboard, Kyncl noted that Matusch will be working closely with the greater WMG leadership team “to help define, facilitate, and execute our 5–10 year vision” while also playing a key part in “evolving” the label’s “cross-company plans, including deploying business intelligence to strengthen our decision-making, developing and tracking a set of critical KPIs, and ensuring everyone is on the same page as we build our future together.”

Acknowledging that strategy & operations is “a new function” at WMG, Kyncl continued that he’s “a firm believer in tapping into, growing, and unleashing the expertise within the company itself. That way, we’re more directly investing in ourselves, and compounding our knowledge and skills over time. It results in well organized, better informed, more realistic plans.”

Kyncl added that he worked with Matusch “across a wide variety of projects” at YouTube and has “been consistently impressed by what his team has delivered and how they did it – in a very collaborative fashion – which is particularly important to me.”

Kyncl officially assumed the role of CEO at WMG on Jan. 1, though he’ll share CEO duties with outgoing chief executive Stephen Cooper for the remainder of the month. Matusch is the first major hire announced under Kyncl’s tenure.