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Willy Chirino Talks Celebrating 50 Years in Music With First Album in Over a Decade, ‘Sigo Pa’lante’

Willy Chirino is celebrating his 50-year music career with a series of tributes, activities and releases — including a mural in Miami’s Calle Ocho, a street with his name in New Jersey, a museum exhibition, a concert and a new album.

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The singer-songwriter behind salsa classics like “Medias Negras” and “Pobre Diabla” was waiting for the right moment to release Sigo Pa’lante, his first studio album in more than a decade, which finally came out in December. With reggaetón becoming more and more entrenched in popular taste, he says he was taking his time to study the landscape.

“There was a transition in music after my last album that was very dramatic,” he explains to Billboard Español about his hiatus. But the 50th anniversary, with all the fanfare and the news surrounding it, was the perfect occasion to release the album he’d been working on for the past three years.

Although he wasn’t really hibernating — in recent years he’d released an album of traditional Latin American songs with his wife Lissette (Amarraditos), two Christmas albums (Llegó la Navidad and Willy & Lissette Navidad En Familia) and other covers sets (My Favorites and My Beatles Heart) — Sigo Pa’lante (which means “I keep going”) is his first project of new music since 2008’s Pa’lante.

Composed of 12 tracks, it opens with the joyous “Imagínate” and includes collaborations with Gilberto Santa Rosa (on the first single “La Música”), Leoni Torres (“Para Mi Viejo”), El Chacal (the album’s title track), Lissette (“Mi Corazón Es Un Pueblo”) and his daughter Jesse (“Agua De Marzo,” a cover of the Brazilian classic “Aguas De Marzo” by Antonio Carlos Jobim).

It closes with an anthem of freedom for Cuba, “Que Se Vaya Ya,” a song as energetic as it is emotional, released in September 2021 with contributions from Lenier, Micha, Chacal, Osmani García and Srta. Dayana. “Let them take all the bad things/ Let them go, let them go/ We can’t take the beatings anymore/ Let them leave now/ Because the people suffer and keep quiet/ Let them go, let them go/ Let them take the shrapnel/ Let them go now ”, they sing in Spanish.

Chirino, in fact, dedicates Sigo Pa’lante to his fans in Cuba, where he says that people continue to listen to his songs “despite all the mishaps they have suffered to do so.”

“They’ve payed a price that is not money, because listening to my music for a long time was totally prohibited,” the artist continues, adding that “when they found them listening, [the authorities] beat them, imprisoned them, took their boomboxes away. In other words, they were mistreated simply for the fact of listening to my music. So that for me has a special recognition”.

Although he clarifies that his songs are not currently banned in his native country, he says that his anti-Castro stance has made him persona non grata, and that his requests to perform in the island have never been answered.

Chirino debuted in 1974 with the album One Man Alone, and has released more than twenty albums since — but his career began earlier, as part of different bands and orchestras. The 50th anniversary dates back to 1972, when he says he began to use his own name when creating music as a solo artist.

On the Billboard charts, he’s scored 13 entries on the Tropical Albums listing, seven of which reached the top 10: Sarabanda in 1986, Acuarela del Caribe in 1990, Oxígeno in 1991, South Beach in 1993, Cubanísimo in 2005, Pa’lante in 2008 and Llegó la Navidad in 2012. He’s also had six entries on the Hot Latin Songs chart, two on Latin Airplay, and two on Top Latin Albums.

To mark his half century in music, the winner of awards such as the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Billboard Latin Spirit of Hope Award has been honored in his adoptive city of Miami with a mural in Little Havana’s Calle Ocho. The 60 by 55 foot work was commissioned by the Miami Mayor’s Office to Chilean artist Alexandra Seda and was unveiled on October 28.

Additionally, the city of West New York, NJ paid tribute to Willy Chirino on December 15 by naming a street after the Cuban salsa star. Accompanied by personalities such as Paquito D’Rivera, the singer (along with mayor Gabriel Rodriguez) unveiled the blue sign for the Willy Chirino Way — at the corner of 54th Street and Boulevard East.

Willy-Chirino-Gabriel-Rodriguez

Gonzalo Rodriguez

And the celebrations continue in 2023 with a retrospective exhibition of his career at the HistoryMiami Museum that will be open to the public from January 27 to September 10, and a big concert on March 11 at the James L Knight Center in Miami.

“It really feels great, and to see the people’s reaction is really beautiful,” says Chirino. “I thank God for this extraordinary life that he has given me … For having my family healthy and well, but also for the number of people throughout the world who listen to my music, who dance to it — because that’s what it was made for.”

Grammys 2023: Harry Styles or Doja Cat Could Have the Shortest Record of the Year Winner in 55 Years

If Harry Styles’ “As It Was” or Doja Cat’s “Woman” wins record of the year at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, it would become the single with the shortest playing time to win in that marquee category since The 5th Dimension’s “Up, Up and Away,” which won at the Grammy ceremony in 1968. “Woman” runs 2:52. “As It Was” is even shorter – a brisk 2:47. The 5th Dimension’s sunshine-pop classic ran just 2:40.

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A third record of the year nominee at next month’s Grammy telecast run less than three minutes. Mary J. Blige’s “Good Morning Gorgeous” runs 2:54 and would be the shortest record of the year winner since Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me (Darkchild Mix),” the winner eight years ago, which also ran 2:54.

The first record of the year winner, Domenico Modugno’s lounge staple “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)” (which won at the ceremony in May 1959) ran 3:29. The second, Bobby Darin’s suave “Mack the Knife” (which won at the ceremony in November 1959 — yep, there were two ceremonies that year) ran 3:03.

The next eight record of the year winners in a row clocked in at less than three minutes. The shortest of them all – and the shortest winner in Grammy history – was Henry Mancini’s recording of his classic film title song “Days of Wine and Roses,” which won in 1964. The melancholy ballad ran just 2:05.

The other winners in that eight-single streak that proved that you can be concise and still make a big impact were Percy Faith and His Orchestra’s “Theme From ‘A Summer Place’” (1961, 2:24), Mancini’s “Moon River” (1962, 2:41), Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (1963, 2:51), Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto’s “The Girl from Ipanema” (1965, 2:44), Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass’ “A Taste of Honey” (1966, 2:42), Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night” (1967, 2:36) and the 5th Dimensions aforementioned “Up, Up and Away” (1968, 2:40).

The first record of the year winner to crack the four-minute barrier was Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson” (1969, 4:00). Its status as the longest-running record of the year winner in history lasted just one year. The 5th Dimension’s “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (1970), a sleek coupling of two songs from Hair, ran 4:49. It also held the record as the lengthiest winner for just one year. Simon & Garfunkel’s power ballad “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” the winner in 1971, ran 4:52.

The first record of the year winner to top both five and six minutes was Eagles’ “Hotel California” (1978, 6:08), which was also the first rock (as opposed to pop) track to win for record of the year. The longest winner ever was a special case, USA for Africa’s star-studded “We Are the World” (1986, 6:22).

In recent years, the music industry has rediscovered the virtues of brevity. Norah Jones’ jazzy ballad “Don’t Know Why,” the winner in 2003, ran just 3:01, the shortest playing time for a record of the year winner since “Up, Up and Away.” Smith’s “Stay With Me (Darkchild Mix),” the winner in 2005, was even shorter than Jones’ hit — as noted above, it ran just 2:54. (The primary version of Smith’s hit ran 2:51, but the Grammy specifically went to the Darkchild Mix.)

You could play both of “As It Was” and “Woman” in 5:39, which is less time that it would take you to get through not only “We Are the World” (6:22) and “Hotel California” (6:08), but also Robert Plant & Alison Krauss’ “Please Read the Letter,” the winner in 2009 (5:57).

Eight of this year’s 10 record of the year nominees run four minutes or less. The only songs to exceed that time are Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” (4:38) and Kendrick Lamar’s “The Heart Part 5” (5:32).

Here are the 15 shortest and longest record of the year winners in Grammy history.

The 15 shortest record of the year winners:

(counting down from the shortest)

Henry Mancini’s “Days of Wine and Roses,” 1964 (2:05)

Percy Faith and his Orchestra’s “Theme from A Summer Place,” 1961 (2:24)

Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night,” 1967 (2:36)

The 5th Dimension’s “Up, Up and Away,” 1968 (2:40)

Henry Mancini’s “Moon River,” 1962 (2:41)

Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, “A Taste of Honey,” 1966 (2:42)

Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto, “The Girl From Ipanema,” 1965 (2:44)

Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” 1963 (2:51)

Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me (Darkchild Mix),” 2015 (2:54)

Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why,” 2003 (3:01)

Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife,” 1959 (3:03)

Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy,” 2020 (3:14)

George Benson’s “This Masquerade,” 1977 (3:17)

Natalie Cole featuring Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable,” 1992 (3:23)

Captain & Tennille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together,” 1976 (3:24)

The 15 longest record of the year winners:

(counting down from the longest)

USA for Africa’s “We Are the World,” 1986 (6:22)

Eagles’ “Hotel California,” 1978 (6:08)

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss’ “Please Read the Letter,” 2009 (5:57)

Adele’s “Hello,” 2017 (4:55)

Bette Midler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings,” 1990 (4:52)

Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” 1971 (4:52)

The 5th Dimension’s “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” 1970 (4:49)

Phil Collins’ “Another Day in Paradise,” 1991 (4:48)

Paul Simon, “Graceland,” 1988 (4:48)

Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” 1974 (4:46)

Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose,” 1996 (4:43)

Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” 1999 (4:36)

Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” 1994 (4:32)

U2’s “Walk On,” 2002 (4:30)

Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven,” 1993 (4:29)

Notes: All the years shown here refer to the year of the Grammy ceremony (or, starting in 1971, live telecast) in which the record was honored. We took the singles’ running times from Joel Whitburn’s Pop Annual 1955-2016, which lists every single that made the Billboard Hot 100 by year, in ranked order. We took the running times on more recent singles from Wikipedia.  

All the Latin US Tours Announced for 2023 (Updating)

Ever since the touring industry reopened in 2021, Latin music became unbeatable, with some of its biggest acts announcing tours in 2022 — including Bad Bunny, who closed out the year with a record-breaking $435 million in tour grosses that combine more than 80 concerts from two separate treks (El Último Tour del Mundo and The World’s Hottest Tour).

Colombian star Karol G also made history, becoming the highest U.S.-grossing tour by a female Latin act with her $Trip Love Tour, grossing $69.9 million and selling 410,000 tickets across 33 shows in North America, according to numbers reported to Billboard Boxscore. The “Bichota” singer surpassed Jennifer Lopez‘s $50 million grossing It’s My Party World Tour in 2019. 

While Bunny and Karol made the rounds, two of reggaetón’s big dogs, Daddy Yankee and Wisin y Yandel, also kicked off their individual farewell tours. 

The former wrapped his La Última Vuelta World Tour with $197.8 million and 1.9 million tickets sold over 83 shows in 2022, making it the second-biggest tour by a Latin artist in Boxscore history. The latter wrapped the year with a historic residency of 14 sold-out concerts at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, part of the duo’s La Última Misión World Tour. 

Other memorable treks last year included Feid, Christian Nodal, Sebastian Yatra, and Rosalía, whose Motomami World Tour grossed $28.1 million through the end of October.

This year, the show must go on, and artists such as Rauw Alejandro, Eladio Carrión, Maná, and Ha*Ash, are all ready to hit the road. See our list of Latin tours that have already been announced for 2023 below.

The Legal Beat: 2022 Year In Review – Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Young Thug & More

This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings, and all the fun stuff in between. This week: A special New Year’s newsletter, looking back at the biggest legal stories from 2022, the top stories from over the holidays, and what to watch in 2023.

A quick programming note: Starting immediately, the email version of the Legal Beat newsletter is now free. All current readers will continue to get the newsletter directly into their inbox every Tuesday, but now anyone else can also sign up HERE to receive a weekly recap of every big story from the world of music law.

Year In Review: 2022’s Top Legal Stories

Some of the most important music industry stories of 2022 were legal stories, so we put together a handy year-end guideto catch you up on all the big developments.

As always, copyright cases dominated the list. Taylor Swift finally escaped a case over “Shake It Off,” Ed Sheeran won a big trial over “Shape of You (but faces another one soon over “Thinking Out Loud”) and Katy Perry made important case law when she defeated a case over “Dark Horse.”

Cardi B had a big year all by herself. She won a $4 million defamation verdict against a bomb-throwing YouTuber, then beat back a multimillion lawsuit claiming she Photoshopped a random guy onto the “raunchy” cover of a mixtape. Oh, and she also resolved a long-standing criminal case in New York by taking a misdemeanor plea deal.

But arguably the most important story of the year was the use of rap lyrics in criminal trials.

Billboard did a deep-dive in March, detailing how the practice had persisted for years despite longstanding criticism that it unfairly sways juries and threatens artistic expression — and that was before we knew what the year had in store. In May, hip-hop superstars Young Thug and Gunna were hit with a sweeping indictment that quoted heavily from their lyrics and then left to sit in jail for months, bringing unprecedented new attention to the issue. Atlanta prosecutors offered no apologies for the music-heavy charges, but in September, lawmakers in California enacted landmark legislation that would sharply restrict the practice in that state, creating a blueprint that other jurisdictions might follow.

Top stories to watch in 2023…

RAP ON TRIAL – A big issue from 2022 figures to take center stage again in 2023. Jury selection in the case against Young Thug and other YSL members (though not Gunna, who pleaded out in December) will kick off next week in Atlanta, setting the stage for a blockbuster trial that could last many months. And after coming up just short in 2022, lawmakers in New York will again try to pass legislation that could limit how prosecutors in that state use rap music to win convictions.

COPYRIGHT CONTINUUM – After a year full of big copyright cases, 2023 could be even more jam-packed. Dua Lipa will try to evade two separate infringement lawsuits over her smash hit “Levitating,” while Ed Sheeran will face a jury trial over whether his “Thinking Out Loud” infringed Marvin Gaye‘s iconic “Let’s Get It On.” And don’t forget the big class actions against the labels over termination rights, the looming Supreme Court ruling over Andy Warhol’s image of Prince or the upcoming trial in a case against Post Malone.

DR. LUKE V. KESHA – After nearly nine years of litigation, a trial is finally set for July in Dr. Luke’s defamation lawsuit against Kesha over her bombshell rape accusations against the producer. A trial had previously been scheduled to start in February, but it cannot take place until New York’s highest court decides two pending appeals dealing with big issues — big for both the case and for media law generally.

What you missed over the holiday week…

CARDI WINS AGAIN – A federal judge refused to overturn Cardi B’s courtroom victory in a lawsuit filed by Kevin Brophy, a man who was unwittingly Photoshopped to look like he was performing oral sex on the superstar on the cover of her debut mixtape. Two months after jurors cleared Cardi of any wrongdoing, the judge ruled that he would not “second-guess” the verdict.

MEGAN HEADED TO TRIAL – A judge sided with Megan Thee Stallion in an early skirmish in her legal war with record label 1501 Certified Entertainment, refusing to grant the company a quick victory and ordering the case to instead be decided by a jury. 1501 had argued that the judge himself could decide whether her 2021 release Something for Thee Hotties counted as an “album” under her record deal, but her lawyers said she must be “allowed her day in court.”
 
STEVEN TYLER ABUSE CASEAerosmith singer Steven Tyler was hit with a lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting a minor in the 1970s, claiming he convinced her parents to sign over custody and forced her to get an abortion. The case was filed by Julia Holcomb, who says she was the underage girl that Tyler repeatedly referenced in his racy 2011 memoir, in which he said he was “so in love I almost took a teen bride.”

Here’s What Lewis Capaldi Said After Being Mistaken for Susan Boyle

No, 26-year-old Lewis Capaldi is not 61-year-old Susan Boyle — despite what a fan’s father thought.

It all started on New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31), when Capaldi performed at BBC’s Hogmanay celebrations. After the show, a fan commented on one of the “Before You Go” singer’s TikToks, “Lewis, my dad saw you on TV and thought you were Susan Boyle.”

Capaldi then shared a video response to the comment, joking that the mistaken identity was a “great start to the new year.”

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“I dreamed a dream that ppl stopped telling me i looked like women in their 60s,” he wrote in the caption.

On a more positive note for Capaldi, the singer is gearing up to release his sophomore album, Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent, on May 19, 2023. In addition, the star will be embarking on a global tour, which kicks off on January 14 in Leeds, England, and will stretch across Europe until March 15 in Munich, Germany. On March 30, Capaldi will cross the pond to begin his North American tour in Nashville, Tenn., on March 30. His US dates wrap up on May 11 in Houston, Texas, before he heads off to Australia and New Zealand.

Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent is a follow-up to Capaldi’s debut album Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, which peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and spent an impressive 177 weeks total on the chart. The album’s breakthrough single, “Someone You Loved,” landed Capaldi his first Grammy nomination, as it was up for song of the year at the 2020 ceremony.

Alan Rankine of The Associates Dies at 64

Alan Rankine, co-founder of Scottish pop band The Associates, died Monday at 64.

The news was first reported by both the BBC and The Guardian after a Facebook post by the multi-instrumentalist’s’ two sons began circulating on the social network. “Callum and Hamish’s message say it all,” Rankine’s ex-wife Belinda Henderson (nee Pearse) wrote to share the sad news. “‘It’s with great sadness that my brother, Hamish, and I announce the passing of our father, Alan Rankine. He died peacefully at home shortly after spending Christmas with his family. He was a beautiful, kind and loving man who will be sorely missed. Callum & Hamish Rankine.’”

Formed in 1979 by Rankine and singer Billy McKenzie, The Associates initially became known throughout their native Scotland thanks to their unauthorized cover of David Bowie’s “Boys Keep Swinging.” After the rendition got them signed to Fiction Records, the duo released their debut studio set The Affectionate Punch in 1980 and became integral in Britain’s New Pop movement. A follow-up compilation titled Fourth Drawer Down arrived the following year and eventually, the band released three more albums: 1982’s Sulk, 1985’s Perhaps and 1990’s Wild and Lonely — though Rankine left the band on the precipice of touring around the final album.

Though none of The Associates’ music broke through on the Billboard charts over the course of their career, though Fourth Drawer Down reached No. 5 on the U.K. Independent Albums Chart and Sulk peaked at No. 23 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart thanks to the popularity of its singles “Party Fears Two” and “Club Country.”

Later in his life, Rankine worked as a producer for artists like Cocteau Twins, Paul Haig and The Pale Fountains. He also released a trio of solo albums including The World Begins to Look Her Age in 1986, She Loves Me Not in 1987 and The Big Picture Sucks in 1989.

Read the news of Rankine’s death below.

Don Williams, Last Surviving Member of the Williams Brothers Quartet, Dies at 100

Don Williams, who partnered with Andy Williams and their brothers, Dick and Bob, in a singing foursome that performed on the radio, in the movies and with Bing Crosby and Kay Thompson, has died. He was 100.

Williams died Friday (Dec. 30) of natural causes at his home in Branson, Missouri, his wife, Jeanne, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Born on Oct. 9, 1922, Don was the second oldest of the Wall Lake, Iowa-bred quartet. He and his brothers would work mornings on their own live radio show in Des Moines, Iowa, and then head off to school.

The boys also performed on stations in Chicago and Cincinnati before they came to Los Angeles and backed up Crosby on his 1944 hit “Swinging on a Star.” Later, they teamed with Thompson to form a popular nightclub act.

Thompson, who headed the vocal department at MGM, put the brothers in the studio choir, and they worked on films including Anchors Aweigh (1945), Ziegfeld Follies (1945), The Harvey Girls (1946) and Good News (1947).

They also appeared in the musicals Janie (1944), Kansas City Kitty (1944), Something in the Wind (1947) and Ladies’ Man (1947).

Without his brothers, Don appeared on a 1956 episode of Playhouse 90 and headlined at the Tropicana hotel soon after it opened in Las Vegas in 1957. He also sang in commercials, on The Tonight Show and on programs hosted by Eddie Fisher and Nat King Cole.

Later, he became an agent and manager, with his clients including Mary Tyler Moore and singers Ray Stevens and Roger Miller.

During World War II, he served with the U.S. Merchant Marine with Dick, and both were radio operators on the same tanker.

Don Williams County Park, a recreation area in Boone County, Iowa, is named for him.

Andy Williams, known for his easy-listening hits “Moon River,” “Days of Wine and Roses” and “Where Do I Begin?” and for his long-running TV variety show, was born in 1927 as the youngest of the boys. He died at age 84.

Bob Williams, born in 1918 as the oldest, died in September 2003 at age 85. And Dick, born in 1926, died in May 2018 at age 91.

The four reunited often for Andy Williams’ Christmas specials.

In addition to his wife — they were together for 41 years — Don’s survivors include his twin sons, David and Andy, and a grandson, Harrison. His sons recorded as the Williams Brothers, too, with their songs including “What’s Your Name” and “Can’t Cry Hard Enough.”

This story was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

Mariah Carey and SZA Continue to Rule the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 Charts | Billboard News

Even with the latest data tracking week reflecting four days after Christmas Day (Dec. 23-29), Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” holds at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, reigning for a 12th total week. While SZA’s ‘SOS’ rules the Billboard 200 chart (dated Jan. 7) for a third straight and total week as the set earned 128,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 29 (down 29%), according to Luminate.

Billie Eilish Recreates ‘The Office’ Party Planning Committee Scene With Jenna Fischer & Angela Kinsey

Billie Eilish has proved once more that she’s the ultimate The Office fan.

The 21-year-old superstar joined the latest episode of Earwolf’s Office Ladies podcast, in which she recreated “the first-ever party planning committee” scene from season one of the show with the podcast’s co-hosts and Office stars Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer.

“Oh yeah, I know this scene quite well,” Eilish shared in the clip initially shared by People, which is no surprise, as the star has often claimed that she’s watched the entire series numerous times. She then channels the show’s character Phyllis, diving into the scene and floating the idea of streamers for the fictional party. “But that’s dumb, everybody has streamers, never mind,” Eilish says as Phyllis.

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Fischer then revives her role as receptionist Pam Beesley, agreeing that they should have green streamers. Kinsey then jumps in as her character Angela Martin, delivering the iconic deadpan line, “I think green is kind of whorish.”

The trio then cheer for their flawless execution of the scene, and Fischer tells Eilish, “You’re officially in the PPC [party planning committee]!”

Back in 2019, Eilish took part in Billboard‘s “Quizzed” segment with Rainn Wilson, who portrayed Dwight Schrute on the iconic series, and participated in some Office-related trivia. Overall, Eilish did a stellar job, earning herself a special handmade reward that viewers will recognize from the “Office Olympics” episode of the show. “This will go well with your goth bling,” Wilson tells her as he gifts her the yogurt lid medal.

Revisit the moment below.