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Cynthia Erivo is fresh off her run as Elphaba in the blockbuster hit that was the Wicked films, and she’s ready to talk about it.
It’s clear to see that the duology was a major hit, especially the music. The first Wicked film soundtrack made history by debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, the highest opening for a stage-to-screen adaptation. It also topped our Top Album Sales, Soundtracks and Vinyl Albums charts simultaneously. Seven songs from the soundtrack topped the Billboard Hot 100, including Erivo’s rendition of “Defying Gravity,” being the highest charting at No. 44.
Following her stellar performance as the Wicked Witch of the West, she’s giving a peek at her process for prepping for the film duology her new book, Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much. The book is currently a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon, with a hardcover version of the book currently available for $20.28. You can also get a Kindle version for $14.99.
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‘Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much’
$20.28
$28.99
30% off
A book by Cynthia Erivo.
While the book’s primary draw is her time on Wicked, it also divulges Erivo’s development as an actress and human, and the practices she’s learned over the years of performing. In the chapter titled “Train Like a Boxer,” Erivo talks about her prep for the role of Elphaba, a tall order given she’s followed in the footsteps of those who played the coveted role on Broadway, including Idina Menzel, who originated the roll, along with Eden Espinosa, Jackie Burns and Jessica Vosk, among others.
In the book, Erivo writes, “I had three weeks to prepare. A far cry from the two days I had for The Color Purple. Things change. I got the music and all the scenes and started working on them like I was in training. As if I were a boxer.” Erivo is no stranger to Broadway, having made her debut as Celie in the 2015 revival of The Color Purple, a role for which she earned a Tony Award. “As part of my training, I ran while singing the Wicked songs, back and forth, singing just to get them fully into my body. I wanted the music and dialogue to all be so deeply embedded inside me that when I got to the audition, I wouldn’t be thinking about lyrics, or the melody, or lines. All that would just be a part of my DNA,” Erivo recalled.
If you or a loved one is a fan of Wicked or Erivo’s work, this book is a must-read and makes a great gift ahead of the holiday season.
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Whatever has been ailing Dolly Parton is nothing that a bestselling book can’t fix. The superstar, dressed in a black leather top and pants adorned with glittery silver and gold stars, was out and about this week touting her new book, Star of the Show: My Life on Stage.
Parton made the rounds in Nashville following the book’s Tuesday release, posting on Instagram her stops at Barnes & Noble, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Costco and Target, where she was making sure her newest release was front and center. She even tried some tasty treats at Costco, and then at Target jokingly used the book as a weight, hoisting it up in the air a few times, jokingly declaring, “This is heavy. This is how I built up my chest.”
Written with Billboard Country Update editor Tom Roland, the book celebrates Parton’s nearly 60-year career as an entertainer. It is the third in a trilogy, following Songteller, which focused on her lyrics, and Behind the Seams, which highlighted her fashion. Star of the Show features more than 500 photos, stories about her decades of touring and a list of all her performances.
Parton made news in September when she postponed her December dates at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to September 2026, telling fans, “As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures. As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!”
Concern for Parton hit overdrive in October after her sister Freida posted on social media that she had been “up all night praying for my sister, Dolly,” adding “Godspeed, my sissy Dolly.” The next day Parton posted a video suggesting her health issues were of no great import. “I know lately, everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am … do I look sick to you?! I’m workin’ hard here,” she said, dressed to the nines in a red top and black pants. She stressed she wanted to put “everyone’s mind at ease… I’m OK. I’ve got some problems that I mentioned,” adding that she didn’t take care of herself while she was tending to her sick husband, Carl, who died in March. She added she was having “a few treatments here and there” at Vanderbilt’s Medical Center but stressed “I am okay…. I don’t think God is through with me and I ain’t done working.”
This Sunday, Parton will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Oscars’ annual Governors Awards in Los Angeles. The award is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry by promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities,” according to the the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The award recognizes Parton for her decades-long humanitarian efforts, including the Dollywood Foundation, which inspires the children of East Tennessee — her home state — to achieve educational success, as well as her Imagination Library, which provides pre-school children with a book a month.
Trending on Billboard Billboard senior music correspondent Katie Bain is bringing her just-released book Desert Dreams: The Music, Style, and Allure of Coachella to a Billboard Book Club livestream today (Oct. 27). [talkshoplive modus=”rqqZwi_OmY-7″ data-auto-play=’1′] In the new book — which arrived last week, on Oct. 21 — Bain explores the history and influence of Coachella, […]
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. After years as one of the music industry’s most respected singers and songwriters, Victoria Monét has now added another title to […]
Geri Halliwell-Horner is ready to spice your bookshelf: On Tuesday (April 8), the Spice Girls member and bestselling author celebrated the release of her new book, Rosie Frost: Ice on Fire, and stopped by Billboard to discuss her creative process (and what’s to come) in the debut episode of Billboard Book Club Powered by TalkShopLive.
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Rosie Frost: Ice on Fire is the second entry in a planned young adult trilogy from Halliwell-Horner, following her 2023 book Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen. After empowering millions of listeners as a global music superstar with the Spice Girls, the artist forever known as Ginger Spice is now reaching a new generation as an author.
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“I love books. I just love them. They’ve been my best friends, my companions,” she told Billboard’s executive director of music, Jason Lipshutz, during the Billboard Book Club conversation. “I always love to find myself in a story and process something. And I just thought, ‘You know what? I really want to see a new female character that really connects with us, with who we are now, and someone that is not perfect, and finding the courage you never knew you had.’”
The Rosie Frost series follows a teenage heroine as she navigates through a fantastical world and searches for resolution following the loss of her mother. As she did with the first Rosie Frost entry, Halliwell-Horner recorded a new solo song as a tie-in with the book: “Older Now,” which is available with a book purchase via QR code, is a moving ballad that exists in conversation with the Ice on Fire story, but will also delight longtime fans of the pop star.
“To have the space to be able to play and do this, I’m incredibly grateful,” said Halliwell-Horner of her expanding creativity. In addition to discussing her writing process, reading an excerpt of the new book and discussing future plans for the franchise, Halliwell-Horner also answered fan questions coming in during the livestream — one of which touched upon the possibility of a Rosie Frost film or TV adaptation.
“As I write, I always think in pictures — I can’t help it,” she said. “There are some exciting developments, and I really look forward to sharing them.”
Halliwell-Horner also signed copies of Rosie Frost: Ice on Fire, which fans can purchase live or via replays of the livestream.
Billboard Book Club interviews will be featured on Billboard.com, on Billboard’s TalkShopLive channel and be simulcast to Billboard’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Viewers watching on Facebook and Instagram can comment the word “shop” to receive a link in their direct messages to purchase.
All sales from Billboard and TalkShopLive via TalkShopLive’s book distribution partner, ReaderLink, count toward The New York Times‘ Best Sellers list.
Watch Halliwell-Horner’s interview with Billboard above.
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.
With smash hits like “Adam’s Song,” “What’s My Age Again?” and “The Rock Show,” Blink-182 has been creating iconic cultural moments for more than 30 years. Now, bassist, singer and founding member Mark Hoppus is telling his true punk rock story in a new memoir.
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On sale for $22.75 (reg. $32.50) on Amazon, Fahrenheit-182: A Humorous and Inspirational Memoir by Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, Uncover the Life of a Musician Who Never Gave Up chronicles Hoppus’ early days growing up as a latchkey kid during the ’80s, starting the skate punk band Blink-182 with Tom DeLonge during the ’90s and battling cancer during the 2020s.
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can order now and Fahrenheit-182 will be delivered to your home in less than two days once it’s released, thanks to Prime Delivery.
Not a member? Sign up for a 30-day free trial to take advantage of all that Amazon Prime has to offer, including access to Prime Video, Prime Gaming and Amazon Photos; fast free shipping in less than two days with Prime Delivery; in-store discounts at Whole Foods Market; access to exclusive shopping events — such as Prime Day and Black Friday — and much more. Learn more about Amazon Prime and its benefits here.
The memoir is also available at BookShop.org for $30.23 (reg. $32.50), while Fahrenheit-182 is buyable at Barnes & Noble priced at $29.50 (reg. $32.50).
Dey Street Books
‘Fahrenheit-182’
by Mark Hoppus with Dan Ozzi
$22.75
$32.50
30% off
$14.99
$32.50
54% off
In addition, Fahrenheit-182 is available as an Audible audiobook, which is only $0.99 for subscribers only.
If you’re not a subscriber, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial. But right now, Audible has a new promotion, which gives new subscribers three months of service for just $0.99 per month. You’ll receive one credit for any audiobook on Audible, including Fahrenheit-182. But act fast and sign up now, this deal ends on Wednesday, April 30.
Throughout his career in music, Mark Hoppus has been nominated for one Grammy Award for best rock album for Blink-182’s 2016 record, California.
Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
Billboard Women in Music 2025
Time to spice up your life with a good book! Billboard announced Wednesday (April 2) that it’s partnering with livestream and social commerce platform TalkShopLive to launch the Billboard Book Club Powered by TalkShopLive.
The book club will feature some of music’s biggest stars discussing and promoting their latest books via the livestream ecommerce platform. Kicking things off is Geri Halliwell-Horner, a.k.a. Ginger Spice from the Spice Girls, who will stream April 8 via TalkShopLive from Billboard’s New York City studio. She’ll be celebrating her newest book, Rosie Frost: Ice on Fire, the sequel to her New York Times bestseller Rosie Frost & the Falcon Queen.
Per the book’s official description, the story follows protagonist Rosie Frost, who, “on the brink of discovering who — or what — lies behind her mother’s death, begins a new adventure with a murder to solve, revenge on her mind, and more questions than she has answers.”
She’ll also promote signed copies of the novel, which fans can purchase live on April 8 at 6 p.m. ET or watch replays anytime via the link here.
“At Billboard, we’re always excited to celebrate and support artists beyond their music,” Hannah Karp, editor-in-chief of Billboard, said in a press statement. “Our Billboard Book Club highlights artists as true storytellers while helping fans engage with their favorite acts in new ways.”
Bryan Moore, CEO and co-founder of TalkShopLive, added, “Over the past five years, TalkShopLive has welcomed hundreds of authors to our platform to discuss their books and the inspiration behind them. These livestreams have resulted in thousands of sales for these authors. From Oprah to Dolly Parton to Martha Stewart to Jenna Bush Hager and Kelsea Ballerini, TalkShopLive has become the go-to live commerce destination to showcase books during the preorder window. Now, in partnership with Billboard, we are poised to help countless musicians, journalists, historians and authors succeed in launching books that achieve ‘best sellers’ chart success.”
Billboard Book Club interviews will be featured on Billboard.com, on Billboard’s TalkShopLive channel and be simulcast to Billboard’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Viewers watching on Facebook and Instagram can comment the word “shop” to receive a link in their direct messages to purchase.
All sales from Billboard and TalkShopLive via TalkShopLive’s book distribution partner, ReaderLink, count toward The New York Times Best Sellers list.
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