State Champ Radio

by DJ Frosty

Current track

Title

Artist

Current show
blank

State Champ Radio Mix

12:00 am 12:00 pm

Current show
blank

State Champ Radio Mix

12:00 am 12:00 pm


Culture

Page: 16

Good news! Fans are finally getting their first looks at Wicked: For Good, with Universal Pictures announcing the release date of its first trailer while unveiling the film’s poster Wednesday (May 14).
As revealed first on the official Wicked Instagram account, the sequel’s official poster finds leading ladies Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande — who portray Elphaba and Glinda in the live-action musical duology, respectively — looking stoic as they stare each other down while standing on opposing rocky cliffs separated by a deep ravine. At the bottom, the franchise’s famous Yellow Brick Road leads the way to the Emerald City, which looms on the horizon in the center.

“You will be changed,” reads text on the poster, a play on the lyrics to Elphaba and Glinda’s “For Good” duet from the Wicked Broadway musical, on which the films were based.

Trending on Billboard

The poster offers fans their first visual of the sequel to Jon M. Chu’s first Wicked film, which hit theaters in November 2024 and has so far grossed $755.4 million worldwide — more than any other film adaptation of a Broadway musical — as of Monday (May 12). It also shows Erivo and Grande’s characters in brand new outfits, with the former embracing her persona as the Wicked Witch of the West in her signature pointy hat and an edgy black coat that billows out behind her, while the latter wears a tiara and multicolored ballgown.

But while the artwork is all viewers get for now of Wicked: For Good, they’ll soon get their first proper view of the November-slated installment. Shortly after unveiling the poster, the Wicked Instagram account announced that the sequel’s trailer will premiere in theaters on June 4 as the first film returns to the big screen for one night only in the United States and Canada.

“We know you’ve been waiting for this, and it’s finally coming,” Erivo says in a video sharing the news, standing next to the “Positions” singer.

“You will be changed …,” adds Grande before the Pinocchio star finishes, “For good.”

Tickets for Wicked‘s single-night return to theaters are on sale now. The announcement comes just two days after NBC revealed that a Wicked event special featuring Grande, Erivo and some “special guests” would both air on the network and stream on Peacock in November.

Modeling the arc of Act II in the Wicked stage musical, For Good is expected to pick up during the aftermath of the events of the first film. Elphaba is forced into hiding after the Wizard of Oz (portrayed by Jeff Goldblum) convinces the realm that she’s, well, wicked. Meanwhile Glinda assumes her role as people’s princess and government mouthpiece in the absence of her best frenemy.

“It gets messy,” Chu told Variety of the sequel’s plot in January. “I think if [audience members] are following the emotions of this movie, they’ll walk with us.”

See the new Wicked: For Good poster and trailer announcement below.

OOKA, a futuristic hookah system that uses an innovative pod system for sessions, has a hot new announcement that will be especially good news to those who are fans of CBD. OOKA will be building upon its ongoing partnership with Berner’s Cookies brand and releasing a trio of CBD pods nationwide.

OOKA, manufactured by and distributed by Advanced Inhalation Rituals (AIR), announced the expansion on Tuesday (May 13), and the flavor blends sound delicious. The Cookies CBD pod blends are Apples and Bananas, Melted Sherb, and Berry Pie.

Near the top of the year, Cookies, which specializes in both hemp and other inhalable products, partnered with OOKA to roll out pods that are outfitted with technology ensuring that the session remains favorable and enjoyable. OOKA has both tea-based nicotine options, along with traditional hookah pods.

“We are excited to launch the Cookies x OOKA CBD Pods in the United States, combining OOKA’s cutting-edge, charcoal-free hookah technology with Cookies’ iconic, lifestyle-driven brand,” said Ashley Bock, marketing director of the Americas at AIR. “This collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver our customers with a modern, elevated hookah experience.”

Beyond the Cookies lineup, OOKA also features Al Fakher tobacco pods, its Zodiac line, which is made with tea and molasses, and Pacific Reams CBD pods. Each pod has its temperature modified for the experience via an internal NFC chip, with sessions lasting from 45 minutes to a full hour.

To grab your own OOKA and Cookies CBD pods, click here. To learn more about the OOKA brand, click here.

Photo: Cookies / OOKA

HipHopWired Featured Video

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. Beyoncé fans rejoice! The world-renowned musician has teamed up with heritage denim brand Levi’s to reinvent some of the brand’s most […]

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.
Want to hang out with Megan thee Stallion, Sabrina Carpenter, and Doechii on your next vacation? Now, you can. Today, Airbnb launched a revamped app bringing with it one of kind experiences to enhance your next trip: AirBnb Services, AirBnb Experiences, and AirBnb Originals, which include opportunities to become an “Otaku Hottie”.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

With AirBnB Originals, you can find unique experiences hosted by the biggest talent around the world, designed exclusively for Airbnb. Users can learn pastry-making at the renowned French Bastards bakery with chef Raphaelle Elbaz; spend a Sunday with Patrick Mahomes, learning how to throw the perfect spiral and enjoying Kansas City barbecue; step inside the Short n’ Sweet set with Sabrina Carpenter for a day of glam, dancing, and espresso; and nerd out on anime with Megan Thee Stallion in her Otaku Hottie Quest. Each experience can be reserved within the app, but hurry up, as bookings are going quickly.

Trending on Billboard

The new app also brings with it AirBnB Services, which help give users a more hotel like experience featuring amenities like private chefs, spa treatments, personal training, hair and makeup appointments, a personal photographer, catering, and tons more. The app is launching with 10 service categories in 260 cities starting today.

“People choose hotels for their services. People choose Airbnbs for the space,” added Chesky. “Now, we’re giving you the best of both worlds—amazing homes with services that make them even more special.”

One top of all that, AirBnb Experiences will help travelers experience the city they are in. Tourists traps can be very annoying, and this new service is aiming to remove the woes of experiencing a new cities with more well-crafted activities by vetted hosts. Experience’s are broken out five categories:

Landmark, museum, and cultural experiences

Food tours, cooking classes, and dining experiences

Outdoors, water sports, and wildlife experiences

Gallery tours, art workshops, and shopping experiences

Workout, wellness, and beauty experiences

With Experiences you can explore the Notre-Dame’s restoration with Axelle Ponsonnet, an architect from its restoration team, master the art of ramen-making with chef Saburo Ishigōka—the culinary force behind a Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded restaurant, go horseback riding through sacred Inca sites and stunning Andean landscapes with an expert in Andean culture and anthropology, and more. Experiences is launching in 650 cities around the world, exclusively on the AirBnB app.

“Seventeen years ago, we changed the way people travel. More than two billion guests later, Airbnb is synonymous with a place to stay,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO, in a statement. “With the launch of services and experiences, we’re changing travel again. Now you can Airbnb more than an Airbnb.”

The new AirBnb app update including Services, Experiences and Originals is now live. The Airbnb Originals experiences are free, but there’s limited availability on a “first-come, first-serve basis” to users who sign up. Book yours now here.

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. Lady Gaga just made shopping for foundation a whole lot easier. The “Rain On Me” singer’s brand Haus Labs has just […]

After a 28-city international leg that included London’s O2 and Dublin’s 3Arena, stand-up comedian, actor and writer Shane Gillis announced the extension of his Shane Gillis Live tour to 10 additional U.S. cities on Tuesday (May 13).
The new dates — which have been scheduled in July, August and September — will take Gillis to arenas in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Kansas City, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; St. Louis, Mo.; Detroit; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Milwaukee; Houston; Hollywood, Fla.; and Orlando, Fla.

Representatives for Gillis said in an announcement that the added performances, which will be promoted by Outback Presents, come in response to “a staggering demand for tickets across the U.S., Canada and European dates,” adding that Gillis has “set the all-time ticket sales record at six arenas,” including Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena and achieved historic sellouts at 11 more, including Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center and Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., marking each of the venue’s largest comedy shows ever.

Trending on Billboard

Gillis, who hails from Mechanicsburg, Pa., and is lifelong avid Notre Dame University football fan — his grandfather and cousin played for the team, and he appeared in an Under Armour commercial for the blue and gold — is slated to co-headline the stadium there with Zach Bryan and Dermot Kennedy on Sept. 6. If that show sells out, it will surpass the world record for the largest single-show attendance for a comedian in history. (Gillis does not report box-office results to Billboard Boxscore.1

Gillis has emerged as a comedy phenomenon over the last five years, despite being hired as a Saturday Night Live cast member in 2019 and then dismissed before the season began after examples of him using racist language on podcasts. He has since become a touring behemoth, the Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast he hosts with comedian Matt McCusker consistently ranks in the top 15 of Spotify’s U.S. Comedy charts, and on June 5, the second season of his series, Tires, will debut on Netflix. He has also hosted SNL twice — in 2024 and 2025.

Artist presale sign-up and tickets are available on Shane Gillis’ website.

Patreon presale will begin Tuesday, May 13, at 10:30 a.m. CT

Artist presale will begin Wednesday, May 14, at 10 a.m. local

General on sale begins Friday, May 16, at 10 a.m. local

Shane Gillis

Courtesy Photo

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.
Organized by the European Broadcasting Union, the 69th annual Eurovision Song Contest features the brightest up-and-coming singers and pop groups in 37 countries, including France, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Australia, Israel, Italy, United Kingdom and many others, competing to win the event.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Eurovision 2025 starts on Tuesday (May 13) at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT and ends on Saturday (May 17) at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT. The music competition livestreams on Peacock. Learn more about Eurovision Song Contest 2025 here.

The event livestreams from St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland. Keep reading to learn how to watch the event live.

How to Watch Eurovision Song Contest 2025

Peacock exclusively livestreams Eurovision Song Contest 2025. For Peacock subscribers, you can tune into the live event for no additional cost. Just log into your account once the event begins, and you’ll have access.

Don’t have a Peacock subscription? The streaming platform doesn’t offer a free trial, but does come with a couple of affordable plans starting at $7.99 per month.

There are two different plans offered on Peacock: The Premium Plan for $7.99 per month or the Premium Plus Plan for $13.99 per month. If you’re looking for additional savings, you can save 17% off when you do the annual plan for $79.99 per year or $139.99 per year. With the Premium Plan, it’s ad-supported and you’ll receive more than 80,000 hours of TV, movies and sports, access to live sports events, current NBC and Bravo shows, 50+ always-on live TV channels as well as the ability to stream new, exclusive and original content from the streaming platform.

Peacock’s Premium Plus plan comes with everything in the Premium plan, no ads, your local NBC channel live and the ability to download and stream eligible content offline.

Alongside Eurovision Song Contest 2025, you’ll have access to the entire Peacock library, including WrestleMania, Yellowstone, The Holdovers, Five Nights At Freddy’s, Vanderpump Rules, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Based on a True Story, Bel-Air, Kevin Hart: Reality Check, Poker Face, Saturday Night Live, Willie Nelson & Family and more.

Check out the Eurovision 2025 schedule below, and livestream the event here.

Eurovision 2025 Schedule:

Tuesday, May 13, First Semifinal — 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT

Thursday, May 15, Second Semifinal — 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT

Saturday, May 17, Grand Final — 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT

The streaming service also offers a number of music documentaries and specials, such as Toby Keith: An American Icon, Bowie: The Man Who Changed The World, Bob Dylan: The Folk Years, Stevie Nicks: Through The Looking Glass, Katy Perry: Main Square, Welcome To The A: 50 Years of Hip-Hop in Atlanta and more.

Meanwhile, those who want to watch internationally can access the streaming service with a VPN, such as ExpressVPN or NordVPN — prices start at $4.99 per month or $3.09 per month, respectively.

Eurovision Song Contest 2025 is available to stream on Peacock starting on Tuesday, May 13, starting at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.

Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.

A wide range of guest performers will hit the American Idol stage Sunday alongside this year’s top 14 contestants ahead of the live crowning of the 2025 winner during the three-hour finale, Ryan Seacrest announced on Monday’s (May 12) live episode. Sunday’s performers include: Brandon Lake, Goo Goo Dolls, Good Charlotte, Jennifer Holliday, Jessica Simpson, […]

05/12/2025

Top Fortnite players & content creators competed in L.A., where D4vd provided commentary, and ZHU performed at Fortnite and Billboard’s afterparty.

05/12/2025

Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem had a big influence on one of the biggest movies of the year. In a clip posted by IMAX on social media, Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier explained how going to see Christopher Nolan’s movie Tenet at IMAX headquarters while working on music videos with the two cousins during the pandemic […]