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She knows she didn’t invent the idea of “gay pop,” but pop singer and Internet personality JoJo Siwa would like to see the subset become an “official genre” of music.
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During an interview on SiriusXM’s Hits 1 Miami With Mack & Jen, Siwa clarified the comments she made in a viral video interview with Billboard, saying she simply wants to see more queer art get recognized. “So, here’s the thing — ‘gay pop’ is a thing that people have done, but it is not an official genre of music,” she explained. “It is a style, but it is how there’s rap, there’s rock, there’s R&B, there’s pop — if you look on the iTunes charts … this should be a literal genre of music.”
The former Dance Moms star continued, saying that she doesn’t feel the current categorizations for LGBTQ+ artists are sufficient. “There’s so many gay pop artists … but I think that those gay pop artists do deserve a bigger home than what they have right now,” she said.
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Siwa originally spoke about the concept of “gay pop” during an interview with Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly about her new song “Karma,” when she claimed that she told her label (Columbia Records) that she “wanted to start a new genre … called ‘gay pop.’” Commenters quickly called out the singer for claiming to have created a “genre” that has existed for years — even LGBTQ+ pioneers Tegan and Sara shared a video on TikTok where they silently stared into a camera following the 20-year-old’s comments.
In a later interview with TMZ, Siwa clarified that she didn’t intend to say that she “invented” the concept of “gay pop” music. “I am not the inventor of gay pop, for sure not. But I do want to be a piece of making it bigger than it already is,” she said. “I’m not the president [of gay pop], but I might be the CEO, or the CMO. I can be the CMO, the chief marketing officer, and use my marketing tactics whether people like it or not.”
Elsewhere in her interview on SiriusXM, Siwa bemoaned the ongoing backlash to her comments. “I could say I want world peace, and everyone would be like, ‘How dare you want peace for the world!’” she said. “People ask me all the time, they’re like, ‘Do you feel like you have to be very careful about what you say?’ And I’m like, ‘No, because no matter what I say, it’s going down anyways.’”
Watch a clip from Siwa’s interview below:
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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. Looking for a setting spray that goes the distance? Whether you plan to brave Coachella’s desert temperatures or another outdoor music […]
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It’s Dune day! Dune: Part Two, the sequel to the science-fiction blockbuster, arrived on Prime Video and other streaming platforms on Tuesday (April 16).
Timothée Chalomet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, David Batista, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling and Javier Bardem star in the film adapted from the science-fiction novels of the same name.
In Dune 2, Paul Ateides (Chalamet) unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the other Fremen “while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family,” per the film description.
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The bonus edition of Dune 2 is available on Prime Video for $24.99 to rent, and $29.99 to buy a digital copy. If you want to order now and stream later, Prime Video gives you up to 30 days to start watching the movie, and 48 hours to finish streaming. You can stream Prime Video on your smart TV, computer or phone via the Prime Video app.
The VOD released is also available on Apple TV, YouTube TV and Google Play.
Dune 2 is one of Prime Video’s in-theather movie rentals, but Prime members also get access to a bunch of exclusive series, movies and sporting events for free.
Prime Video is free for Prime members. If you’re not subscriber, you can join with a 30-day free trial to give it a test run. Prime Video’s selection of exclusive programs includes Fallout, Road House, J-Hope on the Street, Gen V, Musica: Love Story, Daisy Jones & The Six, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Invincible and The Boys.
Prime Video allows subscribers to add Paramount+, Max, Starz, BET+, AMC+ and other streaming channels.
Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month after the free trial. The subscription includes access to Amazon Music, Prime Gaming and Prime Reading, free shipping, exclusive deals, and other member-only benefits, plus Prime is 50% off for qualifying students and SNAP/Medicaid recipients.
Want to own a physical copy of Dune: Part Two? It’s available for pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD. The Steelbook edition sold out at Amazon and Walmart, but you can find it on resale sites such as eBay.
Purchase Dune: Part Two on Blu-ray below.
Dune Part Two
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Travis Kelce is heading from the field to the hosting stand! The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is officially the host of Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, a spinoff of the popular Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? game show, according to Extra. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest […]
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. Caitlin Clark is flying high. In less than a week, Clark has gone from college basketball star to a Saturday Night […]
Although BTS‘ Suga has another year left on his mandatory South Korean military service stint, the K-pop superstar is still lighting up the charts from afar. On Tuesday (April 16), Trafalgar Releasing and HYBE announced that the limited run of the concert film from the singer’s alter ego, Agust D, set box office records in […]
Katy Perry is on her way out of American Idol, with season 22 being her last before another musical sensation steps in to take over her role as a judge alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.
And in an interview with E! News posted Tuesday (April 16), the pop star revealed who she would choose to take the reins following her exit: a certain breakout country superstar with face tattoos and a heart of gold. “I gotta say Jelly Roll was crazy when he came on the show,” she told the publication. “I was convinced at anything he said.”
“He could run for president, he could be my pastor, I might go back to church for him,” she added. “He could sell me anything … To have any of these guys plus Jelly on the show would be amazing. I love you, Jelly!”
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The interview comes about a week after the “Son of a Sinner” singer appeared on the April 8 episode of Idol, serving as a guest mentor and coaching the show’s top 24 contestants in Hawaii. “I realized how life-changing this is for these kids,” he told Billboard at the time. “Even if they go on and don’t have music careers, they have this story forever and I felt it on them. I took away the spirit of genuine happiness to be where you are, because it happens so fast that sometimes you don’t realize how special a moment it is.”
Even if it isn’t Jelly, Perry said she hopes that her successor shares her knack for being straightforward with the singing show’s competitors. “I want a truth teller,” she told the publication. “I want someone that is not afraid to tell the truth in a graceful way.”
“Unfortunately, when you’re a woman and you have an opinion or you’re a boss, sometimes you’re also considered a B-I-T-C-[H],” she added. “So just someone that has a strong sense of self, that listens to their intuition.”
The “Firework” singer has been a part of Idol since 2018, when the show was rebooted after three years off the air. She now has her sights set on recording a followup to her 2020 LP Smile, telling Jimmy Kimmel in February that she wants to “go see the world and maybe bring new music.”
“I just have yet to make a record from a place of feeling really happy and whole and full of love,” Perry, who shares 3-year-old daughter Daisy Dove with fiancé Orlando Bloom, said in an April interview with Access Hollywood. “Sometimes artists are like, ‘Oh, that’s boring, you want to make music from kind of like a tougher place,’ but actually it’s very bright and joyful, like pure joy and fun and playful and celebratory and a party.”
Three years after he blew Fab Four fans’ minds with his The Beatles: Get Back series, director Peter Jackson is dipping back into his Beatle bag on May 8 with the re-release of Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s legendary 1970 documentary Let It Be.
The film chronicling the final days of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr will be available for the first time in more than 50 years when it airs exclusively on Disney+ on May 8.
According to a release, the film recorded during the midst of the group’s breakup “now takes its rightful place in the band’s history. Once viewed through a darker lens, the film is now brought to light through its restoration and in the context of revelations brought forth” in Jackson’s Emmy-winning 2021 docuseries.
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“Let It Be was ready to go in October/November 1969, but it didn’t come out until April 1970. One month before its release, The Beatles officially broke up. And so the people went to see Let It Be with sadness in their hearts, thinking, ‘I’ll never see The Beatles together again. I will never have that joy again,’” director Lindsay-Hogg said in a statement. “And it very much darkened the perception of the film. But, in fact, how often do you get to see artists of this stature working together to make what they hear in their heads into songs. And then you get to the roof and you see their excitement, camaraderie and sheer joy in playing together again as a group and know, as we do now, that it was the final time, and we view it with full understanding of who they were and still are and a little poignancy. I was knocked out by what Peter was able to do with Get Back, using all the footage I’d shot 50 years previously.”
In fact, the restored Let It Be features footage that appeared Get Back, taking viewers into the studio and onto the Apple Corps London rooftop in Jan. 1969 for what would be the quartet’s final live performance. It also features the band in the studio writing and recording their Let It Be album. In the wake of the rapturous appreciation for Jackson’s series, and with Lindsay-Hogg’s support, Apple Corps asked Jackson’s Park Road Post Production team to restore Let It Be from the original 16mm negative, a process that also included the remastering of the film’s sound using the same MAL de-mix technology that was employed on Get Back.
“I’m absolutely thrilled that Michael’s movie, Let It Be, has been restored and is finally being re-released after being unavailable for decades,” said Jackson in a statement. “I was so lucky to have access to Michael’s outtakes for Get Back, and I’ve always thought that Let It Be is needed to complete the Get Back story. Over three parts, we showed Michael and The Beatles filming a groundbreaking new documentary, and Let It Be is that documentary – the movie they released in 1970. I now think of it all as one epic story, finally completed after five decades. The two projects support and enhance each other: Let It Be is the climax of Get Back, while Get Back provides a vital missing context for Let It Be. Michael Lindsay-Hogg was unfailingly helpful and gracious while I made Get Back, and it’s only right that his original movie has the last word…looking and sounding far better than it did in 1970.”
On Monday, prior to the announcement — and six months after the Fabs dropped what was billed as their final song, the melancholy “Now and Then” — the Beatles site teased “There will be an answer,” a lyric from 1970’s “Let It Be.” The post was accompanied by four blank frames positioned to resemble the Let It Be album artwork, as well as what seemed like a cryptic clue, “At last…” and the Disney+ and Apple Corps logos.
Though Let It Be premiered in movie theaters in 1970 and was released on home video formats in the early 1980s, it has never been officially issued on DVD, blu-ray or streaming.
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Unless you’re spinning vinyl on your record player or listening to the radio, you most likely have a music subscription to stream your favorite artists and the latest album drops. Apple Music, much like Spotify and Amazon Music, is an all-in-one hub to go to for playlist creation, music discovery and taking your favorite songs on the go.
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Attached to each music subscription is a monthly or annual cost, but with a little help from Apple Music deals, promos and bundles going on, you can use the platform for free.
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The easiest way to test out the music-streaming platform is through Apple Music’s standard free trial option. New users will receive one-month free of the streamer when they sign up and get access to all of the benefits like Spatial Audio and playlists that are always ad-free.
If you find commitment scary, you can read on to discover more ways on how to get a free Apple Music subscription.
How to Get a Free Apple Music Subscription
Instead of finding the deals yourself, Shop Billboard put together a list of the latest deals and promos that’ll instantly get you free Apple Music.
Standard Apple Music Free Trial
If you’re new to Apple Music, you’re eligible for a free one-month subscription when you sign up through Apple. After that, it’s $10.99 a month, but includes benefits such as an ad-free listening experience, curated weekly playlists, access to the streamer’s library of more than 100 million songs and more.
Still in school? Apple Music has a student plan that offers the same 30-day trial before charging $5.99 a month. For families, there’s even the option to test it out for a month before paying $16.99 per month. And for those who prefer to only use Siri, the Apple Voice plan provides the same free trial before charging $4.99 a month. All you have to do is click the button on the page that says “try it free” and sign up.
Purchasing an Eligible Apple Device
Apple has a couple more methods to earn a free subscription without even leaving its site. The first being if you purchase an eligible Apple device such as AirPods, a HomePod Mini or Beats. Once redeemed, you’ll receive six months of Apple Music at no additional cost.
Once your subscription is up, the individual Apple Music plan is $10.99 a month, but for further savings, you can do the Apple Voice plan for $4.99 a month, which requires you use Siri for all your streaming needs. Students can grab a student plan for $5.99 a month, while families can enjoy streaming together for just $16.99 a month.
Apple One Subscription
Sick of having multiple subscriptions? Apple released one of its newer services: Apple One, which bundles up to six apps together to create a lower monthly price. This even includes up to 2TB of iCloud+ storage and one month free of Apple Music. Rather than have various apps charging you different subscriptions costs, this will put it all together.
To score a free trial, go to the Apple One page and click “try Apple One for free.” From there you’ll have the option to choose from one of three plan options with the basic one being an Individual plan for $16.95. month that provides 50GB of iCloud+ storage and up to four apps bundled.
Need more space?You can opt to go with the Premiere plan for $32.95 a month, which will allow you to share it with up to five people, has 2TB of iCloud+ storage and can bundle up to six apps. Families can also snag a Family plan for $22.95 a month giving them access to 200GB of iCloud+ storage, the ability to bundle up to four apps and sharing with a max of five people.
Verizon Unlimited Plan
For anyone looking for an excuse to upgrade their cell phone, this is your sign to do it. Verizon Wireless has a promo where you can score six months of free Apple Music, and all you have to do is be on an eligible Verizon Unlimited Plan.
After the Verizon free trial is up, the subscription follows Apple’s different tiered plans including Apple Voice for $4.99 a month, a Student plan for $5.99 a month, the Standard plan of $10.99 a month and the Family plan for $16.99 a month.
Best Buy Promo
Arguably one of the easiest ways you can start streaming for free is through Best Buy’s promo. Just add Apple Music to your cart from the site and you’ve automatically earned three months of free, unlimited music (only eligible for new or returning subscribers).
Plans for Apple Music follow its own tiered plan that’s separate from Best Buy’s promo. The standard plan will cost $10.99 a month, but if you’re looking for additional savings you can subscribe to Apple Voice (a Siri only listening plan), the student plan or the family plan.
For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of how to get free Amazon Music Unlimited, the best tech deals and streaming device deals.
Steve Martin is typically unflappable. The veteran comedian and legendary quick-on-his-feet improvisor was atypically dumbstruck recently when his Only Murders in the Building co-star Selena Gomez showed up to fete him on the red carpet premiere of his Apple TV+ two-part documentary, Steve! (Martin).
In a video from the premiere earlier this month, Martin immediately gives Gomez some of his patented good-natured grief, joking, “I thought you said you were gonna get dressed up,” as Sel — wearing a stunning Oscar De La Renta black gown — leans in for a cheek kiss.
“Shush, shush, I’m so happy to be here, my family came!” Gomez tells Martin, who seems genuinely touched by the gesture, saying, “I can’t believe you’re here! Thank you so much… so nice of you!” While Gomez keeps telling him to “stop” making such a fuss, Martin appears to get a bit teary-eyed as the pair pose for some pics.
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Gomez tells Martin she’s excited to celebrate him, noting that she brought along her stepdad and grandma, as the funnyman waves to her family and jokes, “here’s what I like about you being here, you don’t know a thing about me.” Selena admits as much, shooting back, “Yeah, that’s why I came, so I can learn.”
She doth protest a bit too much, though, since the pair have very likely learned a lot about each other while shooting three seasons of the Hulu murder mystery comedy alongside Martin’s frequent comedic foil, Martin Short.
The two-part doc streaming now uses a combination of classic and never-before-seen footage to tell the “then” story of Martin’s rise to comedy’s Mt. Rushmore before his decision to abruptly quit doing stand-up tours and his “now” life as a beloved elder statesman joke sharpshooter.
Check out video of the sweet carpet moment below.
Steve Martin is brought to tears after Selena Gomez made a surprise appearance at his documentary premiere: “I can’t believe you’re here! Thank you so much. It’s so nice of you.” pic.twitter.com/rY6j5oiRu1— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) April 15, 2024