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Let’s show some respect for Clock, who busted out her best moves during Wednesday night’s (April 3) episode of The Masked Singer. In a clip shared exclusively with Billboard, Clock belted out a soulful rendition of Aretha Franklin’s 1967 classic, “Respect,” for the series’ first-ever Shower Anthems Night. In the video, Clock begins twerking onstage, […]
We’ve seen a couple of images to date of Lady Gaga‘s turn as Harley Quinn in the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux sequel. But now thanks to a TikTok video posted on Tuesday (April 2) we can finally hear what the Joker’s foil sounds like.
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In a pic post entitled “The world is a stage” — a tease for the first official trailer due out on April 9 — you hear Gaga’s Quinn whisper, “You’re Joker… you can do anything you want,” over trilling, ominous piano as the screen flashes images of Phoenix’s terrifying clown getting a shave, standing in a rainstorm, locked in a prison and dancing with Quinn.
Gaga will suit up as Quinn in the sequel to director Todd Phillips’ billion-dollar 2019’s global hit Joker, which is due out on October 4. Variety recently reported that the eagerly anticipated film leans heavily towards being “mostly a jukebox musical” that integrates at least 15 reinterpretations of “very well-known songs” and could contain one or two original soundtrack songs as well.
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Among the unnamed classics that are said to appear in the film are the 1953 song “That’s Entertainment,” a showstopper tune often associated with Judy Garland. And though music will reportedly play a major part in the film, Variety noted that Joker 2 is expected to “break the mold of traditional musicals.” No plot details have leaked yet about the movie, but it has been described as a drama with elements that take place around the notorious Arkham Asylum.
EW also noted that while previous Quinns have leaned into the character’s Brooklyn accent — including Arleen Sorkin, the voice actress who originated the role in Batman: The Animated Series, and Margot Robbie in the DC Extended Universe’s live-action films — Manhattan native Gaga’s take on Quinn appears to be accentless.
In addition to Gaga and Phoenix, the film stars Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), Catherine Keener (Incredibles 2) and Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin). Variety also reported on Wednesday (April 3) that the film has been rated R for “some strong violence, language throughout, some sexuality and brief full nudity”; the previous film was also rated R for “strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language and brief sexual images.”
Listen to Gaga’s Quinn voice here.
Here are our favorite figurines, toys and collectibles inspired by the reality show, from official merch to fan-inspired accessories
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.
Learning a new language can expand your skillset for work and travel, and give you a new hobby that’s fun yet challenging. But finding the time to attend weekly classes doesn’t always work for your schedule. That’s where a good language learning site comes into play.
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The best online language learning sites allow you to learn everything from Spanish to Italian on your own time no matter where you are. If you plan on traveling outside of the country, knowing another language is practically a travel necessity. Back home, meantime, it can make you standout on a resume if you’re looking for a new job or promotion. Plus, you can also surprise the avid traveler or linguaphile in your life with a subscription gift to one of the various platforms available if you’re looking for a unique gift idea.
Artists and musicians even use their multilingual skillsets to create some of their most popular singles including Lady Gaga, who worked in some French and Italian with her songs “Bad Romance” and “Born This Way” respectively, as well as Shakira who can speak seven languages, according to Business Insider. K-pop fans, meantime, are using online language sites to learn Korean so they can sing-along to their favorite artists.
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What Are the Best Online Learning Sites?
Instead of leaving you to do the research yourself, Billboard Shopping has rounded up some of the most popular online language learning sites to help you find the right platform for you or to gift your loved one.
Keep reading to discover the best language learning sites below.
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone is one of the most-popular online language sites, thanks to its easy-to-follow format and long list of languages. Once you sign up, you’ll be given a personalized learning plan that you can follow on your laptop, tablet or complete lessons straight from your smartphone. Live-streamed classes are offered or you can download lessons and audioguides to take with you on the go.
Rosetta Stone is currently offering 50% off almost all of their plans — including on the lifetime membership subscription that’s normally one payment of $399, but has dropped down to $199 for a limited-time. With a membership, you can choose from the 25 languages available and take advantage of immersive lessons that you can complete on- or offline as well as high-end speaking technology to help you perfect your pronunciation.
Udemy
Unlike Rosetta Stone, which only offers language courses online, Udemy offers a variety of online classes, including languages, photography, business skills and even health and wellness. Whereas Rosetta Stone gets you lifetime access to all the classes on its site, Udemy lets you choose individual classes to take. When you sign up, each course comes with on-demand videos and practice tests to assess your skills. Most courses come with downloadable articles and a certificate of completion when you finish — and you can do it all on a smartphone or a computer.
For a more customizable experience, Udemy is offering a new-learner offer that’ll get you classes for as low as $14.99/month. The platform also offers a seven day free trial, so you can access more than 11,000 classes, certification prep, goal-focused recommendations and AI-powered coding exercises. You can choose from a personal plan or if you’re looking to share it with your entire workforce, there’s an enterprise option.
Coursera
Similar to Udemy, Coursera provides a range of online courses including languages like Korean and French. Each course will come with a set amount of lessons with an estimated amount of time it will take to complete. The lessons also list out how many videos you’ll be required to watch, if there are any readings and the total amount of quizzes. If you’re in a time crunch, each lesson also tells you how much time it’ll take to get through. If you’re traveling you can do most of the work through your smartphone or you can use a laptop.
Whether you’re looking to brush up on your French or want to dive into beginner Chinese, Coursera offers a large library of online course offerings to fit your needs. You can take a mix of free classes or pay as little as $10/month to learn skills from universities and companies that will even earn you recognized credentials to add to your resume.
Preply
Preply offers a more interactive experience no matter if you want to learn Arabic or Japanese. When you sign up, you will be able to find a tutor who you’ll connect with for up to 50 minutes virtually. From there, you’ll get to know one another and create a customized learning plan based on your goals. Then, you get to decide how many lessons you want to have a week or month, and you’ll be charged on a 28-day cycle. You can do it all through a computer, tablet or smartphone.
More than 30,000 real-life tutors are available with lessons starting as low as $5 per session. You can choose how many lessons you want to do and read reviews based on other learners to discover the best tutor for you.
Babbel
Babbel looks to teach you language skills you can apply to your life right away. Using a focus on speaking and pronunciation, you’ll be able participate in live online courses with real instructors or use the online app to play language games, listen to podcasts and more using your smartphone. When you first sign up, you’ll be able to create your own personalized language learning routine based on your schedule all through the app.
Choose from a one, three, six or 12 month subscription or you can pay a one-time payment for a lifetime subscription.
For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best travel backpacks, luggage deals and travel necessities.
Dionne Warwick may have once asked of listeners “Don’t Make Me Over,” but the judges on RuPaul’s Drag Race seem to feel differently.
On last week’s episode (aired March 29), the five remaining contestants of RuPaul’s Drag Race were tasked with giving members of the Pit Crew dancers from RuPaul’s Drag Race Live in Las Vegas full drag makeovers. Transforming hunky men into fellow queens — with a strong family resemblance, of course — the girls also had to teach their new drag daughters how to work the runway with a short choreographed number.
Continuing her winning streak, Plane Jane impressed the judges with her drag daughter Lazi Susan, earing her fourth challenge win of the season. Meanwhile, Sapphira Cristál stumbled in presenting her daughter Shakira Cristál, while Morphine Love Dion’s introduction of her protegé La Tina didn’t thrill the panel, putting both queens in the bottom two.
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Lip synching to guest judge Kelsea Ballerini’s “Miss Me More,” Sapphira’s less-is-more approach to the artform paid off in dividends, earning her a spot in the coveted top four queens of the season. Meanwhile, Morphine’s string of lip sync assassinations finally came to end, with the “BBL queen of Miami” finally leaving the competition.
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Below, Morphine chats with Billboard about her time on the show, making it this far in the competition without a challenge win, her viral lip sync against Dawn and her approach to drag makeup that fans have been fawning over since she entered the work room.
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Congrats on making it to top five, Morphine! How does it feel getting to say that all these months later?
You know, while filming I had such a great time — obviously, not winning any challenges or any mini challenges was tough. I was like, “Oh my god, the fans are going to think I flopped.” But, the love I’ve been receiving has been so immense and intense and amazing that, honestly, I don’t think they even care about my track record, I feel like a lot of people just fell in love with my personality. Honestly, my run was perfect — well, obviously I should have made top four, but otherwise I’m very happy with how everything went down.
We gotta talk about your mug. You have clearly perfected the art of drag makeup — what advice would you give to young queens looking to emulate your look?
So, funny enough, I just posted a photo of myself the first time I was in drag, and girl, it was crunchy. That should inspire everyone that it is possible to go from rough mug to really sickening paint — it does, in fact, get better!
But yeah, it was a lot of practice and watching a lot of YouTube videos of now-cancelled influencers online. I also just grabbed a lot of different inspirations. Like, I will always say that Valentina is my No. 1 mug inspiration, her paint is one of my favorites besides Raven. They both are just … they molded me into my mug. It just took me a while to kind of perfect my own face, and the fact that I’m getting so much love for it is amazing.
Your paint is so good that Trixie Mattel adopted you on sight via The Pit Stop.
I know! I want that Trixie Cosmetics sponsorship, honey. But that’s Mother, so whatever she wants to give me, she can put me on her list — she can make me co-signer for Trixie Motel, whatever she wants I will be there for her. Love you, Mom!
But the other you thing you became very quickly known for on this season was your killer lip syncs. Did you have a favorite lip sync you got to do?
Oh, mine is obviously “Body” against Miss Dawn. I literally felt the spirit of Megan Thee Stallion consuming my body; like, she possessed me. I remember Sapphira telling us that she started crying for Dawn before the song even started.
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Oh, Dawn herself told us that the only thing she could think about during the lip sync was which wig she would put in which suitcase once it was over.
You know, the thing was, it would not have mattered who I lip synced against; that song in particular plays in Miami almost as a national anthem. Every morning, I wake up by paying homage to the Hotties by playing that song. It’s literally built into my nervous system at this point. So, when they told us what song was happening that day, I was like, “Oh, okay. I’m safe another week.”
I mean, I started out doing amateur drag contests competing against other girls, and Miami is known for having some of the best lip sync artists ever. So, coming up getting to watch these queens perfectly execute timing, knowing how and when to do a reveal or a split or punch someone in the face, was crucial. I learned from all of them, and then I ended up using those same tricks on them in my competitions, and won almost every battle contest I competed in in Miami.
On this episode, you and the other girls were tasked with a makeover challenge, which very much seemed like your exact vibe. When you’re not under the pressure of a reality television show, are you the kind of queen who enjoys giving makeovers?
It is one of my favorite things to do, absolutely. I do it often, and I don’t want to be dramatic, but I can change people’s lives — at least makeup-wise! I have done my makeup on other queens before, and they’ve changed their entire approach as a result. Almost every person that I’ve done looks exactly like me, so I was excited for this challenge, because I thought I was absolutely winning the makeover challenge right at the end. I’ve done weddings, I’ve done quinceañeras, I’ve done it all.
It’s helpful that your partner Miguel was simply so hot, and you were very aware of that fact.
Girl! Straight up, I think that’s why I lost this challenge, because I was too busy ogling. I was fully ready to leave set and start a new life with him. What’s so funny is he has truly the manliest face. For some, that would have been the hardest challenge, but I was slowly falling in love with him and saying, “I will do whatever it takes to make this man pretty.” And I don’t know, he really just was … I was so lost the whole episode because he was just so fine.
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Before I have to let you go, I’d love to know — what music have you been listening to lately?
Other than “Body” by Megan Thee Stallion, I have been obsessing over the new Kali Uchis album, ORQUÍDEAS, because it is insanely good. And also, Ariana’s “The Boy Is Mine” is supreme. It’s a bop.
Hunter Schafer has confirmed that while she and Rosalía are currently good friends, they were definitely more than that a few years ago.
In a GQ interview published Tuesday (April 2), the Euphoria star revealed that she dated the “Beso” singer for about five months starting in the fall of 2019. According to Schafer, it took her a few hangouts to realize that she and the musician shared more than just platonic feelings for one another; as of now, though, they’re just good friends.
“I have really beautiful friendships with people that I was once romantically involved with,” Schafer told the publication. “She’s family no matter what.”
Schafer also noted the two-time Grammy winner gave her blessing to confirm their history in the new interview. “It’s been so much speculation for so long,” the Hunger Games actress continued. “Part of us just wants to get it over with, and then another part is like, ‘It’s none of anybody’s f–king business!’ … It’s something I’m happy to share. And I think she feels that way too.”
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Billboard has reached out to Rosalía’s rep for comment.
A couple years after dating Schafer, the “Despechá” artist got engaged to fellow Latin music superstar Rauw Alejandro; the pair split in July 2023. Recently, rumors have linked her to The Bear‘s Jeremy Allen White.
Meanwhile, Schafer says she’s still recovering from her breakup with her Euphoria season 2 co-star, singer-songwriter Dominic Fike. “I had a really beautiful relationship with [Fike], and it really opened me up in that way,” she said of the “Babydoll” artist, whom she dated on and off in 2022.
The Cuckoo star also touched on the death of another Euphoria cohort — Angus Cloud, who passed away last year of an accidental overdose. He was 25 years old.
“I’ve never had a friend that I was that close to and that was my age pass before,” Schafer told the publication. “It’s really surreal. It doesn’t make sense. And yeah, it’s new. It’s a new kind of grieving.
“People really fell in love with Angus,” she added. “He was really one of the heartbeats of Euphoria. It’s always the people that are just kind of a little too good for the world and a little too pure. He was a f–king angel. He was sunshine.”
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This coming weekend, the city of Raleigh, N.C. will once more host the annual Dreamville Festival headlined by J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, and SZA. Ahead of the epic celebration of music and artistry, several Dreamville Festival Week events start this Wednesday across the city and are free of charge.
Dreamville Festival Week will begin on April 3 and runs through April 5 across the City of Oaks and the events will be free to attend and all-ages. Dreamville organizers have always centered businesses in the surrounding areas of the festival grounds to bolster the local economy and provide opportunities for small businesses and organizations to increase their visibility.
On Wednesday (April 3), Doctur Dot of EarthGang will be featured in a stand-up comedy showcase. On Thursday (April 4), Omen will host an adult game night event, and on Friday (April 5), OLU of EarthGang will host a morning yoga session and later that day, Lute will host an afternoon block party and car show and Bas will also play host for a kickback. There will also be educational panels at CAM Raleigh.
Along with all of these exciting events, fans can get Dreamville Festival fresh with apparel from the label at a downtown pop-up shop offering exclusive merch and other fashion items. As we shared above, Dreamville Festival Week is a way to give back to Raleigh for being great partners with the Dreamville team.
“Raleigh has embraced Dreamville Festival from the start, which is why our team is so excited to continue expanding the festival’s local impact beyond just the weekend dates. Our team looks forward to building upon last year’s success as Dreamville offers even more free programming for the locals and fans who come to visit Raleigh from around the world this spring,” said Dreamville Cofounder and Festival President Adam Roy.
The full schedule for the events can be found below. Dreamville Festival runs from April 6 through April 7. Learn more here.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3
Dreamville Pop-Up Shop
207 S West Street, Raleigh, NC 27603
Noon to 7:00 p.m.
Free, No RSVP Required (all-ages)
Punchella Comedy Clash with Doctur Dot and Friends
Goodnights Comedy Club (401 Woodburn Rd, Raleigh, NC 27605)
7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Free, RSVP Link Coming Soon! (21+)
About: Hosted by Doctur Dot of EarthGang, Dreamville is bringing all the laughs this week. Featuring a mix of national touring and local comics at the top of their game, this event is sure to be one for the books.
THURSDAY, APRIL 4
Dreamville Pop-Up Shop
207 S West Street, Raleigh, NC 27603
Noon to 7:00 p.m.
Free, No RSVP Required (all-ages)
Omen’s Game Get Together
Kings and Neptunes (14 W Martin St, Raleigh, NC 27601)
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Free, RSVP Link Coming Soon! (21+)
About: Hosted by Dreamville’s Omen, the 21+ game night includes the games we know and love! From Connect 4, to Darts, Jenga, Uno, Monopoly, and more, this event is sure to bring back your inner child.
FRIDAY, APRIL 5
UP! with OLU (of EarthGang) x 4th QTR Performance Presented By COMPXSS
NC State Campus (location details coming soon!)
Free, RSVP Link Coming Soon! (all-ages)
Yoga begins at 10:00 a.m.
About: Return of the morning yoga session co-led by Dreamville’s very own OLU of EarthGang
Amazon Music Presents: Dreamville Public Access
CAM Raleigh (409 W Martin St, Raleigh, NC 27603)
11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Free, No RSVP Required (all-ages)
About: Curated by Dreamville, EngineEars, and Amazon Music, Public Access is a day-long program featuring panels and keynote discussions with creatives, music producers, and industry leaders. Informative and educational, the 2024 schedule is coming soon!
Dreamville Pop-Up Shop
207 S West Street, Raleigh, NC 27603
Noon to 7:00 p.m.
Free, No RSVP Required (all-ages)
Amazon Music Presents: Gold Mouf Garage with Lute
S Harrington Street (between W Martin Street & W Hargett Street, next to CAM Raleigh)
1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Free, No RSVP Required (all-ages)
About: Free block party featuring DJs, performances, food, low-riders, and other classic cars; hosted by NC native and Dreamville Records emcee Lute.
Everybody Fiends with Bas
3:00 to 8:00 p.m.
S Harrington Street (next to CAM Raleigh)
Free, No RSVP Required (all-ages)
About: Welcome to Everybody Fiends, hosted by Bas and The Fiends. Immerse yourself in our bespoke portrait studio and enjoy a creative gathering designed to inspire and connect like-minded individuals.
SATURDAY, APRIL 6
Dreamville Festival (Day 1)
Dorothea Dix Park (1030 Richardson Dr, Raleigh, NC 27603)
Gates open at Noon
SUNDAY, APRIL 7
Dreamville Festival (Day 2)
Dorothea Dix Park (1030 Richardson Dr, Raleigh, NC 27603)
Gates open at Noon
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Photo: Getty
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Donald Trump’s social media platform Truth Social took a huge dive on the stock market as more details on its earnings were revealed.
On Monday (April 1), investors got their first look at the financial data of the parent company behind Truth Social, the social media platform of former President Donald Trump. And what they saw led to the values of shares in the company plummeting sharply, leading to a billion dollars shaved off of the value of Trump’s personal stake in the Trump Media and Technology Group.
According to reports, the regulatory finding released by the company to go public on the NASDAQ stock market led to Trump Media stock sinking 25% in value to $46 a share as opposed to $79 a share the week before. The data also revealed that the company made $4.1 million last year in revenue, closing out with a fourth quarter earning of $750,000 but a net loss of $58 million overall. As for Trump’s stake in the company, which is estimated to be 78.5 million shares or 57% of all shares, the value of those shares dropped to $3.64 billion on Tuesday (April 2), from $6.25 billion previously. Trump Media went public after a reverse merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp.
A further report from Forbes states that Truth Social is being viewed as a “meme stock” similar to the rise seen with AMC and GameStop stock in 2021, which surged thanks to the rush of consumers buying up the stock when it was so low. Trump supporters swooped in to buy shares as Truth Social went public, but it couldn’t prevent the value drop. “Trump Media’s 1,470 price-to-sales ratio, which compares a company’s total valuation to its last 12-month sales, is exponentially higher than social media peers Reddit and Snap’s respective 9 and 4 price-to-sales ratios,” the publication wrote.
The news comes as Trump managed to successfully post a $175 million bond late Monday evening in his appeal of a massive civil fraud judgment against him in New York to prevent the seizure of his assets. The bond, lowered from $464 million after Trump’s attorneys stated that bond companies refused to back him for the amount, was secured through the Knight Specialty Insurance Company, a company owned by the Hankey Group, whose owner is an avowed Trump supporter. As for Trump’s potential to sell his shares in Truth Social, he is barred from doing so for six months.
Billboard’s Latin Music Week, the most prestigious and longest-running week dedicated to the celebration of Latin music, will return to Miami this October.
Set for Monday, Oct. 14 to Friday, Oct. 18, Latin Music Week 2024 brings together top and emerging Latin music artists and executives from around the world for a week of showcases, networking, exclusive conversations, panels, workshops, activations and concerts.
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The event, which last year featured superstar Q&As with the likes of Shakira and Fonseca and in-depth panels anchored by Peso Pluma, Wisin, Fuerza Regida, Young Miko, Nicky Jam, Arcangel, Ivy Queen and Myke Towers, among others, is known as the top gathering place for the most influential and impactful artists today, both established and emerging, as well as the ultimate meeting ground for top music executives.
“We’ve created the single most important event in Latin music and the only gathering place for top artists to come together in art, conversation, and creativity,” says Leila Cobo, chief content officer of Billboard Latin/Español. “We’re thrilled to be returning to Miami to celebrate this over three-decade-long legacy, and we look forward to announcing this year’s roster of superstars, executives, and rising talent.”
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Over 5,000 registrants attended last year’s event, which featured over 50 artists, 40 artist and executive conversations, panels and workshops and more than 50 executives in an unprecedented five days of activities.
Marquee panels included Latin Music Week’s now-iconic Women’s Panel and “Making the Hit Live,” which last year featured Pedro Capó and Carin León, who wrote a song live that was released on Sony Music.
To see an overview of last year’s events, look here.
Programming will be expanded in this 2024 edition to accommodate audience demand.
Registration and additional details will be released in the coming weeks, with official registration opening soon and special rates available for returning attendees and students. Latin Music Week is expected to sell out, as it has for the past 10 years. For real time updates please visit BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.
From Lady Gaga to Rick Springfield, here are the artists who have had roles on the creepy drama.