Culture
Page: 254
Taylor Swift‘s fingerprints were all over Matthew Vaughn’s February film Argylle — and her three cats‘ paw prints are definitely in the mix, too.
In a new Hollywood Reporter story examining Hollywood’s recent surge in cat content, the director revealed that one of the highlights of his 2024 mystery thriller — the inclusion of a kitty sidekick named Alfie, whom Bryce Dallas Howard’s character carries around in a pet backpack — was directly inspired by the pop star’s affinity for felines. Specifically, it borrows from a scene in Swift’s Netflix documentary Miss Americana, which shows the singer wearing a similar backpack containing her Scottish Fold, Olivia.
“I saw a Taylor Swift documentary where she has her cat in a cat-pack and I remember thinking it was a crazy image,” Vaughn told THR, which is a sister publication to Billboard.
According to the filmmaker, an earlier version of Argylle‘s script had Howard’s Elly Conway leave Alfie behind, as a spy played by Sam Rockwell whisks her away into a world of violence and espionage. But Vaughn changed his mind, and the little cat ended up being one of the movie’s big selling points.
Trending on Billboard
“I thought having the three of them going on an adventure together would be fantastic,” he added. “I was nervous about it being a cat, because cats aren’t exactly the most trainable animal.”
The article — aptly titled “Cats Are Finally Having a Big Hollywood Meow-Ment” — also credits Swift as giving the creatures a popularity boost with her own love of cats. The 14-time Grammy winner is also cat mom to kitties Meredith and Benjamin, posing with the latter on the cover of Time for her December Person of the Year interview.
It’s only fitting that Swift played a small part in influencing Argylle, considering how many people suspected she secretly authored the real life Elly Conway’s book of the same name, which the film was based off of. Shortly before the flick hit theaters, though, Vaughn confirmed that it wasn’t the case.
Howard, however, revealed around the same time that she definitely had Swift in mind as she was shaping her performance. “She is a cat lady,” the actress said on The Graham Norton Show in January. “She’s got this awesome backpack with a cat in [it] that she walks around with. She loves a good argyle sweater, and there is a sort of unapologetic dorkiness about her. That’s a little bit like what my character is like.”
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have been making beautifully morose music together for more than three decades. In addition to their longtime collaboration in Cave’s Bad Seeds band, the pair have also teamed up for a more than a dozen soundtrack score albums, including their new score for the Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black.
In keeping with their eternally bleak, theatrical vibe, the pair released their homage to late British R&B singer Winehouse on Thursday (April 11), “Song for Amy.” Like much of the score they wrote for the film — which opened in the U.K. on Friday (April 12) — the tribute track leans into a dramatic, emotional vibe, accented by a haunting flute and piano riff and Cave’s signature pleading vocals.
“You say it’s time/ For us to call it a day/ I will love you anyway/ You know that I don’t even care what they say/ I’ll still love you anyway, baby,” Cave sings emotionally as strings swell up and he adds the gut-punch lines, “Love gives everything/ Just to take it away/ And I’d give you anything for you to stay.” The somber 12-track score features 10 instrumental cues (with titles such as “Tattoo Parlour,” “At the Taxi,” “Snooker Hall” and “Soho To Glastonbury”) as well as the 3:19 “Song for Amy” and a 2:12 instrumental reprise of that track.
Trending on Billboard
“Nick and Warren were the only musicians in my mind to score Back to Black,” director said Sam Taylor-Johnson said in an earlier statement. “Over the years I’ve listened to everything they’ve composed and longed to realize the dream of working together. Their sensibility as well as understanding of this story has led to a profoundly deep and moving film score.”
Back to Black: Songs From the Original Motion Picture is due out on May 17 on UMR/Island Records, the same day the film opens in the U.S. The collection features classics from Thelonious Monk, The Specials, Little Anthony & the Imperials, The Shangri-Las, Billie Holiday, Donny Hathaway, Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson, Minnie Ripperton and others, as well as a handful of Winehouse’s most beloved songs, including “Rehab,” “Tears Dry on Their Own,” “Me & Mr. Jones,” “Back to Black,” “Fuck Me Pumps” and “Song For Amy.”
The movie‘s cast includes star Marisa Abela (Industry), as well as Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan) as father Mitch Winehouse and Jack O’Connell (Godless) as troubled husband Blake Fielder-Civil. Winehouse died in 2011 at 27 of an accidental alcohol overdose after years of substance use struggles.
Listen to “Song For Amy” below.
[embedded content]
Ryan Gosling missed a big opportunity to recreate his glamorous cowboy look from Barbie ahead of his upcoming Saturday Night Live stint. In a hilarious new promo video posted Thursday (April 11), Sarah Sherman showed up in full Wild West gear to match this weekend’s musical guest, Chris Stapleton — leaving the La La Land actor feeling a little left out.
The clip starts with Gosling introducing himself as the show’s Saturday (April 13) host, standing next to the 10-time Grammy winner, who wears his signature cowboy hat. When Sherman slides into view in a similar hat as well as a bolo tie and tassled shirt, the “I’m Just Ken” singer looks at her disapprovingly.
Trending on Billboard
“Sarah, you said it would be weird if we dressed up for Chris,” he says.
“I dressed up for me,” she replies, tipping her hat in Stapleton’s direction. “Lil lady.”
When Stapleton tells her, “I love your hat,” Gosling begrudgingly admits, “You look so cool.”
At that, the “White Horse” singer tells him, “You look good too, Ryan,” making the Fall Guy star smirk.
In another take from the new video, Gosling and Stapleton can’t help but break character when Sherman enters the frame and faces anywhere but the front. “Sorry, I looked in the eclipse so I can’t tell where the camera is now,” she says.
The two men remain stoic for a few moments, but when the comedian starts making kissy faces at the country star, Gosling bursts out laughing, causing Stapleton to chuckle as well.
The clip comes after another SNL promo video that finds the Canada native nervously practicing for his first meeting with Stapleton. “Mr. Stapleton, big fan, love your music,” he says as he grips a headshot of the musician and a black marker, clearly hoping to get the “Tennessee Whiskey” crooner’s autograph. “Nah, it’s stupid.”
Watch Gosling, Stapleton and Sherman’s hilarious video for SNL 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. Mariah Carey’s Las Vegas residency kicked off on April 12 and whether or not you still need to get tickets to […]
Ryan Gosling absolutely crushed it as this year’s Academy Awards. The triple-threat superstar’s “I’m Just Ken” performance was a song-and-dance tour de force… which almost didn’t happen. On Thursday night (April 11) Gosling revealed to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that if he’d had his way the Barbie showstopper would have died in the pitch phase.
“The level of pressure on there… when the Oscars asked you to perform, they call you and they go, ‘Would you want to do ‘I’m Just Ken?” Do you immediately go, ‘Yeah, I have to do this!’ Or no?”
“100% no,” Gosling fired back. “There’s a lot of ways that can go wrong.” The always enthusiastic Fallon then proceeded to gush about how amazing the performance was, rattling off the guests — Slash, Mark Ronson — and then reading some of the glowing reviews calling it one of the best Oscar’s spots in years.
Trending on Billboard
Gosling told Fallon that his two daughters, 7 and 9, with partner Eva Mendes came to the rehearsals for the Oscars and their non-plussed take was: “Dad’s Kenning again.” In fact, he said, it was his kids’ interest in Barbie and complete disinterest in Ken that convinced him to do the movie. “It’s really been a team effort and they were on the film and they came to set when I filmed the number,” Gosling said. “But it’s also been like a lot of this has no context for them. It’s just like a lot of fake tan stains around the house.”
So, he invited them to the Oscars dress rehearsal to give them some context for what had been going on with the movie, since they’d never been to a big concert or one of his events before. “But they know all the choreography better than I do and the songs,” he said, demonstrating how his girls would show him the proper moves backstage between shots.
Gosling, who is hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend for the third time — with musical guest Chris Stapleton — also revealed that Barbie director Greta Gerwig realized he was her Ken thanks to one of his most absurd previous SNL bits on “Weekend Update.”
The 2017 sketch was called “Guy Who Just Joined Soho House,” and the line that proved he had the right Kenergy for the job was “Aye, aye, Capt. Blackout reporting for booty!” “Who would have thought that Greta Gerwig was watching that going like, ‘That’s my Ken,’” Gosling laughed.
Gosling stars in the big screen reboot of 1980s stunt man TV series The Fall Guy, due in theaters on May 3.
Watch Gosling on The Tonight Show below.
[embedded content]
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.
Dua Lipa has been growing her filmography beyond the Barbie movie with her most recent appearance being in the action-comedy Argylle. The movie is based on the novel of the same name and premiered in cinemas on Feb. 2, but starting Friday (April 12) you can stream Argylle online at home on Apple TV+.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Argylle was trending when it opened in theaters thanks to its star-studded cast (and cat). But even before the film hit theaters, Swifties were speculating that Taylor Swift secretly wrote the novel under a pseudonym (though director Matthew Vaughn quickly shut down the rumors).
Trending on Billboard
Viewers will follow Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), a bestselling author of espionage novels about the irresistible secret agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) — and a proud cat-lover. When she discovers her novels are mirroring the exact actions of a real-life spy organization, she goes on her own adventure with the help of a feline-hating spy Aidan. The two must try to stay one-step ahead of the syndicate’s assassins while also working together to prevent a global crisis from occurring.
Howard said she used Swift as her inspiration for her character Elly as she tried to channel her “unapologetic dorkiness,” the actress described in an interview with People.
Lipa, meantime, stars as the hypnotic LaGrange, who can be seen within the trailer dancing with agent Argylle. Other cast members also include Catherine O’Hara, Sam Rockwell, John Cena, Ariana DeBose, Samuel L. Jackson, Sofia Boutella, Bryan Cranston and Jing Lusi.
Keep reading to learn the streaming options available to watch Argylle at home.
How to Watch Argylle Online Free
You can stream Argylle online exclusively through Apple TV+. If you have an Apple TV+ subscription, you can watch Argylle for free when you log into your account.
Don’t have an Apple TV+ subscription? New users who sign up can get a seven-day free trial that’ll let you watch Argylle online for free and more from the platform’s content library. Once the free trial is over, you’ll be charged the regular subscription fee of $9.99/month. Click here or the button below to start your free trial.
Besides Argylle, an Apple TV+ subscription will give you instant access to Apple TV originals and sports including MLS coverage and TV shows and movies like Ted Lasso, Silo, Palm Royale, Loot, Sugar, Manhunt, Napoleon, Killers of the Flower Moon, The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy, Shrinking and Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin.
The streaming platform is available to watch on the Apple TV app, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac and smart TVs like Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and Toshiba. Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV are also compatible with the platform as well as PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles.
If you want to save more money, you can get three months free with the purchase of an eligible Apple device or a free month trial when you sign up for Apple One, which bundles Apple TV+ with up to five other services.
How to Watch Argylle Online At Home
Don’t want to sign up for Apple TV+? You can rent the movie for $20 on Amazon or buy Argylle digitally for $25 through Prime Video. You don’t need a Prime membership to watch Argylle VOD; once you purchase the movie it’ll automatically download to your digital library to watch as you please. Rentals will be available for 30 days after purchase and can be streamed for 48 hours after you start watching the film.
If you want to learn about the story that inspired the Argylle movie, you can also pick up a copy of the book from Amazon for 29% off.
“Argylle: A Novel” by Elly Conway
$20.62
$28.99
29% off
$20.62
$26.09
$28.99
10% off
Delve into the book that inspired Argylle the movie as you follow the CIA’s legendary spymaster Frances Coffey who is tasked with saving the world from catastrophe. In order to be successful though, she’ll need the help of secret agent Argylle who must face his troubled past or risk it getting in the way of completing their mission.
Check below to watch the trailer for Argylle.
[embedded content]
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.
Peso Pluma is teaming with Sony to introduce music fans to the ULT Power Sound Series, a new collection of Bluetooth headphones and speakers released on Thursday (April 11).
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“The powerful sound and massive bass of the ULT Power Sound series excites me,” Pluma said in a statement to Billboard. “As a musician who relies heavily on bass when creating my music, I feel that these products provide the best listening experience for my fans and there is nothing else like it.”
The collection consists of the ULT Tower 10, ULT Field 7, ULT Field 1 speakers and ULT Wear wireless headphones ($199). Sony designed the collection for music lovers “who enjoy powerful deep sound designed to make the heart tremble.”
Trending on Billboard
[embedded content]
Each speaker from the new series is equipped with an “ULT” button that features two, custom-engineered sound modes to enhance the sound quality.
Pluma is featured as part of Sony’s “For the Music” audio campaign. The “Ex-Special” singer will be taking the stage at Coachella on Friday (April 12). Pluma’s set is scheduled for 9:05 p.m. See a full list of Coachella set times here.
The ULT Power Sound collection is available at Sony.com and retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy.
Shop the collection below.
Sony ULT Power Sound Series
Courtesy of Sony Electronics
Sony ULT Field 1 Wireless Ultra Portable Bluetooth Compact Speaker
The ULT Field 1 is a portable speaker with up to 12 hours of battery life and a sound button that turns up the bass. The IP67 water-resistant, dustproof and shockproof portable speaker is available in black, off-white, forest gray and orange.
Sony ULT Power Sound Series
Courtesy of Sony Electronics
Sony ULT Field 7 Wireless Portable Bluetooth Karaoke Party Speaker
When it comes to thumping bass, the ULT Field 7 packs a powerful punch in a small package, according to Sony. The 8.9 inch-speaker features dual, 4.4-inch woofers and 1.8-inch tweeters, plus dynamic party lighting and a built-in handle.
The speaker is also IP67 water resistant, rustprood and dust proof; it features up to 30 hours of battery with quick charging capabilities and weighs 13 pounds. There’s also a mic/guitar input SB Port.
Sony ULT Power Sound Series
Courtesy of Sony Electronics
ULT TOWER 10 Party Speaker
The ULT Tower 10 can connect to 100 compatible speakers. The Bluetooth speaker stands 43.6 inches tall and weighs 63 pounds. Features include Sony’s 360-degree party sound and party light technology and a karaoke mic. Users can hit the ULT1 button for a deeper, lower frequency bass and ULT2 for a more powerful bass.
Ariana Grande is dancing through life as she begins the promotional cycle for Wicked.
Two months after the project’s first trailer premiered during the 2024 Super Bowl in February, the pop star and her castmates debuted an exclusive first look at the live-action duology at this year’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Wednesday — after which she shared a handful of sweet photos with Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and more on Instagram.
Kicking off her post with a pair of glamour shots, Grande elegantly models her Glinda-esque Oscar De La Renta dress — layered with pieces of pink fabric made to look like flower petals — in two photos from the event. The following snaps find the “Yes, And?” singer making kissy faces with Erivo, Bailey and Yeoh, as well as boyfriend Ethan Slater (who also co-stars in Wicked) and Jeff Goldblum. In one group shot, the whole Ozian gang poses for a mirror selfie at a makeup station backstage.
Grande also shared a video of her and Erivo introducing footage from Wicked onstage at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace during Universal Pictures’ Focus Features Presentation, speaking in front of a large crowd of fans armed with light-up wands. “When I was 10 years old, I saw Wicked on Broadway for the first time,” she says in the clip, earning laughs after following up with a joke: “It was only five years ago.”
Trending on Billboard
She and Erivo then joined hands and walked offstage, a photo of which the R.E.M. Beauty founder included in her post. “i am so incredibly giddy and lucky to be your sister,” Grande wrote of Erivo, also sharing the picture on her Story. “i cannot wait for every step of the way with you.”
Resharing another picture of her and Erivo with Bailey, Grande wrote, “my loves.”
The Grammy winner’s post follows a similar one from Goldblum, who posted a different angle of the group’s makeup mirror selfie and wrote, “Over the rainbow to be reunited with this magical family!”
Grande commented, “my heart !!!!!!!!!”
A separate fan video from the convention showed the singer and Slater holding hands as they walked through the venue, the SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical actor matching Grande in a pink shirt. The pair started dating while shooting Wicked in the U.K. last year, with Slater playing Boq, a munchkin boy who, ironically, has a crush on Grande’s Glinda.
The first of Jon M. Chu’s two-part film adaptations of the famed Stephen Schwartz musical — which itself was based on Gregory Maguire’s bestselling novel Wicked — arrives this Thanksgiving, with the second installment set to arrive a year later. In the meantime, Grande has been promoting her latest album Eternal Sunshine, which dropped March 8 and spent an immediate two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
And while Grande has seemingly shifted gears back to Wicked, the vocalist recently assured fans that the Eternal Sunshine era is far from over. “i cannot wait for everything that has yet to come within this eternal sunshine cycle (that has only just begun & may it never end),” she captioned a TikTok video of her recording vocals in the studio earlier this week. “thank you for your love.”
Watch Grande and Erivo introduce the Wicked first look at CinemaCon below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Micaiah Carter For Hennessy / Micaiah Carter For Hennessy
The culture’s most beloved cognac is looking to shake up its public perception. Hennessy has teamed up with Teyana Taylor and Damson Idris for a new campaign.
Source: Micaiah Carter For Hennessy / Micaiah Carter For Hennessy
As spotted on Hype Beast the spirits brand aims to build on its legacy. Earlier this week they announced a new campaigned titled “Made For More” which is a lighter and brighter reintroduction to the Madison. To bring the narrative to life they tapped into model and musician Teyana Taylor and British Nigerian actor Damson Idris. The project features five off-beat mixing films which are accompanied by five signature cocktail recipes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5oBx1Js47j/
Teyana Taylor expressed her enthusiasm about the campaign saying “One time, for the love of all things anew, and we all love new things. With that being said, I’m super excited to embark upon this journey with my favorite Cognac, Hennessy. Destination: fresh, bright, and invigorating, like any good cocktail should be.” For Damson the partnership means more than just cocktails. “When I think of Hennessy I think of my three older brothers, I think of amazing memories. The visuals are stylish, the films are fun, it’s magic. It’s cinema” he said.
The Hennessy campaign will be brought to life via dedicated spaces at music festivals throughout the season. You can read more about “Made For More” and the cocktails here.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Jason Armond / Getty
Dr. Cornel West named Black Lives Matter Grassroots founder Dr. Melina Abdullah as his running mate for his 2024 presidential campaign in a historical moment.
On Wednesday (April 10), independent presidential candidate Cornel West chose fellow academic, activist, and Black Lives Matter organizer Dr. Melina Abdullah as his vice president nominee. He announced the nomination during a virtual press conference which media personality and friend, Tavis Smiley moderated.
“She has a record of deep commitment and investment in ensuring that poor and working people are at the center of her vision,” West said of Abdullah, also calling her a “freedom fighter” in his introduction. “I wanted to to run with someone who would put a smile on the face of Fannie Lou Hamer and Martin Luther King Jr. from the grave.” The selection makes their campaign the first to have two Black candidates on the ticket in history. Abdullah is a Pan-African Studies professor at California State University, who
“I am deeply honored and humbled to join Dr. Cornel West as his Vice Presidential candidate at this critical moment as we work together for transformative change. This campaign offers a real vision for the world that stands in opposition to oppressive forces and holds fast to the universal principles of truth, justice, and love,” Abdullah said of her nomination. She also noted the other historical factors in her selection as “divine timing”, being that she is the first Muslim to be included on a presidential ticket with the announcement coming on Eid-al-Fitr, “the holiest day for Muslims.” West is a Christian who is on the faculty at the Union Theological Seminary.
Abdullah brings a distinctive presence to the race, as her teaming up with West presents an alternative to Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican Party nominee Donald Trump in the election this November, particularly as Biden has come under fire for supporting Israel during its conflict with Hamas. She was also named to the board of Black Lives Matter after co-founder Patrisse Cullors stepped down in 2021 after increased scrutiny of the social justice group’s finances were exposed in a New York Magazine article. West formerly was a People’s Party presidential candidate before switching to the Green Party weeks later.