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Pres. Joe Biden gets it. The commander-in-chief stopped by Late Night With Seth Meyers on Monday night (Feb. 26) to help the show’s host celebrate his show’s 10th anniversary, and to keep stoking the fires of right-wingnut conspiracy theories about his alleged devious plot to secure the most important endorsement in this year’s presidential campaign.
“Can you confirm or deny that there is an active conspiracy between you and Miss Swift?,” Meyers asked Biden about the allegations from conservatives that the President is working behind the scenes with Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce to boost his campaign against expected challenger Donald Trump by locking in the power couple’s endorsement.
“Where are you getting this information? It’s classified. That’s classified information,” Biden said with a smile in a rare late night appearance. “But I will tell you, she did endorse me in 2020.”
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Meyers was as relentless as a White House pool reporter in his questioning, wondering if the Swift thumbs up might “come around again.” Biden still wouldn’t bite, joking, “I told you it’s classified.”
Before this month’s Super Bowl, conservatives got spun up about a made-up theory that Swift and Kelce had cooked up a plot with the White House to have the pair officially endorse Biden after Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII. The visit by Biden — his first as a sitting president — marked the 10th anniversary of the launch of Late Night. Biden, then Vice President, and the night’s other guest, Amy Poehler, were the inaugural guests on Meyers’ first broadcast on Feb. 24, 2014.
Biden, 81, also had jokes, noting that Trump, 77, is “about as old as I am but he can’t even remember his wife’s name,” in response to a question about concerns related to his age; Biden is the oldest sitting president and would be the oldest president to ever serve if he wins a second term. “It’s about how old your ideas are,” he added about Trump, the twice-indicted, one-term president who is facing 91 felony counts in four different cases as he mounts his third run for the White House. “This about a guy who wants to take us back, he wants to take us back on Roe V. Wade, he wants to take us back on a whole range of issues that for 50-60 years they have been solid American positions.”
The president — who was sporting a flag pin on his lapel featuring the American and Ukrainian flags in the midst of a fight in Congress over further funding for the war in Ukraine — also sat on the couch with Poehler to reminisce about his guest spot on Parks and Recreation. Meyers asked Biden about his seemingly playful adoption of the “Dark Brandon” right-wing meme, to which Biden responded, “no, I resent the hell out of it,” as he slipped on DB’s signature dark aviator shades to wild applause from the studio audience.
Check out Biden on Late Night below.
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One Direction is gone, split up into five healthy parts. But certainly not forgotten.
The Garcia twins played their part in keeping the flame burning for 1D with a performance Monday night (Feb. 26) as The Voice returned to our screens.
For their blind audition, the teenage lads performed “Story of My Life,” lifted from 1D’s 2013 album Midnight Memories, one of their four No. 1s on the Billboard 200 chart.
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There were wet eyes in the room as the 17-year-old brothers sprung the nostalgic number, on pitch, and with a solid hug at the end.
Hailing from Millbrae, CA, the bros, Justin and Jeremy, managed a three-chair turn. Only John Legend kept his back to the boys.
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“You’ve got the duo thing down,” remarked coach Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay, stating the obvious. “Man, that was a fantastic performance. From the first time I heard you harmonizing and I found out it was two people, I was like, we’ve got to turn around. That sounds amazing.”
That was the cue for a sales pitch. Brothers, come team up with the “brothers”.
There’s still room for improvement. “When you guys first started, it was super, super tight,” Chance the Rapper noted. “There were some parts where one of you guys got pitchy. And you guys gained control by the end.” He added, “as long as you guys are focused on how you interact with each other, you guys will have great performances and keep having success like this.”
The harmonies “could have been a little tighter,” remarked Legend, explaining his reasons for not turning. But hey, what an experience.
Reba McEntire felt a connection. The country star recounted her youth growing up in a “singing family.” Hearing the twins belt it out, “it takes me back to my childhood. I absolutely love your enthusiasm.” And, as she started her own sales pitch, confessed she was “really moved by it.”
In the end, it boiled down to a decision. The Garcias chose coaches Dan + Shay, who served as mentors in season 20 and made their coaching debut tonight, becoming the first artists to join the country duo’s team.
For the record, 1D was created through the vehicle of another reality TV format, the 2010 season of The X Factor, setting charts and hearts ablaze until 2016, when the group went on indefinite hiatus.
NBC’s The Voice is now in its 25th season.
Watch the audition 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. Wearing comfortable clothing doesn’t have to mean sacrificing style — and with athleisure continuing to dominate the trends, you can have […]
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.
These boots were made for walking through the storm. If you’re looking for footwear to help you face the wet weather, Hunter rain boots are on sale for up to 44% off.
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The waterproof rain boots with more than 4.2 million views on TikTok usually cost under $200, but for shoppers on a tighter budget, we spied a price cut on the Women’s Original Short Rain Boot at Amazon and Hunter.com.
The women’s rain boot is currently on sale for $90 at Amazon and $99 at Hunter.
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Hunter Women’s Original Short Gloss Rain Boots, Military Red, 5 B(M) US
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Regularly $170, the limited deal saves shoppers up to 44% off select colors, including military red and olive green. The Women’s Short Rain Boot also comes in hunter green, purring pink, navy, black, white, and yellow.
The waterproof boot is made from natural rubber and features recycled polyester lining, with a buckle design on the side and the Hunter logo on the front.
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The popular boot, which is a shortened version of the Hunter Original Tall Boot, earned 4.8 stars out of 5 stars on the Hunter website and 4.6 stars at Amazon from over 2,500 customer ratings.
Hunter rain boots are available major retailers such as Amazon, Nordstrom, Free People and Zappos.
Kacey Musgraves, Hillary Duff, and Meghan Markle are a few of the celebrities that have worn Hunter boots, which music lovers have been known to wear at festivals such as Glastonburry and Coachella.
For more footwear recommendations, see our selections of the best platform boots, Ugg boots to shop for winter and best over-the-knee boots.
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. Lainey Wilson wants to get you wardrobe-ready, cowgirl-style. The country star teamed with Wrangler to curate her latest collection of favorite […]
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. Cloud slippers (also known as pillow slippers or cloud slides) are just one of the many popular social media trends that […]
“All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words” by Peter Brown & Steven Gaines
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Within the pages of the new Beatles book you can expect to learn more previously unknown details about The Beatles’ history as well as why they broke up. Fans can expect to hear from each band member’s point of view as well as from their closest confidants such as Yoko Ono, their families, friends and business associates. As publisher St. Martin’s Press notes, “In addition to interviews with Paul, Yoko, Ringo and George, Brown and Gaines also include interviews from ex-wives Cynthia Lennon, Pattie Harrison Clapton, and Maureen Starkey, as well as the major social and business figures of the Beatles’ inner circle.” The press release adds that “Only a small portion of the contents of these transcribed interviews have ever been revealed.”
Zendaya had to unexpectedly press pause on her global Dune: Part Two promotional tour on Monday (Feb. 26). The actress posted a video in which she was clearly suffering from vocal issues while explaining why she could not appear on Good Morning America as scheduled. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest […]
Having a platinum pedigree is one thing. But showing that you can use it is a whole different ballgame. Emmy Russell, 24 proved more than up to the task on Sunday night (Feb. 25) when the shy Nashville native, and granddaughter of country icon Loretta Lynn, stepped up to her mark on American Idol to perform an original piano ballad called “Skinny.”
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Smiling from ear-to-ear, Russell told the judge’s panel it was a “dream” to be on the reality singing competition as Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan struggled to hear the singer’s quiet speaking voice. “Tell us about yourself, other than being quiet,” Bryan said. “Growing up, I sang music my entire life,” she said modestly.
“I just love writing. I’m 24 years old. Songwriter. I love music,” Russell added. “I don’t really sing out as much anymore, but growing up I sang on the road with — my grandma’s a country singer so I grew up singing.” Which, of course, elicited the obvious question from Bryan, leading to the revelation that Russell’s grandma was the Grammy-winning country “Coal Miner’s Daughter” superstar, who died in Oct. 2022 at age 90. “Your grandma is… what?!” Richie said in disbelief.
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The show then unspooled a montage of Russell taking viewers on a tour of her “meemaw” Lynn’s historic Hurricane Mills, TN ranch and home, where the singer’s mom, singer Patsy Lynn, grew up. “She’s one of the biggest country music singers of all time, but to me she’s just my grandma, and growing up on the bus and all that was very normal to me,” Russell said.
Embracing her timidity, Russell explained that one of the reasons she is kind of shy is because she wants to be her own person and “own my own voice.” Counseled by Perry that, like her gran, Russell needs to find her own unique path, the singer then went to the piano to perform a moving original she wrote about eating disorders called “Skinny.”
“Haven’t eaten in days/ God I hate how you made me/ So scared to confess, been so hard to undress lately/ These oversized T-shirts don’t work like they used to/ Sleeping on scales is just what I’m used to,” Russell sang urgently on the ballad that had a touch of Olivia Rodrigo’s keyboard-driven confessional songwriting.
Perry was super impressed with the audition, calling Russell an “A+ songwriter… so was your grandma, you’ve got the gift. I don’t think you need to compare yourself to what grandma was… you’re totally different, you shouldn’t give yourself all that pressure. I think you came in like a mouse.”
“A baby mouse,” Bryan added, as Perry asked Russell to say her name again, but louder this time.
Richie agreed, saying, “My dear, you have promise. And I like your promise. Each one of us is trying to battle something that we’re trying to overcome. In your case you have big shoes. Now if I can just get you to put those shoes back in the closet, that’s not your size.” Bryan said the task will be to boost Russell’s confidence and help her “own it.”
It was a tearful yes for Russell, who will advance to the Hollywood round on the current 22nd season of the long-running series, which Perry recently announced will be her final one with the show.
See Russell’s audition below.
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Bob Marley: One Love continues to dominate the box office. The Paramount biopic will remain No. 1 on this week’s domestic box office chart. The film, starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the late reggae icon, will earn an estimated $13.4 million to $14 million from 3,597 locations, according to early weekend estimates provided to The Hollywood […]