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Culture

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In tandem with the approaching celebration of Black History Month, comes word about the premiere of A&E’s latest documentary: James Brown: Say It Loud. Described by A&E as a “definitive look at a complicated life and a reflection on the immense impact Brown continues to have on music and culture today,” the four-part documentary series will […]

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.
Sister duo Chloe X Halle are joining forces with Pandora as ambassadors for the brand’s new Be Love campaign, which encourages you to “move throughout the world with love” beyond just giving Valentine’s Day gifts.

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Both sisters are shimmering in pieces of jewelry from the brand, which are perfect for pairing with your toe rings or surprising your partner, family member and even bestie no matter the day or occasion. Flower deliveries are usually the go-to, but eventually end up wilted and thrown in the trash. Pandora’s Be Love collection intends to be an everlasting representation of your love, and includes bestselling earrings, necklaces, rings and more that can be seen modeled by the “Do It” singers.

The campaign also tapped actress Selma Blair as a brand ambassador, and doesn’t just focus on the physical things you can do to show your love. It’s also about the actions and little things you can do to show your loved ones you care.

Both Chloe and Halle Bailey opened up about what love looks like for them.

“Something that is never ending, that you know is always there,” said Chloe in a press statement. “Never questioned — no matter if you fall off a cliff, she’s there to catch you.”

For Halle, love is all about being true to yourself: “Being your complete, whole self and loving that.”

Whether you’re looking to show some love for yourself or want to give something extra special as a gift, you can shop some of the styles from the campaign below, or view the entire collection here.

Pandora

Princess Wishbone Ring

Pandora’s Princess Wishbone ring is a must for any ring collection, as it’s versatile enough to be stacked with other rings or worn alone. It comes with a mix of small and larger stones that’ll glimmer and shine, whether you’re grabbing coffee or headed out for a dinner date.

Pandora

Pandora ME Styling Pavé Double Link

Add some shimmer to your Pandora bracelet with this Pavé Double Link. You can choose between three shades, and attach it to either your bracelets or necklaces for some added shine.

Pandora

Square Sparkle Halo Ring

Not only is this Halo Ring a Pandora bestseller, but the square diamond center will have people wanting to try it on for size. It’s perfect for gifting as a promise ring or stacking among your other rings.

Pandora

Pandora ME Zodiac Wheel Medallion Charm

If there’s one thing the stars got right, it’s this zodiac charm. You can attach it to your necklaces or bracelets. And for the zodiac-lover in your life, you’ll definitely want to add this to your list of must-have astrology gifts.

Pandora

Sparkling Drop Collier Necklace

This Drop Collier necklace boasts a tennis necklace style with dainty little diamond charms dangling underneath. You can use this to help instantly dress up your office looks or wear it to complete your party-going outfits.

As part of the campaign, the sisters can be also heard singing a rerecording of the 1967 Bee Gees track “To Love Somebody” while showing off their favorite pieces of jewels.

Watch the official campaign trailer below:

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For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best gifts for music lovers, gender-neutral gifts and gifts for everyone on your list.

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.
After the success of big-box concert films such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé, Lil Nas X is taking us down the old town road in his own in-depth documentary from HBO. Titled Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero, the documentary will premiere on Max on Saturday (Jan. 27), and coincides with his latest new single, giving fans the opportunity to explore the “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” singer’s rise to fame and debut tour.

Divided into three acts — Rebirth, Transformation and Becoming — the movie chronicles the “Industry Baby” singer’s life growing up in Atlanta, his rebirth as a musician and his place within the community of Black queer icons. Fans will also get behind-the-scenes footage of Lil Nas X throughout his debut tour, which spanned 60 days across North America and Europe.

Keep reading to learn the streaming options available.

How to Watch Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero

Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero was produced by HBO and can be streamed through the company’s official streaming platform, Max. If you already have Max, you can watch the documentary for free when you log into your account.

Don’t have a Max subscription? The streaming platform doesn’t offer a free trial, but it does provide a mix of affordable plans starting at $9.99/month that you can personalize to your budget and needs. Click here or the button below to start your subscription. You can also take advantage of promos and offers that’ll earn you a free Max membership (learn more here).

Max comes with three memberships to choose from: With Ads, Ad-Free and Ultimate Ad-Free. The With Ads plan is the ad-supported membership and cheapest option at $9.99/month, or you can save 20% with a yearly plan for $99.99/year. With it, you’ll have access to the entire Max library including original movies, TV series, content and more. You’ll also be able to stream on up to two devices at once in HD.

The Ad-Free plan includes everything in the With Ads plan minus commercials and up to 30 downloads to watch content on the go for only $15.99/month or $149.99/year. Or, you can take advantage of the Ultimate Ad-Free option that includes 4K Ultra HD quality, 100 downloads to watch on the go and the ability to stream on up to four devices at once.

Other content you can look forward to watching include Barbie, Succession, South Park, The Last of Us, Love & Death, Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon, Euphoria, True Detective, The White Lotus, Gossip Girl, Parasite, The Menu, The Gilded Age and more.

Prime members and Hulu subscribers can also add Max to their subscription through the premium channel options, which will keep all your content viewing in one place.

Watch the trailer for Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero below.

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Taylor Swift may not have secretly authored Argylle, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t at least a little bit present in the making of the book’s film adaptation.  
On the latest episode of The Graham Norton Show, leading lady Bryce Dallas Howard confirmed that, contrary to many a conspiracy theory, the 34-year-old pop star did not write Elly Conway’s debut novel Argylle under a pseudonym, nor did Swift officially have anything to do with the upcoming film inspired by the spy book. “We can’t pretend she was involved,” the actress said during the Friday (Jan. 26) episode, per People. 

However, Howard went on to say, “The reality is [Swift] was in many ways a great inspiration.” “She is a cat lady,” continued the Jurassic World star. “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.” 

Hitting theaters Feb. 2, Argylle follows Howard’s character, Elly — a novelist and doting cat mother — as she accidentally becomes involved in the dangerous world of secret agents after discovering that her fictional spy books mysteriously foreshadowed real events. The flick also stars Henry Cavill in the titular role, as well as Dua Lipa, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Ariana DeBose, John Cena and Samuel L. Jackson. 

And because very little is known about the real Elly Conway, who has zero known social media presence, questions about the author’s identity started to arise last year. That’s when some Swifties began noticing certain connections between Argylle and Swift, namely the inclusion of a Scottish Fold cat — the breed of the “Anti-Hero” singer’s first two cats, Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson. 

Director Matthew Vaughn, however, has been quick to shut their suspicions down. “It is not true,” he told Entertainment Tonight earlier this week, conceding that there is indeed a strange “amount of odd connections” between film’s reference material and the 12-time Grammy winner. 

“It’s not Taylor Swift,” he also said in a Rolling Stone interview earlier this month. “And I say that because I imagine Taylor Swift has a load of people trying to jump on her bandwagon left, right and center, and I don’t want to be a part of that club.” 

Saweetie‘s 2021 hit “Best Friend” is the perfect soundtrack the first trailer for the upcoming Zac Efron buddy comedy Ricky Stanicky. The initial look at the Prime Video flick directed by Peter Farrelly (Green Book) that also stars John Cena, Jermaine Fowler, Andrew Santino and William H. Macy — cued to the rapper/singer’s bouncy track, […]

All those hours building with Lego before he was famous has really paid off for Pharrell Williams. In fact, the two-time Oscar winning singer/songwriter/producer is parlaying his childhood fascination with the colorful bricks into the building blocks of his upcoming biopic, Piece by Piece.

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“Who would’ve thought that playing with Legos as a kid would evolve into a movie about my life,” Williams said in an Instagram post on Friday morning (Jan. 26). “It’s proof that anyone else can do it too,” he added along with a hashtag for the title of the film.

Pharrell further hyped the movie due out on Oct. 11 with an accompanying man’s march of progress illustration, except make it Lego, with blocky Williams evolving from a single flat 1×1 plate to a 1×1 brick, a golden minifigure and, finally, a camo-wearing minifig in the 13-time Grammy winner’s image.

A release from Focus Features announcing the film directed by Oscar-winner Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom) describes the movie as an “unparalleled motion picture experience that captures the magic and brilliance of Pharrell Williams’ creative genius, one LEGO® brick at a time. Uninterested in making a traditional film about his life, Pharrell set out to tell his story in a way that would set audience’s imaginations free. Developed from his singular vision, Piece by Piece defies genres and expectations to transport audiences into a LEGO world where anything is possible.”

Neville is also a co-producer on the movie along with producer Caitrin Rogers, Williams, Mimi Valdés and Shani Saxon of Pharrell’s i am OTHER label/creative collective. Jill Wilfert and Keith Malone are executive producing for the LEGO Group.

“Five years ago, Pharrell Williams approached me with the idea of helping him tell his story through LEGO animation,” director Neville said in a statement. “It was one of those rare moments where I knew in a second that this was a journey I wanted to go on. I’m grateful to our partners at Focus Features and at the LEGO Group for their belief in our crazy mission. We assembled an incredible team of creative collaborators to help make a new type of film. I can’t wait for people to see it.”

Williams added that when he had “this crazy vision” to tell his story via LEGO, he could not have imagined a better partner than Neville. “He is a legend,” said Williams. “Grateful that Focus wanted to collaborate with us and I’m honored to share this with the world and bring people into my universe. Building with LEGO bricks encourages us to follow our imagination.”

See Pharrell’s post below.

In a new clip from the upcoming biopic Bob Marley: One Love, premiering exclusively on Billboard below, viewers go inside the studio with Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Marley and his full Wailers band as they record their signature 1977 reggae smash “Jamming.” Ben-Adir — the British actor known for the TV series The OA and Peaky Blinders […]

Teyana Taylor proved her acting chops in her acclaimed role as a single mother struggling to make a home for her son in the gritty 2023 drama A Thousand and One. But the “Gonna Love Me” singer/actress is out to prove she’s a true double threat with her upcoming role in the as-yet-untitled Dionne Warwick biopic.

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On Wednesday (Jan. 24), Taylor praised the “Walk on By” star by giving props to the woman who she said helped her see herself. “And just like that.. 2020MORE Blessings!,” Taylor wrote alongside rose, praying hands and heart emoji in an Instagram post that featured a screenshot of an announcement from Warwick’s son, producer Damon Elliott, confirming the movie’s green light.

“It’s official… we are funded and we have a shoot date!” Elliott wrote, seemingly certifying that the film is ready to begin shooting; at press time there was no additional information on the production.

Taylor gave the 83-year-old Warwick her flowers in the post, writing, “Ms. Dionne Warwick… A woman of great statue, poise and elegance, with a fiery spirit — Realizing I was looking at my future self. My reflection without a mirror,” adding, “Being able to learn and study from one of the greats like, @therealdionnew has allowed me to learn a lot about myself and the woman I am today. She has taught us to be proud of who you are…. —Don’t Make Me Over.”

The post ended with Taylor telling Warwick that her music and social involvement has “enhanced the culture. Your soul and artistry serves as an example of not only resilience and strength, but of faith and purpose.” Taylor included a nod to the producers behind the film and Elliott, writing, “We are so excited to make you proud!… Shout out to @iamdamonelliott it’s GO TIMEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! It’s been a long time coming!!!”

Taylor announced plans for the movie in March 2023, telling Tamron Hall that they had already begun working on the biopic. “We’re in the building process right now. I’ve always wanted to make sure like, I could lock in with any person that I would be playing, you know?,” Taylor said at the time. “How Angela [Bassett] and Tina [Turner] was, how Jamie Foxx and Ray Charles, you know what I’m saying? Like, to really get to know them and I miss when movies was like that, when you get to know them and tap in and just bond.”

She said that at that point she and Warwick were already talking to each other every day. “That’s my girl. Me, her, and her son [Elliott],” she said. “I mean, I’ve always been a firm believer in just always standing on safety. She’s had a wonderful career, you know, and I think right now it’s about making her feel as safe as possible so she can tell her story. A lot of these stories get misconstrued or extremely dramatized to an extent and that’s not where we want to go.”

The role seemed to manifest naturally back in 2020, when notoriously hilarious X poster Warwick had a meet-cute on what was then called Twitter in which Dionne tweeted at Netflix with a plea to make a movie and take her casting suggestion. “Please don’t ask who I would cast to play me as it would obviously be Teyana Taylor,” Warwick wrote at the time.

See Taylor’s post below.

He came back like “J Christ” — now Lil Nas X wants to figure out what happens next. On Friday (Jan. 26), the pop singer unveiled his latest song “Where Do We Go Now,” a poignant slow-jam that poses its titular question to remarkable effect. Stepping away from his signature tongue-in-cheek braggadocio, Lil Nas X […]

Can you tell Justin Timberlake how to get to Sesame Street?
In promos for this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, musical guest Timberlake is joined by host Dakota Johnson and SNL‘s Sarah Sherman, and the quirky castmember is lamenting her “Oscar snub.”

“Sorry, I’m just still sad about my Oscar snub,” Sherman says after seeming down.

As Johnson comforts Sherman, Timberlake wonders: “Wait, what movie were you in?”

“No, not that kind of Oscar snub,” Sherman clarifies. “I asked Oscar the Grouch out, and he said, ‘Sorry, honey: I live in the trash, I don’t date it.’”

“You know what?” Timberlake says angrily, invoking the lyrics of the PBS kids’ show’s famous theme song. “Just tell me how to get to Sesame Street and I will beat his a–!”

Elsewhere in the promos, Sherman marvels that “three of the hottest people in the world are on television right now at the same time!” Plus, Sherman promises to bring “SexyBack” — just like Timberlake famously did on his 2006 seven-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit — with a “sketch where our heads explode.” Johnson is onboard: “That’s hot.”

Timberlake has spent a lot of time on the Saturday Night Live stage, doing double-duty as host and musical guest three times, as well as hosting twice and performing once with *NSYNC and once on his own. He’s also earned four Emmys through his SNL work, including outstanding original music and lyrics for his “Di– in a Box” music video with Lonely Island. Timberlake’s last performance on the show was in December 2013.

JT will likely perform his just-released song “Selfish” on Saturday night, the lead single from his upcoming sixth studio album Everything I Thought It Was, but it’s unclear whether he’ll live-debut a second song from the March 15 project or play something we already know.

This will be Johnson’s second time hosting, after her February 2015 debut.

Watch the new promos below, and tune in to NBC or Peacock on Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT to catch Johnson and Timberlake’s episode.

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