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Will Smith’s Hitch might have been a box office success, but according to the film’s director, Andy Tennant, making the 2005 romantic comedy wasn’t as smooth as the final product.
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In a new interview with Business Insider, Tennant reflected on creative tensions with Smith during the production, revealing that their visions for the film didn’t initially align. “We had our difficulties,” Tennant said. “The movie I wanted to make and the movie Will wanted to make, neither one of those movies is as good as the movie we made together. It was a battle.”
Tennant also claimed that just three days before filming was set to begin, Smith wanted to delay production.
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“He wanted to work on it some more,” the director alleged, explaining that Smith tried to “back out” at the last minute. However, he credited Jada Pinkett Smith for helping mediate the situation, saying, “Jada was a big help. She kind of seconded some of my instincts. There was a time during prep when I was pushing back on a lot of crazy s–t that was happening.”
Despite the reported behind-the-scenes tension, Hitch went on to gross over $370 million worldwide and remains one of Smith’s most popular films. The movie, which starred Smith as a professional “date doctor” helping clients navigate the dating world, also featured Eva Mendes and Kevin James in breakout roles.
Now, two decades later, Smith is reportedly moving forward with a Hitch sequel—but without Tennant. “I just found out about it three months ago,” Tennant said.
“I had a really good idea for a sequel, and I was talking to an executive at Sony, and he said Will’s production company is developing a sequel.” While he didn’t reveal details of his own concept, Tennant acknowledged the situation with a shrug: “Hey, that’s Hollywood.”
Smith has yet to comment on the development of Hitch 2, but the sequel would add to a busy year for the actor. In addition to his return to film, Smith is also preparing to release his first album in over 20 years, Based on a True Story, in March via SLANG Recordings.
The album rollout began last year with “You Can Make It” featuring Fridayy and Sunday Service Choir, which became his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart. It was followed by “Work of Art” with Russ and Jaden Smith, “TANTRUM” with Joyner Lucas, and the latest single, “Beautiful Scars” with Big Sean and featuring Obanga.
Smith described the project as his most personal yet, telling Billboard last month, “I’m more artistic than I’ve ever been, a better actor than I’ve ever been, a better poet than I’ve ever been … I’m going to be better on stage than I’ve ever been. I’m just on fire about this next creative phase of my life and career.”
Smith also revealed that he’s planning to release not one but three albums under the Based on a True Story banner, describing them as “three seasons of a TV musical show.” The first instalment, Rave in the Wasteland, arrives in March and will include songs written in the aftermath of the 2022 Oscars. The second album, The Gift of Madness, is set for June and draws inspiration from a quote by Quincy Jones about artists who “believe impossible s–t can happen.” A third instalment is expected by the end of the year.
As part of his return to music, Smith has already performed two sold-out shows in San Diego and is scheduled to headline France’s Positiv Festival on July 31. He told Billboard, “Getting back out city to city, seeing people and feeling the energy keeps me creatively alive.”
Spike Lee was a big fan of Kendrick Lamar‘s Super Bowl 59 Halftime Show. Kendrick used frequent Spike Lee collaborator Samuel L. Jackson as the show’s “Greek chorus,” just as Spike used him as Dolmedes in his 2015 musical satire Chi-Raq. Lamar also took a moment to bring up the Reconstruction Era proposal to give […]
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. Have you ever wanted to smell like a Disney princess? Thanks to a new collaboration between Disney and Bath & Body […]
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.
To help launch the Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds, Beats assembled the infinity stones of sports icons — LeBron James, Lionel Messi and Shohei Ohtani — for a motivational new campaign titled “Listen to Your Heart.” If that wasn’t enough star power to convince you to grab these impressive fitness-focused headphones and immediately go on a three-mile run, the video also features rap legend RZA as “the heart” narrating throughout.
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Move over, Morgan Freeman: Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA delivers a powerful voice-over highlighting the powerful connection between passion, performance and heart as the video explores the respective journeys of each superstar athlete.
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In a statement launched with the campaign, Messi reveals, “Even though we come from different sports, what connects us is our shared passion to perform at the highest level. This campaign reflects how true power comes from the heart—how we’ve all used that inner drive to fuel our journeys and push ourselves throughout our careers.”
After almost five years since the launch of their original Pro earbuds, Beats have finally released the highly-anticipated Powerbeats Pro 2. The upgraded headphones are more fitness-focused, with a sleeker build and tons of enhanced fitness tech including a heart rate sensor, advanced active noise cancellation, IPX4 water and dirt resistant, 45 hours of battery life, and Apple’s impressive H2 chip, which is also included in the brand’s AirPods line.
Listening to music is still at the heart of these Beats earbuds. The Powerbeats Pro 2 has a redesigned acoustic architecture and upgraded venting to enhance your sound and comfort, alongside personalized spatial audio with dynamic head tracking to fully immerse you in your music. They also feature adaptive EQ that continuously scans your specific ear shape to optimize your listening experience in real time.
“I’ve been a huge fan of the Powerbeats line since it first launched, and seeing it evolve into the new Powerbeats Pro 2 is incredible,” LeBron James says in a statement. “Music has always been a key motivator in my training, and these earphones take an already iconic product to the next level.”
The Powerbeats Pro 2 come in a variety of colors, including jet black, quick sand, hyper purple and our favorite, electric orange. Releasing for $249.99, grab a pair of the new Powerbeats Pro 2 on Apple’s site now.
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds
$249.99
$249.99
Check out the motivational “Listen to Your Heart” campaign video starring LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Shohei Ohtani and RZA below.
As he nears the end of his run in Broadway‘s Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, singer Adam Lambert celebrated his run with a stunning performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday night (Feb. 10).
Dressed in all-black and wearing some glossy black lipstick and eyeshadow, Lambert performed “I Don’t Care Much,” the melancholy act II ballad sung by his character in the show, the Emcee. Dropping his character’s German accent, the American Idol alum sauntered through the jazzy number, placing particular emphasis on its harsh lyrics.
“Words sound false when your coat’s too thin/ Feet don’t waltz when the roof caves in,” he belted. “So if you kiss me, if we touch/ Warning’s fair; I don’t care very much.”
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Lambert released his rendition of the song as a single back in December, and in an interview with radio presenter Elvis Duran, explained the track’s painful meaning in the larger context of the show. “It’s like a torch song,” he said. “It’s really beautiful, and this is in the second act when things are sad, and it’s a song about indifference, and kind of just saying ‘I give up.’”
Cabaret takes place in Berlin during the late 1920s and early 1930s, as the Nazi party rose to power. In “I Don’t Care Much,” Lambert’s Emcee sings about Germany’s apathy in the face of the Nazis’ fascist, antisemitic rhetoric. While he was recording the song, Lambert says he couldn’t help but think about the parallels between that story and today’s politics.
“The day after the [2024 U.S.] election, I know we all felt some kind of way. We recorded this right around election week,” he explained. “I kept going back to how I felt, how a lot of the people that I know in my community felt [after the election], and it was this feeling of … ‘I don’t know what else to do, except to say that I guess I don’t care now as a coping mechanism.’”
Lambert currently stars in the production alongside Auli’i Cravalho (as Sally Bowles), with both of their last performances slated for March 29. Starting on March 31, the roles of the Emcee and Sally will be taken over by country singer-songwriter Orville Peck and Tony-nominated actress Eva Noblezada.
Watch Lambert’s full performance of “I Don’t Care Much” above.
Jimmy Kimmel is coming to Taylor Swift‘s defense after Donald Trump taunted the pop star on social media following the 2025 Super Bowl. On the latest episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Monday (Feb. 10), the late-night host recapped the night prior’s big game — which ended with the Kansas City Chiefs losing 22-40 against the […]
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Recently, a video surfaced of Kodak Black, the Florida rapper, sitting on the floor of a busy Atlanta street eating chicken, which quickly sparked concern among his fans. Many speculated that the rapper was struggling with drug addiction, with some suggesting he appeared disoriented or unwell. As the video circulated online, fans voiced their worries, with even Kanye West offering to help. Ye posted on social media, expressing his intent to fly down to Atlanta to support Kodak, “I’m booking my flight to Atlanta right now to help Kodak,” Ye said. “I know I said f**k rappers man, but I need y’all right now. Someone has to go and do something. I know y’all always think I’m crashing out, and I’m just expressing myself, I’m cathartic. Look man, please don’t, just let me go down there and help this man out.”
However, Kodak’s team quickly responded to the growing speculation, clarifying that the video was actually part of a scene for an upcoming music video. They assured the public that the rapper was fine and not dealing with any personal struggles. This incident is not the first time Kodak Black has faced accusations of drug use. Earlier, during an appearance on Kai Cenat’s livestream, he was seen taking what appeared to be a pill, which further fueled rumors of addiction.
Kodak has long been a figure surrounded by controversy, often finding himself in the spotlight for his behavior and public appearances. Despite the rumors and speculation, the rapper continues to maintain his stance and pushes forward with his career, leaving fans to question the reality behind his actions and the constant scrutiny he faces. The incident with the chicken and the street, however, serves as a reminder of how quickly the public can jump to conclusions without knowing the full context.
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Phish are heading out on the road this spring for a handful of West Coast tour dates and if you want to to see the jam band live, you’ll want to act fast. Tickets to the Phish shows are already selling out since they went on sale Feb. 7 on Ticketmaster but there are still ways to score seats — and even a discount — online.
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Hot off their run at Sphere Las Vegas, Phish are set for shows in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. While Ticketmaster is the official ticketing site for the band’s 2025 tour, there are plenty of good seats available at third-party and resale sites.
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We like StubHub, which has Phish tickets on sale from $73 (as of this writing). StubHub’s “FanProtect Guarantee” ensures valid tickets or your money back. And if your show is canceled and not rescheduled, StubHub will credit you with 120% of the ticket price, or provide the option of a full refund.
Another great place to find Phish tickets online is Vivid Seats. The third-party site also has Phish seats starting from $73, with tickets available for all current tour dates. Bonus: use our exclusive promo code BB30 to take $30 off your purchase at VividSeats.com. You can save on large group orders too, as Vivid Seats’ rewards program gets you your eleventh ticket free (in the form of site credit) when you purchase ten tickets online. See full details here.
The cheapest Phish tickets we’re seeing as of this writing are on SeatGeek, which has stubs from just $69 for the Seattle show. Other shows are similarly priced, starting between $80-$100. SeatGeek is where you can also find discounted tickets when you use our exclusive promo code BILLBOARD10 to save $10 off your purchase at SeatGeek.com. What we like: the site’s search function gives you a more accurate view of where your seats will be in relation to the stage, so you can see your view of the action.
Phish tickets on TicketNetwork start at $113 and the site also has a number of packages available to purchase online. Looking for the best promo code to see Phish? Get $150 off orders of $500+ when you enter the code BILLBOARD150 at checkout, or save $300 off ticket purchases of $1,000+ with promo code BILLBOARD300.
Phish’s 2025 tour kicks off April 18 with a two-night stand at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, before making its way to Portland (April 20) and San Francisco (April 22-23). The short run concludes with a three-night return to LA’s Hollywood Bowl, set for April 25-27. As part of the Hollywood Bowl shows, Phish have pledged to donate $300,000 to support relief efforts for communities affected by the recent Southern California wildfires.
Phish released their sixteenth studio album, Evolve, last July.
David Letterman made a surprise cameo on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Feb. 10, interrupting Fallon’s monologue to welcome his longtime musical director Paul Shaffer and The World’s Most Dangerous Band, who are filling in for The Roots during their week of rehearsals for Saturday Night Live’s 50th-anniversary concert.
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Fallon had wrapped up a joke about Super Bowl LIX when Letterman suddenly walked onto the stage, prompting Fallon to shout, “Oh, my God! David Letterman?! My God! What are you doing here?”
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Letterman, unfazed, delivered a classic deadpan response: “Is this the 23rd hour of the Today show?” before turning his attention to Shaffer. “Paul?! What are you doing here?!”
Shaffer, who spent 33 years as Letterman’s bandleader on Late Night with David Letterman (1982-1993) and The Late Show with David Letterman (1993-2015), is stepping into his old late-night groove this week as The Tonight Show’s temporary house band leader.
“You know, it’s a funny story,” Shaffer joked. “You ever taken too much Ambien and then you wake up somewhere with no clue how the hell you got there?”
“Wow. You’ve been reading my diary,” Letterman quipped.
The impromptu reunion quickly escalated into full-on late-night chaos. After Fallon suggested making a Tiktok video together, Letterman joked, “I made an enormous deal with the Chinese government.” When Fallon proposed a “handshake challenge” for the viral moment, Letterman shot it down immediately. “Yeah, that was lame,” he declared. “What I really want to do is hit you in the face with a tortilla.”
That’s exactly what happened next. As the band played along, the two hosts engaged in an all-out tortilla slap battle, with Fallon laughing, “I think you cracked a crown!” Letterman didn’t let up: “We’ll see you in court.”
Shaffer and The World’s Most Dangerous Band will continue their Tonight Show residency through Feb. 14, bringing a throwback flavor to Studio 6B while The Roots prepare for SNL’s milestone special. With Letterman proving he’s always ready to crash a late-night set, the rest of the week could bring even more surprises.
This year’s Super Bowl has made television history, with the broadcast setting a ratings record for the second year in a row.
According to FoxSports, an average of 126 million viewers tuned in to watch their broadcast on Sunday (Feb. 9), which saw the Philadelphia Eagles emerge victorious over the Kansas City Chiefs with a final score of 40 to 22. According to the network, those figures measure viewers across Fox, Fox Deportes, Tubi, Telemundo and NFL digital properties.
That number is a 2% increase on the 123.7 million viewers who watched last year’s event, which outshone any audience previously recorded by Nielsen. Fox also noted that their peak audience of 135.7 million viewers occurred around the game’s second quarter, between 8:00-8:15pm ET.
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Though the evening’s big takeaway was undoubtedly related to the game itself, a sizable portion of the Super Bowl’s viewership likely came thanks to the halftime show, which featured Kendrick Lamar in the spotlight.
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Much of the discourse relating to Lamar’s appearance revolved around the potential content of his performance – specifically whether he would perform his Drake diss track “Not Like Us”.
Having inspired a defamation lawsuit from its subject matter against Lamar (and Drake’s) record label, Universal Music Group in January, and having taken home five Grammys (including Record of the Year and Song of the Year) just a week earlier, Lamar ensured that the song received pride of place in his already-iconic set. Samuel L. Jackson, SZA, and Serena Williams also joined Lamar onstage for the performance at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome.
Currently, specific break-out numbers for the halftime show have not been made available, though it would likely be in contention for the title of the most-watched halftime show in history. According to The Hollywood Reporter, that honor belongs to the 1993 Super Bowl, which saw Michael Jackson change the face of halftime entertainment, bringing in 133 million viewers for his appearance.