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A24 revealed the first look at its upcoming slasher threequel MaXXXine on Monday, starring Mia Goth and Halsey.
“The life she deserves #MaXXXine,” the studio tweeted alongside a still of Goth’s Maxine walking beneath the bright harsh and garish lights of Hollywood in the 1980s alongside Halsey’s character, whose name has yet to be revealed. (The pop star does, however, sport a black pixie cut and floor-length fur coat as she side-eyes Maxine in the photo.)
Contrary to her Little House on the Prairie-esque look from Ti West’s two previous films in the X trilogy — 2022’s X and Pearl — Goth’s murderous Hollywood hopeful has traded her brunette braids and prairie dresses for a tousled blonde mane and iridescent green windbreaker.
Set for release sometime later this year, MaXXXine will conclude the trilogy imagined by West. X tells the story of Maxine, an aspiring adult film star who became embroiled in a violent murder on the 1979 set of her friends’ pornographic movie, which they’re filming on a desolate Texas ranch owned by an elderly couple named Pearl and Howard. The movie’s prequel, Pearl, featured Goth playing the younger version of the eponymous character from the first film in her 1918 origin story. (The series contains heavy homages to the likes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.)
Along with Halsey, MaXXXine will also star Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito and Kevin Bacon.
See the first look below:
The New York Knicks have once again made their way back into the NBA Playoffs after missing the postseason in 2022, and the iconic team has a long history of celebrity fans cheering them on.
As a whole, the Knicks have been in the playoffs 39 times over their 74 seasons, but they haven’t won the NBA championship since 1973. Regardless, music stars from Diddy, 50 Cent and LL Cool J to Brandy, Fat Joe and Alicia Keys have cheered on the Empire State’s basketball team courtside over the years, no matter the record.
Perhaps one of the most famous Knicks fans is filmmaker Spike Lee, who throughout the years became known for having a sideline rivalry with basketball player Reggie Miller whenever the team would play against the Indiana Pacers throughout the 1990s. “I would come to his funeral dressed in all orange and blue sky as he would like,” Miller once said on The Dan Patrick Show, calling Lee the “face” of the Knicks. “I would be in Knicks’ colors at his wake. Just like he’d better be in blue and gold at mine.”
To this day, the lifelong superfan can be seen courtside at games dressed in head-to-toe Knicks attire. Most recently, he’s been enjoying the Knicks’ round 2 games this year against the Miami Heat.
To celebrate the Knicks in the playoffs, we’ve compiled a gallery of famous musicians who are also fans of the NY basketball team. See the photos below.
Sean “P. Diddy” Combs
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Sean “P. Diddy” Combs attends Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on February 4, 2009 in New York City.
Zendaya
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Zendaya attends New York Knicks vs Oklahoma City Thunder game at Madison Square Garden on November 28, 2016 in New York City.
Fat Joe
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Fat Joe attends New York Knicks v Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Center on October 25, 2019 in New York City.
Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz
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Alicia Keys, Egypt Dean and Swizz Beatz attend the Miami Heat vs New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 2, 2012 in New York City.
J. Cole
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J. Cole attends the Brooklyn Nets v New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on November 24, 2019 in New York City.
DMC
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Norman Reedus and Run-DMC’s Darryl McDaniels attend the Brooklyn Nets vs New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2014 in New York City.
Q-Tip
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LL Cool J and Q-Tip attend an NBA game between the New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden on April 26, 2021 in New York City.
Rakim
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Rakim and guest attend the New York Knicks Vs Boston Celtics game at Madison Square Garden on December 21, 2017 in New York City.
Ja Rule
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Amy Schumer, Ja Rule and Hasan Minhaj attend Washington Wizards v New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on December 23, 2019 in New York City.
Chris Brown
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Chris Brown attends the Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on March 31, 2013 in New York City.
Josh Groban
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Josh Groban attends the New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers NBA Playoff Game at Madison Square Garden on May 7, 2013 in New York City.
Chuck D
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Spike Lee poses with Chuck D of Public Enemy before the game between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden on January 9, 2014 in New York City.
50 Cent
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Don Gummer, Meryl Streep, 50 Cent and guest attend the Los Angeles Lakers vs New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on January 26, 2014 in New York City.
Katharine McPhee
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Katharine McPhee attends the NBA game between the New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden on February 27, 2013 in New York City.
Beastie Boys
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Mike D and Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys attend the game between the New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2016 in New York City.
LL Cool J
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LL Cool J attends the NBA game between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on December 15, 2004 in New York City.
Brandy
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Brandy attends the Toronto Raptures vs New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 8, 2010 in New York City.
Nas
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Nas performs during the 12th Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival finale concert at Brooklyn Bridge Park on July 16, 2016 in New York City.
History has a way of repeating itself, which is exactly what Kim Petras is watching happen with the current anti-trans rhetoric spreading around the globe.
In an exclusive clip from her upcoming Out magazine cover story shared with People, Petras talks about coming out as trans at an early age and why her parents’ support was vital. “I literally was very suicidal as a kid, and I just wouldn’t still be here had my parents not believed me,” the singer said. Recalling her historic win at the 2023 Grammy Awards, she added that she knew she needed to thank “the person who’s responsible for me being alive,” her mother.
Watching the continued wave of transphobic sentiment sweeping across the globe — especially in the U.S., where more anti-LGBTQ legislation has been proposed in 2023 than any other year on record — has been “sad” to watch, Petras said. “I hate that another generation is going through this, and I hate that young kids are going through the same sh– I was going through, and that apparently just isn’t changing.”
Putting a finer point on the issue, Petras said it shouldn’t be anyone else’s business how a person identifies. “I just never understood why people were so obsessed with what people do to be happy,” she said. “Just focus on what you can do to be happy.”
The teaser of Petras’ new profile comes on the heels of “Alone,” the singer’s latest collaboration with rap superstar Nicki Minaj. Following the pair of performers earning a No. 55 debut on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, Kim and Nicki dropped their official music video for “Alone” on Tuesday (May 2).
Check out the preview of Petras’ Out cover story here, and watch her new music video for “Alone” below:
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TikTok’s favorite hair tool was busy behind the scenes at the 2023 Met Gala on Monday (May 1). The Dyson Airwrap helped create Lizzo’s sleek updo, which paid homage to Audrey Hepburn, her makeup artist Alexx Mayo and hairstylist, Shelby Swain, revealed to InStyle.
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05/02/2023
The “Special” singer got dolled up in Charlotte Tilbury makeup to achieve her “soft, feminine timeless glam.” Lizzo’s red carpet look was a “futuristic” twist on Hepburn’s “timeless” style, and she’s wasn’t alone in channeling the acting legend. Olivia Rodrigo hit the carpet in a Hepburn-inspired hairstyle that was created using Dove hair styling products.
Meanwhile, Swain used the Airwrap to transform Lizzo’s mane into an updated version of Hepburn’s classic bun. “This is not a tool, it is a system,” Swain said of the Airwrap.
The $600 multi-styler is equipped with barrels to curl and wave in both directions; brushes to control and shape the hair; and a multi-functional Coanda smoothing dryer that dries, smooths and hides flyaways.
With Mother’s Day right around the corner, the Dyson Airwrap makes a great gift for the mom who could use a new hair tool. The Airwrap is available at Dyson.com as well as retailers such as Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Best Buy and Nordstrom, but it’s usually sells out around holidays like Mother’s Day, and some retailers like Dyson and Nordstrom are already low in stock.
Dyson
Sephora
Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler
$599.99 + free gift (valued at $120)
The Airwrap is available in a few different colors including nickel/copper and the special-edition Prussian blue. However, the limited-edition blue colorway comes with a free travel pouch valued at $120 (when you purchase at Dyson.com).
According to Forbes, Best Buy rewards members can score 20% off the copper Dyson Airwrap. You can also check Sephora for member-only deals on haircare products and tools such as the Airwrap.
From TikTok to YouTube, Dyson’s bestselling Airwrap reigns as one of the top multi-stylers on the market, but if it’s too pricey for your budget, check out this $39 Airwrap dupe.
Your final year of school is nothing if not an emotional rollercoaster. Excitement, nervousness and at least a hint of sadness are just a few of many emotions that senior students feel as they prepare for the next chapter of their lives.
Even those who are not part of the class of 2023 can remember all the “lasts”: your last first day, last homecoming game, last spring break, last exam, and finally, the highly-anticipated last day of school. It’s a lot to take in — on top of prom and college decisions for high schoolers and job-hunting for higher ed students. And before even getting a chance to catch your breath, it’s time to bust out the caps and gowns for pomp and circumstance, snatch that diploma you’ve worked so hard to get, say your farewells and, of course, celebrate.
To get the party started, Billboard has rounded up 22 tracks that make great additions to any graduation playlist. From songs written for the purpose of this very moment like Vitamin C’s 2000s era earworm “Graduation (Friends Forever),” to classics like Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration,” to melancholy yet optimistic numbers like Billie Eilish’s quarantine-era “my future,” to rocking tunes written for those who are wholeheartedly anti-school like Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out,” there’s something on this list that everyone is sure to enjoy. If you don’t have a graduate to celebrate but you wanna take a musical trip down memory lane, these tracks are sure to have you all up in your nostalgic feelings.
Check out these odes to growing up and making new memories below.
Vitamin C, “Graduation (Friends Forever)”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Standout lyric: “’Cause we’re moving on and we can’t slow down/ These memories are playing like a film without sound”
Vitamin C’s 2000s era hit is a graduation playlist essential — but be prepared to have the chorus (featuring a sample from Pachelbel’s “Canon in D”) stuck in your head for the next few days. Listen here.
Green Day, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”
Standout lyric: “So take the photographs and still frames in your mind/ Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time”
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong reminds us that everything happens for a reason in his guitar-driven track he originally wrote as a break-up song. But hey — it works great as a toast to great memories, growing up and moving on, too. Listen here.
Queen, “Don’t Stop Me Now”
Standout lyric: “I’m a shooting star leaping through the sky like a tiger/ Defying the laws of gravity”
Nothing is going to stop Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the band’s high-energy hit. Layered with the group’s trademark harmonies and a steady percussive beat, it’s a track that’ll surely make you “wanna have a good time,” too. Listen here.
Lizzo, “About Damn Time”
Standout lyric: “Turn up the music, turn down the lights/ I got a feelin’ I’m gon’ be alright”
Whether you know the TikTok dance or not, Lizzo’s 2023 Grammy winner for record of the year (and Billboard Hot 100 topper) will have you on your feet and partying all graduation night long. Listen here.
OneRepublic, “Good Life”
Standout lyric: “Hopelessly, I’m taking a mental picture of you now/ ‘Cause hopelessly, the hope is we have/ So much to feel good about”
OneRepublic share a simple but important piece of advice for all recent grads: you do you! Haters come and go, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still live your best life. Listen here.
Macklemore feat. Kesha, “Good Old Days”
Standout lyric: “’Cause someday soon, your whole life’s gonna change/ You’ll miss the magic of the good old days”
Graduation is definitely one of life’s biggest events — and Macklemore and Kesha reflect on life’s most precious moments in their mellow yet inspiring pop song. Listen here.
Katy Perry, “Firework”
Standout lyric: “Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed/ So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road”
If you’re not feeling the love despite such a huge accomplishment, Katy Perry’s light-hearterd anthem has got your back. Listen here.
Kid Cudi, “Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)”
Standout lyric: “People told me slow my roll, I’m screaming out “F—k that”/ I’ma do just what I want, looking ahead, no turning back”
This pop-influenced hip-hop track off Kid Cudi’s debut album cautiously strives to set you up for continued success — but that doesn’t mean you won’t encounter hurdles along the way. Listen here.
fun. feat. Janelle Monae, “We Are Young”
Standout lyric: “So let’s set the world on fire/ We can burn brighter/ Than the sun”
It sounds like “fun.” is exactly what the pop-rock band is having in their anthemic hit about memories and growing up with a feature from Janelle Monae. Listen here.
Billie Eilish, “my future”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Standout lyric: “Know I’m supposed to be unhappy/ Without someone (someone)/ But aren’t I someone?”
A track that starts as a somber, introspective ode to Billie Eilish’s past turns into a funky, optimistic look at her future. Listen here.
Bill Withers, “Lovely Day”
Standout lyric: “When the day that lies ahead of me/ Seems impossible to face”
We’ve all had those days where we just can’t keep it 100. But Bill Withers’ groovy anthem is sure to get you out of whatever rut you may be in. Listen here.
Post Malone feat. Quavo, “Congratulations”
Standout lyric: “I was patient/ Now I can scream that we made it (We made it)”
Manifesting success is the theme of Post Malone and Quavo’s celebratory track. Which exactly the energy all new grads deserve. Listen here.
Nicki Minaj feat. Drake, “Moment 4 Life”
Standout lyric: “No, I’m not lucky, I’m blessed, yes/ Clap for the heavyweight champ, me/ But I couldn’t do it all alone, we”
Despite being the biggest names in rap, Nicki Minaj and Drake aren’t letting fame get to their heads. The duo shouts out everyone that helped them get to where they are in their celebratory collaboration. Listen here.
Taylor Swift, “Long Live”
Standout lyric: “You held your head like a hero/ On a history book page/ It was the end of a decade/ But the start of an age”
Taylor Swift reflects on the best of memories in her Speak Now closer. Though she’s likely singing about the success of Fearless (award wins and world tour), the lyrics will hit close to home for graduates, too. Listen here.
Kool & The Gang, “Celebration”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Standout lyric: “So bring your good times and your laughter too/ We gonna celebrate your party with you”
Because what good is any party playlist without this classic? Listen here.
Maroon 5, “Memories”
Standout lyric: “There’s a time that I remember, when I did not know no pain/ When I believed in forever, and everything would stay the same”
Maroon 5’s nostalgic number won’t just be on your graduation party playlist — it’ll be on your 10-year reunion mix, too. The question remains: What memories will you keep talking for years to come? Listen here.
Lorde, “Ribs”
Standout lyric: “This dream isn’t feeling sweet/ We’re reeling through the midnight streets/ And I’ve never felt more alone/ It feels so scary, getting old”
Though the lyrics aren’t necessary celebratory or even nostalgic, Lorde perfectly captures the fear that comes with growing up in this fan-favorite Pure Heroine track. Listen here.
Benny Blanco and Juice WRLD, “Graduation”
Standout lyric: “What I didn’t know was this grown-up world (This grown-up world)/ Was just school in a blown-up world (This blown-up world)”
Benny Blanco and Juice WRLD create an upbeat, yet slightly bitter take on Vitamin D’s early 2000’s track by the same name (which also appears on this list). Listen here.
Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow, “INDUSTRY BABY”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Standout lyric: “Turned my haters to consumers, I make vets feel like they juniors”
This one is for the champions (graduates)! Complete with a marching band, Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow take you back to high school in their enigmatic collaboration. Listen here.
Alice Cooper, “School’s Out”
Standout lyric: “Well, we got no class/ And we got no principles/ And we got no innocence”
Alice Cooper’s smash opener to their School’s Out album is a dedication to those who maybe didn’t have the best experience in school, and are just grateful to get outta there. Listen here.
Panic! At The Disco, “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”
Standout lyric: “In the garden of evil/ I’m gonna be the greatest/ In a golden cathedral/ I’ll be praying for the faithless”
Panic! At The Disco frontman Brandon Urie sings about the ups and downs of the fame train in his upbeat banger. Listen here.
SZA, “Prom”
Standout lyric: “Promise to get a little/ Better as I get older/ And you’re so patient/ And sick of waitin’”
SZA’s thoughtful yet far from mellow ode to growing up serves as a piece of advice for everyone entering adulthood: it’s okay if you don’t have it all together. Listen here.
Kanye West and T-Pain, “Good Life”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Standout lyric: “The good life, let’s go on a living spree/ S—t, they say the best things in life are free”
Throw your hands up in the sky! Kanye West subtly samples Michael Jackson in his vibey collaboration with T-Pain off his aptly titled Graduation album. Listen here.
American Idol will be down two judges on Sunday night (May 7) when Katy Perry and Lionel Richie jet to England to take part in the coronation of King Charles III. But they will have some serious ringers filling in during their absence: Ed Sheeran and Alanis Morissette.
During Monday night’s (May 1) show it was revealed that the pair will join Luke Bryan as guest judges on Sunday during the show’s “616” episode, where America will cast their votes for the top 5. Morissette will pull double-duty as guest judge and mentor to the top 10, who will perform her songs live, with the finalists also teaming up with each other on duets of Sheeran’s hits.
Both Sheeran and Morissette will perform on the episode, with Alanis sharing one of her classics and Sheeran playing his new single, the ballad “Boat.” And though Katy and Lionel will be getting the royal treatment, they will check in from Windsor Castle on Idol LIVE.
The top 10 battled it out on Monday night’s episode, with Hawaiian high-schooler Iam Tongi crushing it with his version of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” complete with some homey touches. After ditching his trusty guitar for Sunday night’s episode during performance of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me,” Tongi donned a colorful Hawaiian shirt and performed with a ukulele. Tyson Venegas and Marybeth Byrd were eliminated, while Oliver Steele earned a judge’s save.
American Idol airs live coast-to-coast on Sunday from 8-10 p.m. ET/5-7 p.m. PT on ABC.
Ed Sheeran is opening up his world with the new docuseries Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All, this week, and Billboard has an exclusive clip ahead of the Wednesday (May 3) premiere.
The preview shows the pop star collaborating in the studio with The National’s Aaron Dessner on what will become – (Subtract) as he explains via confessional the multitude of hardships that hit his wife Cherry Seaborn, his best friend Jamal Edwards and him all in the space of a single month.
“I was hit by heavy stuff kind of one after the other,” the hitmaker explains. “They found a tumor in Cherry’s arm, the diagnosis wasn’t good and, ya know, she’s pregnant and I can’t do anything. And then suddenly I’m in this three-week court case. And then, um…Jamal dies.
“The moment you find out that the worst thing in the world has happened to someone that you truly love with all your heart, you feel like you’re drowning and can’t get out from under it,” Sheeran continues. “Just from that situation, all of these songs came out.”
The British singer-songwriter then goes on to record his new song “Boat,” which was released as the second single from his forthcoming album Subtract, with just an acoustic guitar.
The four-part docuseries will arrive on Disney+ on Wednesday, just two days before Subtract‘s Friday release. The studio set will complete Sheeran’s long-planned sequence of five mathematically themed albums, which began with his 2011 debut + (Plus) followed by 2014’s x (Multiply), 2017’s ÷ (Divide) and 2021’s = (Equals).
Watch Billboard’s exclusive preview of Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All below.
Television and movie writers declared late Monday that they will launch a strike for the first time in 15 years, as Hollywood girded for a walkout with potentially widespread ramifications in a fight over fair pay in the streaming era.
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The Writers Guild of America said that its 11,500 unionized screenwriters will head to the picket lines on Tuesday. Negotiations between studios and the writers, which began in March, failed to reach a new contract before the writers’ current deal expired just after midnight, at 12:01 a.m. PDT Tuesday. All script writing is to immediately cease, the guild informed its members.
The board of directors for the WGA, which includes both a West and an East branch, voted unanimously to call for a strike, effective at the stroke of midnight. Writers, they said, are facing an “existential crisis.”
“The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing,” the WGA said in a statement. “From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a ‘day rate’ in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.”
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the trade association that bargains on behalf of studios and production companies, signaled late Monday that negotiations fell short of an agreement before the current contract expired. The AMPTP said it presented an offer with “generous increases in compensation for writers as well as improvements in streaming residuals.”
In a statement, the AMPTP said that it was prepared to improve its offer “but was unwilling to do so because of the magnitude of other proposals still on the table that the guild continues to insist upon.”
The labor dispute could have a cascading effect on TV and film productions depending on how long the strike persists. But a shutdown has been widely forecast for months due to the scope of the discord. The writers last month voted overwhelming to authorize a strike, with 98% of membership in support.
At issue is how writers are compensated in an industry where streaming has changed the rules of Hollywood economics. Writers say they aren’t being paid enough, TV writer rooms have shrunk too much and the old calculus for how residuals are paid out needs to be redrawn.
“The survival of our profession is at stake,” the guild has said.
Streaming has exploded the number of series and films that are annually made, meaning more jobs for writers. But WGA members say they’re making much less money and working under more strained conditions. Showrunners on streaming series receive just 46% of the pay that showrunners on broadcast series receive, the WGA claims. Content is booming, but pay is down.
The guild is seeking more compensation on the front-end of deals. Many of the back-end payments writers have historically profited by – like syndication and international licensing – have been largely phased out by the onset of streaming. More writers — roughly half — are being paid minimum rates, an increase of 16% over the last decade. The use of so-called mini-writers rooms has soared.
The AMPTP said Monday that the primary sticking points to a deal revolved around those mini-rooms — the guild is seeking a minimum number of scribes per writer room — and duration of employment restrictions. The guild has said more flexibility for writers is needed when they’re contracted for series that have tended to be more limited and short-lived than the once-standard 20-plus episode broadcast season.
At the same time, studios are under increased pressure from Wall Street to turn a profit with their streaming services. Many studios and production companies are slashing spending. The Walt Disney Co. is eliminating 7,000 jobs. Warner Bros. Discovery is cutting costs to lessen its debt. Netflix has pumped the breaks on spending growth.
When Hollywood writers have gone on strike, it’s often been lengthy. In 1988, a WGA strike lasted 153 days. The last WGA strike went for 100 days, beginning in 2007 and ending in 2008.
The most immediate effect of the strike viewers are likely to notice will be on late-night shows and “Saturday Night Live.” All are expected to immediately go dark. During the 2007 strike, late-night hosts eventually returned to the air and improvised material. Jay Leno wrote his own monologues, a move that angered union leadership.
On Friday’s episode of Late Night, Seth Meyers, a WGA member who said he supported the union’s demands, prepared viewers for re-runs while lamenting the hardship a strike entails.
“It doesn’t just affect the writers, it affects all the incredible non-writing staff on these shows,” Meyers said. “And it would really be a miserable thing for people to have to go through, especially considering we’re on the heels of that awful pandemic that affected, not just show business, but all of us.”
Scripted series and films will take longer to be affected. But if a strike persisted through the summer, fall schedules could be upended. And in the meantime, not having writers available for rewrites can have a dramatic effect on quality. The James Bond film “Quantum of Solace” was one of many films rushed into production during the 2007-2008 strike with what Daniel Craig called “the bare bones of a script.”
“Then there was a writers’ strike and there was nothing we could do,” Craig later recounted. “We couldn’t employ a writer to finish it. I say to myself, ‘Never again’, but who knows? There was me trying to rewrite scenes — and a writer I am not.”
With a walkout long expected, writers have rushed to get scripts in and studios have sought to prepare their pipelines to keep churning out content for at least the short term.
“We’re assuming the worst from a business perspective,” David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, said last month. “We’ve got ourselves ready. We’ve had a lot of content that’s been produced.”
Overseas series could also fill some of the void. “If there is one, we have a large base of upcoming shows and films from around the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-chief executive, on the company’s earnings call in April.
Yet the WGA strike may only be the beginning. Contracts for both the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, expire in June. Some of the same issues around the business model of streaming will factor into those bargaining sessions. The DGA is set to begin negotiations with AMPTP on May 10.
The cost of the WGA’s last strike cost Southern California $2.1 billion, according to the Milken Institute. How painful this strike is remains to be seen. But as of late Monday evening, laptops were being closed shut all over Hollywood.
“Pencils down,” said “Halt and Catch Fire” showrunner and co-creator Christopher Cantwell on Twitter shortly after the strike announcement. “Don’t even type in the document.”
With the finishing line in sight for this 21st season of American Idol, Iam Tongi is leaving nothing to chance.
The Hawaii native has grown in confidence as the competition progresses, and continues to impress even in these nervous final stages.
During Monday night’s (May 1) top 10 episode, the high-schooler took it home with a rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” complete with some local touches. After ditching his guitar for Sunday night’s episode, and a performance of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me,” Tongi donned a colorful Hawaiian shirt and performed with a ukulele.
Accompanied with a steel guitar, Tongi’s talents were all on full display – control, tone, warmth. The crowd and judges are clearly rooting for him.
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Born in Kahuku, the lovable teen is still grieving the loss of his dad, his musical mentor, though he’s throwing it all into his magical Idol run.
“When Iam’s dad passed away,” the contestant’s mom said during an earlier episode, “he didn’t wanna sing anymore. He kept saying that every time he sings, he could hear his dad backing up. After talking to him… it’s a beautiful thing that he could hear his dad.”
Following the latest show, Tyson Venegas and Marybeth Byrd were eliminated. There was a surprise to come when the three judges saved Oliver Steele, the 25-year-old from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee who dueted with Tongi last month, and whose own dad, a professional bluesman, has endured life-changing health problems.
What isn’t a surprise is that Tongi goes through to the final 8. He’s the gift that keeps giving.
Next Sunday (May 7), Idol will present performances from the surviving contestants, along with performances from top 8 mentor Alanis Morissette and Ed Sheeran, who both join Luke Bryan as guest judges.
Watch below.
She took her time, but it was totally worth it when Rihanna finally arrived at the 2023 Met Gala.
The Barbados-born superstar arrived with partner A$AP Rocky, wearing a splendid all-white Valentino wedding gown with a train, adorned with white roses — and revealing her baby bump.
RiRi made a big impression as she left The Carlyle Hotel towards the very end as the official livestream, notes Vogue, stepping out wearing an archival fur coat from Fendi’s fall 1997 collection, designed by man of honor Karl Lagerfeld and once worn on the runway by Naomi Campbell.
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After an outfit change, the pair were ready for the red carpet — or on this occasion, the off-white carpet — the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Paying homage to Lagerfeld’s love of Scotland, Rocky wore a tartan kilt over his jeans, and the duo rocked up in sunglasses.
The “Umbrella” singer is expecting her second baby with A$AP Rocky, and is certainly a bonafide Met Gala veteran. Through the years, she’s rocked some of the annual event’s most memorable looks, from her 2015 Guo Pei canary-yellow gown to her 2018 John Galliano custom bishop-inspired attire.
After taking a break from the spotlight, Rihanna came roaring back with the Super Bowl 2023 Halftime Show on Sunday, Feb. 12, for her first performance in more than five years, and her first one as a mom.
That followed the release of “Lift Me Up,” which featured on the soundtrack of the upcoming Marvel sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, breaking a six-year drought since the release of the Anti album from 2016.
See pics and clips from the Met Gala below.