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Priyanka Chopra is in a steady and loving marriage with husband Nick Jonas, but in the first trailer for her upcoming movie Love Again, she stars as Mira Ray, who mourns the loss of her fiancé and uses text messages to feel connected to him in his absence.
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A trailer for the movie, released Tuesday (Feb. 14), sees Chopra cuddling with the fiancé’s old clothing and reflecting on the time she’s spent with him, until one night, she uses her cell phone to send her former lover a message: “I miss you so much. There’s an aching inside of me,” she sends, unknowingly to journalist Rob Burns (Sam Heughan), who receives her texts after getting a new cell phone for work purposes.
In an attempt to move on, Chopra goes on a date for the first time since her fiancé died and gets sets up with none other than a character played by her real-life husband, who she is unable to settle into a comfortable groove with. “Maybe we should just take it slow,” she suggests as they’re in the back of a cab. “Yeah,” he says, awkwardly leaning in for a kiss.
Rob, on the other hand, can’t help but fall for the random woman whose messages he continues to receive, and one day, he makes a plan to meet her face to face, jumpstarting the unfolding of his and Mira’s relationship. Céline Dion also stars in the movie, playing herself and acting as a guiding force for Rob, at one point in the trailer telling him, “These texts you’re receiving are saying something. It might be crazy, but love doesn’t always follow the rules.”
“A journalist, Rob is captivated by the honesty in the beautifully confessional texts,” the film’s synopsis adds. “When he’s assigned to write a profile of megastar Céline Dion, he enlists her help in figuring out how to meet Mira in person and win her heart.”
“I had a lot of fun doing this movie,” the “It’s All Coming Back to Me” singer told People. “And to have the privilege of appearing with the beautiful and talented actors Priyanka Chopra and Sam Heughan in my very first feature film is a privilege that I will cherish forever.” Several new tracks from the singer will also appear in the film. “I think it’s a wonderful feel-good story, and I hope that people will like it and like the new songs too,” she adds.
Love Again will arrive on May 12. Watch the first trailer in the video above.
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Pharrell Williams has been named creative director of Louis Vuitton and will debut his first official collection in June during men’s fashion week in Paris, the luxury fashion house announced on Tuesday (Feb. 14).
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“Louis Vuitton is delighted to welcome Pharrell as its new men’s creative director. His first collection for Louis Vuitton will be revealed next June during men’s fashion week in Paris,” LMVH, Louis Vuitton’s parent company shared in a statement posted to the brand’s Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Williams is, of course, no stranger to the fashion world and known for his eclectic style. The Virginia native founded the streetwear brand, Billionaire Boys Club, in 2003 and has previously partnered with Louis Vuitton in the past and other major brands like Adidas. The 49-year-old father of three also launched Humanrace, a unisex skin-care line in 2020.
“I am glad to welcome Pharrell back home, after our collaborations in 2004 and 2008 for Louis Vuitton, as our new Men’s Creative Director,” said Pietro Beccari, Louis Vuitton’s Chairman and CEO. “His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter.”
Williams will take over the position previously held by Virgil Abloh who passed away in 2021 following a battle with cancer. In an 2020 interview with the New York Times, Abloh shared how Williams and his Neptunes partner, Chad Hugo’s, N.E.R.D. album inspired his work.
“There’s an interview where [Williams] classically said, ‘The album is too white for Black radio and too Black for white radio,” Abloh explained at the time. “As a kid growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, skateboarding and finding my own identity, it resonated with me more than hip-hop on its own. [It said] that it was fine to be in between. And I think that has described a whole generation of young Black kids and artists who have since been determined to be themselves and jump through that door that was opened by Pharrell.”
For centuries, love stories — in the form of songs, plays, books or films — have used the concept of “forbidden love” as a narrative device to heighten the tension and drive a story forward. So, should it really come as a surprise that LGBTQ artists write some of the best love songs around?
After all, queer folks were told on a regular basis throughout history that their way of loving was wrong (let’s be honest — in many cases and places, we are still being told that). So when given a platform to express themselves openly, it’s no wonder that LGBTQ talents have penned or performed exceptionally moving, deeply affecting love songs. Look no further than Melissa Etheridge’s “Come to My Window” or George Michael’s “Fastlove” for proof.
In recent years, as queer artists have gained more mainstream visibility in the music industry, the content of queer love songs has noticeably shifted in new, bold directions. No longer relegated to writing non-specific ballads of generalized longing, queer artists starting using proper pronouns for their lyrical lovers more regularly, explicitly spelling out the dynamics of relationships and taking the opportunities afforded to straight artists for years to sing frankly about sex and desire. Some of those songs have even gone on to top the Hot 100, making history for the LGBTQ community.
With so many gay love songs to choose from, Billboard decided to offer some help. Below, we list out 30 of our favorite gay love songs — specifically in which men sing about loving men — ranging from sensual dance bangers to tender pop ballads.
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If you’re an artist who’s looking for a way to upgrade your merch game, Amazon Music for Artists is here to help. The service makes it easy for artists to connect with millions of music lovers around the world directly in Amazon Music as well as in the Artist Merch Shop.
What is the Amazon Music Artist Merch Shop? It’s a curated collection of official artist merch for fans to browse at amazon.com/artistmerchshop and in the Amazon Music app.
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As of November, Owners of Artist Teams can access Amazon Merch on Demand – the print-on-demand service from Amazon – by linking their Amazon Music for Artists account.
That means no more pre-paying bulk orders in advance and potentially running out of inventory when you need it most. By connecting their Amazon Music for Artists account, artists will get expedited approval to Merch on Demand, typically within a week, and can upload designs that will publish to Amazon retail sites within 48 hours.
Courtesy of Amazon Music
Within just two days of creating your merch designs, artists will be able to put them in front of fans to see what resonates best. Artists will be able to make merch available to millions of Prime customers all around the world with a single click. And every order is managed by the global logistics teams at Amazon – including returns and customer service.
How to Get Started With Amazon Merch on Demand
Amazon Merch on Demand takes the stress (and inventory risk!) out of producing merch while adding another option to direct-to-consumer stores or merch sold in venues; it creates an additional revenue stream allowing artists to reach customers wherever they are.
The process is not only simple but also fun, because artists can pick and choose what works best for them. To get started, artists can select from a variety of base products, ranging from T-shirts and sweatshirts to throw pillows and phone accessories.
Base products are sourced from suppliers that meet the high bar for labor, health & safety, environment, and ethics at Amazon. Additionally, print facilities are operated by Amazon employees all over the world using water-based inks (read more details here). After selecting your base products, simply upload a PNG file or choose from the Adobe Photoshop templates in the Merch on Demand Creator dashboard.
Adjust the size and placement of your designs with the user-friendly, WYSIWYG (“what you see is what you get”) tool. You can find a selection of best practices and design tips under the Resources tab to make sure your final product looks its best.
Courtesy of Amazon Music
After the design is created, select all the Amazon regional sites you’d like your product available on (i.e. Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Spain, Amazon France, and Amazon Japan) and recommended selling price in each local currency. Note: because Amazon covers post-sale operations, revenue splits may vary based on the product and pricing, the country where it’s sold in, and other factors. Amazon Merch on Demand provides example revenue splits (in dollars, pounds, euros, etc.) for a variety of products in the Resources hub. Once you start using the Merch on Demand Creator dashboard, you can experiment with selling prices above or below the examples offered, but you’ll want to be price sensitive so that you can reach more fans. And be sure to do your research on average pricing of similar products if it’s your first time selling merch in a particular country. Once your merch is up on Amazon.com, use the new merch curation tool to connect it to your Amazon Music profile directly from your Amazon Music for Artists account. This merch curation tool gives artists the opportunity to expand beyond print-on-demand to include physical music or merch you may have for sale through another Amazon selling channel.
Amazon Merch on Demand is the fastest way to start selling on Amazon. There are no upfront fees and no inventory risks since items are printed-to-order. Fans also have the benefit of Prime-eligible shipping, plus Amazon takes care of customer support, returns, and all post-sale operations. Visit artists.amazonmusic.com/merch for more details on how Amazon Music for Artists helps make selling merch easier, as well as details on becoming a seller and protecting your brand.
Want more resources? Check out the Amazon Music for Artists Pro Series on Music Ally for a free five-course video series to learn more about building a business with Amazon Music, including selling merch, reaching audiences on Alexa, livestreaming on Twitch and using in-app tools from Amazon Music for Artists.
Driving past a parking structure in midtown Manhattan, you’d never guess what you’d find inside: a group of jokesters and Post Malone pulling some expert hidden-camera pranks.
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Billboard was on set for a season 10 episode shoot of truTV’s Impractical Jokers, which saw the tatted rapper team up with the show’s stars and long-time friends, Brian “Q” Quinn, James “Murr” Murray and Sal Vulcano. It all went down just a day before Post’s two-night stint at Madison Square Garden on his headlining Twelve Carat Toothache Tour.
The set-up was simple: at the entrance to the lot, Post and Q acted as parking attendants pranking a handful of unsuspecting customers looking to pick-up or drop-off their cars. Murr and Sal were out of sight a few floors up, watching everything go down on a couple monitors while using secret earpieces to guide the duo through each prank. Beyond the main monitors and cameras were bins of props, craft services and a couple dozen other crew members — several of whom were situated in front of their own computers, each controlling a different camera hidden on the main floor.
Post Malone x ‘Impractical Jokers’
Aysia Marotta / truTV
In one prank, Post and Q convince a couple of friends that they stashed roadkill in the trunk of their car (complete with an uber-realistic dead possum). In another, Post brings out a couple’s SUV after seemingly hotboxing it.
“Boss, thanks for letting me smoke that up in there,” Post says to Q stepping out of the car’s passenger seat, coughing as smoke rushes out of the open doors. “Give it about five to ten if you guys don’t want the contact high.”
To make matters worse, the female car owner says she’s allergic to tobacco. “Oh, don’t worry about that, it’s not tobacco,” Q assures her as Murr and Sal cackle off-screen. Unsurprisingly, that isn’t enough for these customers to let it go. Post even offers up a can of Febreze, but the couple really isn’t having it — demanding corporate’s number.
Of course, it’s only a matter of time until it’s all revealed as an elaborate prank. But just how long did it take to get the fake marijuana smoke out of the couple’s car? We may never know.
Watch Post Malone hotbox a stranger’s car in the exclusive clip above before his full episode of Impractical Jokers airs on truTV Thursday, Feb. 16 at 10 p.m. ET.
Post Malone x ‘Impractical Jokers’
Aysia Marotta / truTV
Academy President Janet Yang reiterated that the organization’s response to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 ceremony was “inadequate” and that “we must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively” on similar issues in the future.
Yang addressed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ response to the incident at last year’s awards show during the 2023 Oscars Nominees Luncheon while touching broadly on “their exciting vision” for the 95th iteration of the show.
“As I’m sure you all remember we experienced an unprecedented event at the Oscars,” Yang said. “What happened on stage was wholly unacceptable and the response from the organization was inadequate. We learned from this that the Academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions and particularly in times of crisis.”
“We must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry. You should and can expect no less from us going forward,” she added. “We are committed to maintaining the highest of standards while creating the changes we wish to see in our industry.”
During the 2022 ceremony, ahead of his best Oscar win, Smith took to the Dolby Theatre stage and slapped comedian Rock after he made an unscripted joke about Pinkett Smith’s baldness while presenting an award. Smith has since offered several apologies, in addition to resigning from the Academy, which previously said Smith was asked to leave the ceremony but declined. What ensued was several weeks of deliberation over how to address Smith’s behavior, resulting in the actor being banned from appearing at their events for 10 years.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.”
The Academy previously addressed Smith’s behavior, at one point admitting that “we could have handled the situation differently.” They also called Smith’s actions “unacceptable and harmful behavior” and, once again, noted that they did not “adequately address the situation in the room.”
“This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented,” it concluded.
The remainder of Yang’s speech saw the AMPAS president addressing how the “collaborative nature of cinema” will be the focal point of this year’s ceremony.
“The Academy aims to be a driver of unity for our artists and for the public,” she said. “I urge us all to focus our efforts on nurturing the extraordinary, brilliant community that we inhabit. I want to remind us of the deep respect and love we have for our fellow colleagues and for the art of filmmaking. I invite us to grow together because the collective power of this room and this industry are unstoppable.”
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
The Super Bowl averaged an impressive 113 million viewers on Sunday (Feb. 12), a one percent increase in comparison to last year’s big game and the broadcast’s greatest viewership in six years.
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About 106 million of the viewers watched the game on Fox and a Spanish-language feed on Fox Deportes, while the remainder opted for Fox and NFL digital platforms, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
As expected, viewing peaked during Rihanna‘s halftime performance, which averaged 118.7 million viewers, making it the second-most-watched halftime show on record behind Katy Perry’s 2015 performance.
During her 12-minute show, RiRi was dressed in a curve-hugging red outfit, surprising fans with a pregnant belly during the airborne performance at the State Farm Arena in Glendale, Arizona, where she treated viewers to a medley of some of her biggest hits.
The new baby will have a big sibling, as Rihanna just welcomed her first child with A$AP Rocky in May. “When I first got the call to do it again this year, I was like, [hisses] ‘You sure?’ I’m three months postpartum,” RiRi previously said about accepting the Super Bowl gig, during an Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show press conference earlier in the week. “Should I be making major decisions like this right now? I might regret this. But when you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, so as scary as that was because I haven’t been on stage in seven years, there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all … It’s important for my son to see that.”
After Rihanna took the stage at the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show with what looked like a baby bump under her curve-hugging red outfit, her reps confirmed that the superstar is in fact pregnant with her and A$AP Rocky’s second child.
The star hinted in a pre-game interview with Nate Burleson that she had a surprise in store for fans, but she didn’t end up singing any new songs or bringing out any musical guests to the Super Bowl halftime show stage — proving that the big surprise was her pregnancy.
But RiRi’s bump reveal is hardly the first time a musician has taken an onstage opportunity to announce that she’s expecting, as stars like Beyoncé, Cardi B, Jennifer Lopez and more have all made their pregnancy announcements while performing.
Other artists, who didn’t announce their pregnancies onstage, showed off the power of women with their bumps on full display during major performances at awards shows, festivals and more.
See below for photos of some of the biggest performances by pregnant musicians.
“You will never be able to break my family.”
Universal Pictures unveiled the new trailer for Fast X during Super Bowl LVII on Sunday (Feb. 12), and in the clip, Vin Diesel, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson and their crew face off against a new enemy in Jason Momoa’s Dante Reyes — the son of Fast Five baddie Hernan Reyes who’s now out for revenge.
“Dominic Torretto, you’re about to learn all about fear,” he warns in a voice-over, as an ominous remix of 1997’s “Notorious Thugs” by The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony plays. “You built such a beautiful life, filled with love and family. I never got that chance. You stole that from me: my future, my family. And now I’m gonna break yours piece by piece.”
Diesel’s character later adds: “When it used to be about winning, we raced for respect. Today I race to stop the bloodbath.” But Momoa still, apparently, holds the upper hand, responding, “That’s the problem with having such a big family. How do you choose the ones you save?”
The 10th installment of the Fast & Furious franchise also stars Michelle Rodriguez, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, John Cena, Jason Statham, Sun Kang, Scott Eastwood, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, Rita Moreno and the late Paul Walker via flashbacks. The movie will hit theaters nationwide on May 19.
During the Super Bowl, Ludacris — who’s starred in the action franchise since 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious — also appeared in a new DraftKings commercial opposite Tony Hawk, Kevin Hart, The Undertaker, David Ortiz, Emmitt Smith, Lisa Leslie and Julius Erving.
Watch the trailer for Fast X below.
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Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime performance not only proved that being pregnant won’t stop her from putting on a great show, but that Fenty lipstick can withstand one the world’s biggest stages.
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The singer/makeup mogul put on a spectacular show in a custom-made red jumpsuit and corset from Loewe, a custom Alaïa coat and Fenty’s Icon Velvet Liquid Lipstick in a new shade called “The MVP.”
“That red stage called for the ultimate Rihanna red lip,” said Priscilla Ono, Fenty Beauty Global Makeup Artist. “We wanted her beauty look to celebrate this moment and be a true reflection of her timeless beauty. And to me, there’s nothing more iconic to Rihanna than her soft matte skin and a bold red lip.”
The newest addition to Fenty’s Icon Velvet Liquid Lipstick was released last week and joins a handful of other shades including C-Suite’Heart, RiRi, H.B.I.C. and Bread Winn’r. According to the product description, Fenty Icon Velvet Liquid Lipsticks offers up a “creamy, whipped texture” that “hugs lips with intense color in one precise swipe.” The $29 lipstick is available at FentyBeauty.com, Sephora, Kohl’s and Ulta Beauty.
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The “MVP” Fenty Icon Velvet Lipstick
$29
And that’s not the only Fenty Beauty products that made it to the Super Bowl halftime show. Rih Rih also wore Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Liquid Foundation ($39) and Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder ($36) – which she touched up mid performance – along with various Fenty Skin products to prep her face and lips, including Fenty Skin Plush Puddin’ Lip Mask ($22) and Fenty Skin Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer SPF30 Sunscreen ($38).
Leading up to the Super Bowl, Fenty Beauty released a lineup of Game Day essentials which includes this adorable Showstopp’r Football Sponge ($16), a special NFL Showstopp’r Edition of the best-selling Gloss Bomb lip gloss($20) and the limited-edition Showstopp’r Kit ($76).
Click here to shop Super Bowl merch.