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The glitter, feather boas and rainbows came out for “Elton John Night” on Fox‘s The Masked Singer, and for one former sports professional and icon of the LGBTQ community, the end of the line.
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The Rocket Man and his music was everywhere on the night, as Tiki performed Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Hawk hit “Saturday’s Alright For Fighting,” Husky performed “Bennie and the Jets,” Royal Hen tackled “Philadelphia Freedom,” and, for good measure, judge Robin Thicke performed “Tiny Dancer.”
The two celebrities with the lowest number of votes would enter the knockout. That meant Royal Hen vs. Hawk, on a rendition of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee.
Hawk won the battle of the birds.
Under the Royal Hen mask was Billie Jean King, the tennis legend with 39 Grand Slam titles to her name who is as well remembered for her deeds on the court as those advocacy efforts off it.
King didn’t just perform the song. It’s hers.
Elton and his career-long collaborator Bernie Taupin wrote the song in the early 1970s for King, then a member of the Philadelphia Freedoms professional tennis team.
“You guys are so awesome, thank you so much,” she said after the big reveal.
The experience, on The Masked Singer, yeah “It was great but it was so hot” under that outfit. “I’m sweating bullets”.
King also recounted the moment her friend Elton told her about the song he was writing for her. “If you go to Philadelphia, everyone is still playing it,” she said. “It’s their anthem.”
It was King who, in 1973, lobbied for equal prize money for men and women at the U.S. Open.
Through her work, Flushing Meadows became the first major tournament to offer equal prize money to both sexes. Today, all four Grand Slams offer equal prize money to women and men. King also defeated self-proclaimed chauvinist Bobby Riggs in the so-called “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973, winning in three straight sets.
For her work, King in 2009 received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor, and she’s a recipient of the 1999 Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
King as Royal Hen follow the exit door after Michael Rapaport as Pickle, Tom Sandoval as Diver, Anthony Anderson as Rubber Ducky and Demi Lovato as Anonymouse as season 10’s unmasked celebrities.
Thicke, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Jenny McCarthy return as judges for the latest season, which airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.
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A week after one of U.S. TV’s “supervillains” was unmasked on The Masked Singer, viewers got another surprise Wednesday night (Oct. 11) when Pickle removed his giant prop head.
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The theme of the night was the 2000s, and to drive the point home, *NSYNC’s Lance Bass and The Office actor Kate Flannery were among the special guests.
Wildcard Pickle got the show started off with a rendition of Weezer’s “Beverly Hills”, followed by Gazelle with a cover of Britney Spears’ “Lucky,” and S’more’s rendition of Plain White T’s’ “Hey There Delilah.”
Pickle and S’more bottomed out with lowest vote count, which meant a head-to-head on Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Goin Down.”
The green guy got himself into a pickle; yes, Pickle was sent packing.
But first, the big reveal. Under the mildly terrifying Pickle helmet was Michael Rapaport, the New York City-based actor, funnyman and self-styled disruptor, who, on multiple occasions, has used his social channels to unload on Fox, the network behind The Masked Singer.
Rapaport, as he does, delivered one of his signature rants, with shoutouts for each of the panelists, “Oh no. I didn’t just do great, I did fantastic. I was unbelievable,” he remarked. “The crowd went crazy.”
Changing tone, the True Romance star added, “In all seriousness I had a great time, I love this show, I love (host Nick Cannon), I love all these guys. The crowd was great, I hope they’re feeding you.”
When the deed was done, Rapaport posted a clip from the green room and backstage, with the caption: “The People’s Pickle. Big dill energy to the entire world and beyond. Smile for a moment if you can.”
Hosted by Cannon, the latest season includes a 16-strong fleet of contestants disguised in extravagant costumes including a Husky, Royal Hen, Tiki, Hawk, Hibiscus and Anteater.
Rapaport as Pickle joins Tom Sandoval as Diver, Anthony Anderson as Rubber Ducky and Demi Lovato as Anonymouse as season 10’s unmasked celebrities.
Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke, Jeong and Jenny McCarthy return as judges for the latest season, which airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.
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For NFL night on Wednesday, Oct. 4, The Masked Singer threw the ball to a handful of celebrity contestants. Four scored, and for one, the Diver, a fumble and exit.
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After Pickle (singing The Who’s “Pinball Wizard”), Gazelle (Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away”), Cow (Bruno Mars’ “Treasure”), S’more (Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger”), and Diver (OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried”) gave it their best shot, Diver was given the heave-ho.
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When the helmet came off, the confetti fell, jaws dropped and Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules supervillain Tom Sandoval gave the crowd a wave.
Ken Jeong chose right for the second straight week. And with it, season 10 of Fox’s bizarre singing competition unmasked perhaps the “second-most hated person” in its history, notes Variety’s Michael Schneider, behind only disgraced former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who appeared in season seven.
If Jeong guessed right, he wasn’t the only one. Internet sleuths figured out the man behind the mask well ahead of the big reveal.
“So much fun,” Sandoval said of his experience on The Masked Singer. “Being able to come out here and perform behind the mask, not being judged, just being judged on my performance, it was really nice.”
Being a top TV villain, was it tough going on the show? “It was, but it was nice, I felt protected under the mask,” he continued. “This costume is incredible. There’s so many talented people here I feel honored to be part of it.”
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Hosted by Nick Cannon, the latest season includes a 16-strong fleet of contestants disguised in extravagant costumes including a Husky, Royal Hen, Tiki, Hawk, Hibiscus and Anteater.
Sandoval (Diver) joins Anthony Anderson as Rubber Ducky and Demi Lovato as Anonymouse as season 10’s unmasked celebrities.
Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke, Jeong and Jenny McCarthy return as judges for the latest season, which airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.
The British invasion was the theme. But at the conclusion of The Masked Singer’s episode on Wednesday night, an American beauty queen was sent packing.
Fox’s quirky series has reached the pointy end of the season, with just four contestants remaining in the game.
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Make that three, after UFO was unmasked on the latest show.
Episode 12 of the current ninth season was devoted to the British wave. California Roll tackled Radiohead’s “Creep,” Macaw sang Elton John’s “Your Song,” UFO performed the late Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own,” and Medusa hit Adele’s “Someone Like You.”
The singer with the fewest votes is out.
Sadly for UFO, she took off for her last flight on The Masked Singer.
When the helmet came off, Olivia Culpo came out smiling. “That was fun you guys,” remarked the model, influencer and former Miss Universe.
Culpo’s talent has remained a secret until now. “I’m no Nicole Scherzinger but I like to sing in the shower,” she quipped.
And will she pursue a career in singing after her QF run? Well, no, the shower will remain her platform. “I might just bump it up a notch in there.”
Pussycat Doll Scherzinger remarked that Culpo had the best energy and spirit among this season’s contestants, but that wasn’t enough to see her progress to the final.
Culpo thanked the show for the opportunity and, “although I had a mask on, this is more of my personality that I got to share for the first time. So much of what I feel I have to do is not about that, people don’t want to see your personality. So, this was really really fun for me.”
With Culpo (as UFO) heading home, she joins the likes of Lou Diamond Phillips (Mantis), Dee Snider (Doll), Grandmaster Flash (Polar Bear), Debbie Gibson (Night Owl) as unmasked singers.
This season’s batch of celebrities boast a combined 28 Emmy nominations, six Grammy wins, 10 gold albums, four Golden Globe nominations, two Tony Award nominations, and four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, according to producers.
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Tucker Carlson, he of slanted opinions and owner of one of the most punchable faces in America, is now out of a job. According to rapidly developing reports, the longtime Fox News host has agreed to part ways amicably with the network, or that is what allegedly happened.
Tucker Carlson, 53, has been a Fox News media team member since 2009 after a three-year stint with MSNBC. Carlson has hosted the Tucker Carlson Tonight show on Fox News since 2016.
Via a statement that was first reported by the Associated Press, Fox News said that they “agreed to part ways” with Carlson, and this announcement comes just after the network settled a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems and how the network reported on the 2020 election.
Carlson, whose show was one of the most popular on the network, aired its last episode this past Friday (April 21).
“We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” added the press release from Fox News.
Carlson has attracted plenty of attention as one of the leading voices in so-called conservative media, and also for his on-air gaffes and outward support of former president Donald Trump. Carlson’s departure from Fox News likely wasn’t over the $787 million settlement the network has to pay Dominion Voting Systems However, Carlson did question the network’s coverage of the election and privately stated that he was not a true fan of Trump.
On Twitter, the news of Tucker Carlson leaving Fox News is starting to bubble with reactions from most rubbing a bit of salt in the wound. Given the rise of podcasts that lean right of center coming out, Carlson should be working again in no time.
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The ‘80s are back, baby, at least on Wednesday night’s (March 29) edition of The Masked Singer, where three contestants took a trip back to a time when muscles ruled Hollywood, and big hair was how it got done.
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Off the bat, Dolly performed Simple Minds’ Breakfast Club hit “Don’t You Forget About Me,” Scorpio tackled Cyndi Lauper’s signature song “Girls just Want Have Fun,” and Moose hit “The Power of Love,” Huey Lewis and The News’ hit soundtrack from Back to the Future.
Sadly for Moose, the big guy got the chop.
Under the antlers was George Wendt, the Emmy-nominated actor and funnyman, better known to millions as Norm from Cheers.
What made him want to try-on the Moose helmet? “Well, you know, I thought maybe I’d win,” he told host Nick Cannon. And how did it fit? “It was profoundly ridiculous.”
With Moose out of the picture, Scorpio and Doll went at it for a Battle Royale, in a face-off to Duran Duran’s early masterpiece “Hungry Like The Wolf.”
There could be one winner, and that was Doll.
Scorpio, it would seem, wasn’t ready to remove the mask. In an awkward moment, the stinging singer struggled to get that helmet off and needed assistance form two men in black.
Underneath was Christine Quinn, star of the reality TV series Selling Sunset. “You gave it all,” said Robin Thicke, praising her losing efforts in the Battle Royale.
“If I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna go out with a bang,” she said. And Quinn did just that — bang, and she’s out.
Why do the Masked Singer? “I’ve always loved this show and I was like, I want to be on that show. Girls just want to have fun,” was her response.
Quinn went on to describe herself as a “closet singer,” and dropped some truth bombs: “so the fact that I’m here on the stage singing in front of people, that just goes to show anything is possible if you put your mind to it and practice.”
Wendt and Quinn join a growing group of unmasked celebrities in this season nine of Fox’s wacky hit.
Others include Holly Robinson Peete (Fairy), Alexa Bliss (Axolotl) Malin Akerman (Squirrel), Lele Pons (Jackalope), Michael Bolton (Wolf), Grandmaster Flash (Polar Bear), Debbie Gibson (Night Owl), Howie Mandel (Rock Lobster), Sara Evans (Mustang) and Dick Van Dyke (Gnome).
An ‘80s TV star had to jump as The Masked Singer went country on Wednesday night (March 22).
Holly Robinson Peete, the author, singer and actress who made her name on 21 Jump Street, alongside a young Johnny Depp, was one of two celebrities unmasked on “Country Night”.
Dressed to impress as Fairy, the multi-hyphenate performed “Angel of Montgomery” by Bonnie Raitt, then engaged in a head-to-head “Battle Royale” with Macaw on Shania Twain’s hit “That Don’t Impress Me Much.”
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Sadly, for Robinson Peete, one had to go home.
“How did you not know it was me,” she questioned Nick Cannon and the four panelists. No hard feelings.
“I’ve so enjoyed this,” she enthused. “This was a lot of fun.”
So why do the show? “I’ve always been sort of a closet singer.” It turns out, she sang the theme for 21 Jump Street, and gave an impromptu example for the cameras.
This isn’t her first rodeo. Robinson Peete won “Sesame Street Night,” and her dad, we learned, is Matt Robinson, the original Gordon from the beloved kids show. Dad used to talk to Oscar the Grouch, daughter got to sing to the trash dude. “Talk about a full circle moment,” she remarked.
Earlier, Axolotl performed Leann Rimes’ “Can’t Fight the Moonlight”.
She couldn’t fight the unmasking, though. Under the helmet was five-time WWE women’s champion Alexa Bliss.
Despite crunching rivals on the canvas for a living, singing for an audience is well-outside her comfort zone. “This was something that was personal for me because I have actually crippling stage-fright when it comes to singing,” she explained.
“I actually cried backstage before coming out here because I was just so nervous. But I am just so proud of myself because I conquered my fears. And y’all were so great.”
Bliss added, “I deal with anxiety and this was something that I wanted to show I can make myself proud.” And for those of us with fears, some advice: “Do something every day that scares you because I did that today and it was so fun.”
Robinson Peete and Bliss join a growing group of unmasked celebrities in this season nine of Fox’s wacky hit. Others include Malin Akerman (Squirrel), Lele Pons (Jackalope), Michael Bolton (Wolf), Grandmaster Flash (Polar Bear), Debbie Gibson (Night Owl), Howie Mandel (Rock Lobster), Sara Evans (Mustang) and Dick Van Dyke (Gnome).
Sesame Street, that special, friendly place where every door opens wide, was the theme for The Masked Singer on Wednesday night (March 15). For two unlucky contestants, both foreign-born females, those doors slammed shut on the competition.
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Season 9, episode 5 got underway with Elmo, Big Bird, the Count and Co. performing “What’s The Name of that Song,” then lighting the fuse for BTS’ “Dynamite” with judges Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke.
After performing “Just The Two of Us” by Grover Washington Jr., Squirrel was the first to go. Under the furry helmet was Malin Akerman, the Sweden-born, Canada-based raised actress and model.
Despite being tapped to leave, Akerman wore a smile that could be seen a mile away. Jeong paid tribute to her talent, remarking “you have an amazing voice, you’re just one of the sweetest people.”
Why enter the zany world of Fox’s The Masked Singer, remarked Scherzinger. Apparently the contestant watches it with her son, who was in the audience, and her dad, who made the trip from Sweden.
“Everyone dreams of being a rock star,” Akerman remarked. “It’s such an honor to be here.”
With Squirrel moving on out, that pitted Fairy (who performed “You’re No Good” by Linda Ronstadt) and Jackalope (who performed “Whenever Wherever” by Shakira) in a “Battle Royale.”
The two tussled with “On Top Of The World,” for an over-the-top performance.
Only one would progress — Fairy. On receiving her marching orders, Jackalope lifted the disguise to reveal Lele Pons, the Venezuela-born singer and social media influencer.
Host Nick Cannon quipped how he couldn’t tell her talents from Shakira. Scherzinger gushed about her “beautiful voice” and how she “really showcased it” on the show.
So, why do the show? “I love to do new things,” Pons remarked. “I don’t like to repeat stuff so I’m here now and I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow.” One thing’s for sure – she won’t be on The Masked Singer.
Akerman and Pons join a growing list of unmasked celebrities, including Michael Bolton (Wolf), Grandmaster Flash (Polar Bear), Debbie Gibson (Night Owl), Howie Mandel (Rock Lobster), Sara Evans (Mustang) and Dick Van Dyke (Gnome).
The latest contestant to lift the helmet on season nine of The Masked Singer now has extra time for sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tide do its stuff.
Wednesday night’s (March 8) episode was a flex for the DC comic universe, with the judges all playing their part in costume, and the show appropriately opening by way of Nicole Scherzinger (in a Catwoman suit) tackling Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero.”
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Three new contestants showed their best, with Gargoyle striking the first blow with a performance of Charlie Puth’s “One Call Away”.
Next up, Wolf with a rendition of the Doors’ “Break on Through,” followed by Squirrel’s take on Pink’s “Try”.
The canine, however, got canned.
When the helmet came off, the celebrity inside was none other than late ’80s/early ‘90s crooner Michael Bolton, who, during his career, has bagged a brace of Grammy Awards and Billboard Hot 100 leaders, with “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” and “When A Man Loves A Woman.”
“I could get used to being the Wolf,” he told host Nick Cannon on his exit. “It’s great, the audience is great, the show’s great,” said the clearly-disappointed singer.
And what next for the blue-eyed soul man? “I’ve got some things going on, an album coming out in the spring. It’s about making this a beautiful world, despite what’s going on, whatever the climb we’ve got to do our best to make it a beautiful world.”
With Bolton unmasked, Squirrel and Gargoyle entered a Battle Royale, squaring off to 3 Doors Down’s “Kryptonite.”
Squirrel won, but Gargoyle was handed a reprieve by the judging panel.
Earlier, during the premiere of season nine, the Gnome was unmasked to reveal the Emmy, Golden Globe, Tony and Grammy-winning entertainer and comedian Dick Van Dyke. Also unmasked on episode one was the Mustang, who turned out to be “A Little Bit Stronger” singer Sara Evans.
Fox’s unusual hit returns next week with a Sesame Street-themed episode.
Watch Bolton’s performance of “Break On Through,” his unmasking, the Battle Royale and Gargoyle’s save.
For Machine Gun Kelly and Fox, the devil might be in the details.
Citing the name of Kelly’s 2019 album Hotel Diablo, lawyers for the superstar last week quietly launched a legal battle to block the television network from securing a trademark on the term “Diablo” — the name of a character on Fox’s animated sitcom HouseBroken.
Fox Media LLC applied to register the term as a trademark for selling a wide range of goods “in connection with an animated, dog-like character.” That was clearly a reference to “Diablo,” an anthropomorphic terrier voiced by Tony Hale on the hit animated show, which rolled out its second season earlier this month.
But in a case filed on Tuesday (Dec. 13) at the federal trademark office, lawyers for Kelly’s company Lace Up LLC argued that Fox’s trademark was “confusingly similar in overall commercial” to the term “Hotel Diablo,” meaning consumers might be duped into thinking that Kelly was somehow involved in the Fox merch.
Kelly’s lawyers appear to have filed the case because their own application, seeking to register “Hotel Diablo” as a trademark, was suspended earlier this year due to the existence of the Fox “Diablo” application.
Released on July 5, 2019, Hotel Diablo wasn’t as big a hit as Kelly’s more recent chart-topping albums Tickets To My Downfall and Mainstream Sellout, but it still reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and eventually spent 20 weeks on the chart.
In December 2020, Kelly’s Lace Up LLC applied at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to secure a trademark registration on the album name — a maneuver commonly used by major artists that makes it easier to sue over fake merch, online scammers and other brand infringements. Kelly’s company already owns such a registration for his “MGK” logo, and is currently seeking similar protection for “Machine Gun Kelly” itself as well as the name of his famous “Rap Devil” diss track and many other terms he claims as trademarks.
But in February, the USPTO suspended Lace Up’s application on the grounds that it might be confusingly similar to Fox “Diablo” application, which had been filed six months earlier in June 2020.
So last week, Kelly’s lawyers filed the current case at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, a court-like body within the USPTO where rival trademark owners can battle over who has better rights to a disputed name. They say the star has “priority of use” and that Fox’s application must be denied.
“Because of the similarity between the DIABLO Mark and the HOTEL DIABLO Mark, and because the goods covered under the DIABLO Application are related to the goods sold under the HOTEL DIABLO Mark, consumers are likely to be confused, mistaken, or deceived into believing that Applicant’s goods originate with Opposer or are in some way associated with or connected, sponsored, or authorized by Opposer,” Kelly’s lawyers wrote.
The filing of the case will initiate a lawsuit-like proceeding, in which Fox will have a chance to respond to defend its “Diablo” trademark and the board will ultimately issue a ruling. But many such disputes end with settlements, including with a simple agreement that the two brands can co-exist peacefully without confusing consumers.
An attorney for Kelly’s company and a rep for Fox did not immediately return a request for comment.