lifestyle

08 Jan 2025

Stream ‘Wallace & Gromit’ and ‘Flow,’ Get 2-for-1 Broadway Tickets: Billboard Family Hits of the Week

Broadway Week in NYC is an annual ticket promotion that basically offers the chance to get Broadway tickets for half price (when you buy a pair), or the opportunity to get an upgraded seat location at a discounted price. If Broadway’s been on your family’s wish list, this could be a good time to make a trip to the city. Tickets for 2025 just went on sale and are available here.

The discount code to buy two tickets for the price of one is: BWAYWK25

The discount code to buy “better seat locations” at $138.50 per ticket is: BWAYUP25

Discounted tickets were made available for the following Broadway shows: & Juliet, Aladdin, A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, The Book of Mormon, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Chicago, Cult of Love, Death Becomes Her, English, Eureka Day, The Great Gatsby, Gypsy, Hadestown, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hell’s Kitchen, Left on Tenth, The Lion King, Maybe Happy Ending, MJ, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Oh, Mary!, Redwood, Romeo + Juliet, Six the Musical, Sunset Blvd and Wicked.

For elementary school-aged kids and older: Wicked is the obvious go-to right now, but seemingly too popular — I looked for tickets for my own kid at on-sale, and didn’t find anything that worked for us. They sold out quickly. The Lion King is a great choice for most families; Aladdin is also available. Both Disney productions suggest they’re best for ages 6 and up. It’s generally recommended to wait until kids are at least 4 to sit through any Broadway musical, in respect of the performers (and other patrons who paid to see the show without interruptions), but 6 is a better bet.

For tweens and up: Consider Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (this one is not a musical, and it’s a long show, but it’s a must-see for lovers of the Harry Potter series), Hadestown (especially for kids interested in Greek mythology) and Six the Musical.

For teens and older: Whether they love a good Broadway musical or find the idea of a Broadway musical cringe, Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler starring in Romeo + Juliet — with music by Jack Antonoff — might pique their interest. Other shows to look into that teens will likely enjoy: Maybe Happy Ending and The Great Gatsby.

07 Jan 2025

will.i.am Unveils New ‘xboom’ Speakers Enhanced With AI

LG kicked off CES 2025 with a slew of announcements, including new AI capabilities, smart fridges, and a new audio line developed in partnership with will.i.am. Labeled as “xboom by will.i.am,” the collection includes a mix of bluetooth speakers and wireless earbuds, personally fine-tuned by the producer and artist himself.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The family of XBOOM speakers – the xboom Bounce, Grab, and Stage 301 – are fortified with seamless AI features for a next-level listening experience. Per LG, the devices can conduct AI analysis and calibration to recognize its surroundings and adjust the sound option to fit the environment. XBOOM speakers also now feature a dedicated button for users to instantly connect to will.i.am’s RAiDiO.FYI platform to enjoy a variety of content tailored for each listener by an AI Radio Host.

Trending on Billboard

The Black Eyed Peas frontman made a surprise appearance at CES, where LG also appointed him as the “experiential architect” of the XBOOM brand, with a goal of establishing it as a “culture-forward” brand through sound and design. Each product released through the line will be tested and designed in conjunction with Will.

The “xboom by will.i.am” line will roll out in global markets later this year, but in the meantime, there are plenty of other must-have XBOOM speakers already available to purchase, including the very affordable XBOOM XG2T portable speaker.

Shop XBOOM speakers below.

LG Announces will.i.am XBOOM Speakers: See Photos, Features, Pricing

LG XBOOM XG2T Speaker

LG Announces will.i.am XBOOM Speakers: See Photos, Features, Pricing

LG XBOOM Go Portable Speaker

LG Announces will.i.am XBOOM Speakers: See Photos, Features, Pricing

LG XBOOM Go P7 Speakers

$119.90

$149

20% off

LG Announces will.i.am XBOOM Speakers: See Photos, Features, Pricing

LG XBOOM XL5S Tower Speaker

The musician will be back in Vegas soon: he kicks off a new Black Eyed Peas residency at Planet Hollywood in February.

07 Jan 2025

Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck Settle Their Divorce

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have settled their divorce. The singer-actress filed court papers Monday (Jan. 6) asking a judge to officially approve an agreement struck in September that would finalize the divorce.  

The latest filing comes about five months after the “Let’s Get Loud” musician submitted her divorce petition on Aug. 20, 2024 — which would have been the exes’ two-year anniversary of their Georgia ceremony — listing their date of separation as April 26, 2024. In her initial documents, the singer-actress cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split. 

According to the settlement documents obtained by Billboard, the two stars agreed on terms to divide up their properties and assets. Both waived spousal support and agreed to equally split the legal fees of their negotiation, which was mediated by Laura Wasser. Lopez will also be changing her legal name back from Jennifer Affleck to Jennifer Lopez.  

Trending on Billboard

The pair first started dating in 2002 after meeting on the set of Gigli, later getting engaged before calling off their wedding in 2004. Nearly two decades later, the pair reignited their relationship in 2021 and tied the knot in a Georgia ceremony the next year. 

“I never thought that he and I would get back together,” Lopez told Billboard in February 2024 of their relationship ahead of the release of her film This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, which chronicled their rekindled romance. “I just couldn’t give up on the idea that there was something amazing out there for me, even when it got really bad — and it did at times. I always believed deep, deep down to not give up completely.” 

The Marry Me actress was previously married to Ojani Noa, Cris Judd and Marc Anthony, with whom she shares two kids. Affleck was previously married to Jennifer Garner; the two share three children. 

In October, Lopez opened up about her feelings toward being single again following her split from Affleck. “I think to myself, ‘F–k, that is exactly what I needed,’” she told Interview. “Thank you, God. I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m sorry that you had to do this to me so many times. I should have learned it two or three times ago. I get it … I’m not looking for anybody, because everything that I’ve done over the past 25, 30 years, being in these different challenging situations, what can I f–king do when it’s just me flying on my own … What if I’m just free?” 

07 Jan 2025

Pamela Anderson Was Afraid to Fly After She ‘Almost Got Killed’ By Crazed Passenger Who Mistook Her For Member of The Chicks

Pamela Anderson is flying high at the moment thanks to the most glowing notices of her career in The Last Showgirl. But the actress and former Baywatch star revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast this week that years ago a man threatened to kill her on a plane when he mistook her for a member of country trio The Chicks.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Responding to a question about whether she’s ever been mistaken for another celebrity, Anderson said, “This one time, I was on a flight and this guy came up to me and said, ‘Do you know what this country’s done for you?’” Anderson said, describing a scene where the man lashed out at her, seemingly in response to the 2003 backlash against the group — then known as the Dixie Chicks — over a comment by singer Natalie Maines denigrating President George W. Bush. “And I was like, ‘Oh, my God. What have I done?’ I was like, ‘Oh god.’ I looked back and he was [angry]. Then this stewardess had to handcuff him to the chair because he was trying to attack me.”

Golden Globe nominee Anderson added, “Ended up he thought I was a Dixie Chick. Remember that whole Dixie Chick thing? I almost got killed on a plane. I was scared to fly after that, a little bit.”

Trending on Billboard

Though she did not specify the timeline of the incident, it appeared she was talking about the period in 2003 after Maines said during a concert in London in March of that year that she was ashamed that Bush was a fellow Texan in response to the U.S.’s invasion of Iraq. The Chicks’ career went into a tailspin following the backlash, impacting their record sales and radio play for years, a situation chronicled in the 2006 doc Shut Up and Sing.

See Anderson on HSC below (Chicks talk comes around 49-minute mark).

06 Jan 2025

Ye Performs Hits at Wife Bianca Censori’s 30th Birthday Party

Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — has been ringing in the new year spending time with his wife, Bianca Censori, vacationing in the Maldives.

He threw her a 30th birthday bash over the weekend, which even saw West pick up a mic on Saturday night (Jan. 4) and perform a string of his hit records for the intimate crowd in attendance. Footage has since gone viral on social media featuring Ye performing anthems such as “Homecoming,” “Touch the Sky,” “On Sight,” “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt.1” and more.

Grinning ear to ear, the rapper looked as happy as ever surrounded by friends with his arm caressing Censori while he delivered an impromptu concert for those in the room.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“Happy birthday baby,” he captioned a black-and-white clip on X featuring Censori in her birthday suit taking a bath.

The Chicago native has given followers glimpses of his Maldives trip to kick off 2025 in his return to Instagram and X while fans await the arrival of his forthcoming Bully album at some point this year.

West’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, also recently quoted some Ye bars circa Watch The Throne with her New Year’s Day post to Instagram. “Sunglasses & Advil… last night was mad trill,” she wrote in her caption, which was a repost from July 2012 from her own account. 

Ye and the reality star — who share four children together — finalized their divorce in November 2022; she had filed to split in February 2021. Ye reportedly married Censori in December 2022, a month after he and the Skims mogul finalized the end of their marriage.

06 Jan 2025

Zendaya and Tom Holland Are Engaged: Reports

After years of keeping their relationship under the radar, Spider-Man costars Zendaya and Tom Holland are engaged. People magazine confirmed that the 28-year-old actors are preparing to tie the knot after Holland reportedly proposed at one of Zendaya’s family homes over the holidays; TMZ was first to report the news about the holiday proposal.

Z sparked rumors of a possible engagement after fans noticed that the Dune: Part Two star appeared to be sporting a large diamond ring on her left ring finger at Sunday night’s (Jan. 5) 2025 Golden Globe Awards. The magazine reported that the ring appeared to be a 5.02-carat East-West Cushion Diamond Button Back Ring by Jessica McCormack.

For years, the pair who played couple Peter Parker and Michelle “MJ” Jones in the Spider-Man films have played coy with the press about their relationship status, with Zendaya brushing off previous rumors of an engagement in September 2023 after the actress was spotted with a large ring on her finger.

But after they had their first on-screen kiss in 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, whispers began to bubble up that they were also romantically involved off-screen. After getting photographed kissing in a car in July 2021, People noted that the couple made it Instagram official later that year via a selfie from Z’s 25th birthday party in which Holland referred to Zendaya as “my MJ” in the caption.

And though they have appeared to keep the fires burning over the past four years, Holland recently revealed to Men’s Health why you are not likely to see them walking the red carpet a big awards shows, like the Globes. “Because it’s not my moment, it’s her moment, and if we go together, it’s about us,” he told the magazine about why he tends to skip most non-mandatory public events and attends Zendaya’s premieres, but doesn’t pose for pictures with her.

Though neither Holland nor Zendaya had confirmed the reported engagement at press time — Billboard has reached out to both actors’ reps for comment — at the very least you can expect to see them on-screen together alongside Matt Damon in director Christopher Nolan’s upcoming adaptation of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey.

06 Jan 2025

Naomi Osaka & Cordae Break Up After More Than 5 Years Together: ‘No Bad Blood at All’

Naomi Osaka and Cordae have broken up after more than five years together, the tennis champ announced Monday (Jan. 6).

In a straightforward letter posted to her Instagram Story, Osaka revealed that she and the rapper — with whom she shares 18-month-old daughter Shai — have called it quits, but emphasized that there’s “no bad blood at all.” “Hi everyone, just wanted to say that Cordae and I are no longer in a relationship,” she began.

“He’s a great person and an awesome dad,” the former Olympian continued. “Honestly really glad our paths crossed because my daughter is my biggest blessing and I was able to grow a lot from our experiences together.”

Billboard has reached out to Cordae’s rep for comment.

Shortly before confirming their split, Osaka had also hinted at a major life change in an Instagram post Sunday (Jan. 5). Amid a carousel of photos from some of her beach and hiking adventures — as well as a couple snaps showing off her 2025 ASB Classic Women’s Singles finalist trophy — the athlete included another written message that read, “I’ve come to the conclusion that what’s meant for me is meant for me.”

“Maybe certain situations occur to train my mind for what’s to come,” she’d continued. “Maybe there’s bigger and better things on my path, and I just have to continue the journey to encounter them.”

Osaka and the “RNP” musician first sparked dating rumors in April 2019, two months after which Cordae confirmed the relationship in an interview with HOT 97 by saying, “That’s my girl.” Four years later, the tennis pro announced that they were expecting their first child shortly after withdrawing from the 2023 Australian Open; that July, the pair welcomed Shai.

Cordae’s latest album, The Crossroads, arrived in November and earned a spot at No. 19 on Billboard‘s Best Rap Albums of 2024 list.

04 Jan 2025

Selena Gomez’s Sleek Style Shifts From Menswear-Inspired to Pretty in Pink in Palm Springs

Selena Gomez was photographed on two red carpets, styled in contrasting and confident looks, in Palm Springs, California, on Friday and Saturday (Jan. 3 and 4).

Gomez was in town for the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Film Awards Gala, where she accepted the Vanguard Award with the cast of Emilia Pérez and the film’s director, Jacques Audiard.

The singer-actress walked the Palm Springs Film Fest red carpet Friday night in a custom, monochromatic suit by Ralph Lauren. The pearl-white, menswear-inspired ensemble included long-length trousers that covered her shoes, which were paired with a sheer top worn under a vest and an open blazer, all topped off with a matching necktie. Her hair was smoothly pulled back in a bun.

Meanwhile, a Saturday brunch organized by Variety saw Gomez looking demure in a baby pink, tweed Oscar de la Renta minidress with long sleeves, a modest neckline, and a short skirt featuring cherry blossom-embroidered pockets. The dress, from the designer’s pre-fall 2025 collection, was complemented by light pink heels and soft, wavy hair parted in the middle and worn down.

Trending on Billboard

The brunch was held to recognize the publication’s 10 Directors to Watch and Creative Impact Awards. Emilia Pérez director Audiard was honored with the Creative Impact in Directing Award.

“Your films are not just entertainment, they’re experiences,” Gomez said in tribute to her director. “Emilia Pérez is a powerful and poignant exploration of love, loss and the human condition. It is a true honor ro celebrate your incredible talent.”

Gomez, who’s engaged to marry producer Benny Blanco, wore her marquise-cut diamond engagement ring both days. The couple recently shared sweet photos from their time together over the holidays and celebrating the new year.

See Gomez’s complete red carpet looks, styled by Erin Walsh, from the Palm Springs Film Festival on Friday and Variety‘s brunch on Saturday:

Selena Gomez Palm Springs Film Fest 2025

Selena Gomez attends the 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Awards at Palm Springs Convention Center on Jan. 3, 2025 in Palm Springs, California.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Palm Springs International Film Society

Selena Gomez Palm Springs 2025

Selena Gomez attends Variety Presents The Creative Impact Awards and 10 Directors to Watch Brunch at Parker Palm Springs on Jan.4 , 2025 in Palm Springs, California.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

02 Jan 2025

Coi Leray Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Trippie Redd: ‘I’m a Rock Star Mommy’

Coi Leray is going to be a mom. The Boston rapper kicked off 2025 in a major way, as she and Trippie Redd are expecting their first child together.

Leray revealed her pregnancy in an announcement to social media on Wednesday (Jan. 1). “I’m a rock star mommy we ready for 2025,” she captioned an Instagram carousel of photos of her baby bump, with two photos also featuring Trippie.

Congratulatory messages poured into her comments section from her fellow female artists such as Anycia, BIA, Lady London, GloRilla, Mariah the Scientist, Ice Spice, Shenseea, Kehlani and DreamDoll, who revealed a pregnancy of her own earlier this week.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“Congrats! You finally got what you wanted you’re gonna loveee the journey sis,” Shenseea wrote.

Trending on Billboard

Coi and Trippie dated back in 2019 before breaking things off not long after. During that time, Leray accompanied Redd to the Billboard NYC office for his ! album press run.

The couple went their separate ways, but rekindled their romance in August 2024. Trippie relayed to TMZ that he slid into Coi’s DMs and things flourished from there. “We just been talking. That’s my boo,” he said in September.

Some of their relationship drama was poured into music, as Trippie dedicated “Leray” from A Love Letter to You 4 to his then-ex in 2019. Coi mentioned Trippie years later on 2023’s “Isabel Marant.”

“At first, no, I didn’t like it. It was very like, ‘What the f–k,’ because I always thought we really had something outside of the music,” Coi said of her response to “Leray” in an interview with No Jumper. “So I’m just like, ‘Damn. If you got something to say, let’s get together and you say that s–t to my face.’”

31 Dec 2024

Britney Spears Praises ‘Genius’ Son Jayden, Says ‘Earth Shakes’ When He Plays

Britney Spears can’t stop gushing over her younger son, Jayden James Federline, following their emotional Christmas reunion.

On Tuesday (Dec. 31), the 43-year-old pop icon took to Instagram to share a series of photos of her 18-year-old son, reflecting on their similar appearances and appearing to praise his musical talents.

“Mine forever !!! It’s weird we’re like twins but he’s a boy and I’m a girl !!!” Spears wrote in the caption, adding, “He’s mine I hadn’t seen him in 2 and half years or maybe 3 !!! I’m in shock !!!”

The post includes several photos of Jayden sporting a maroon colored T-shirt, baggy blue jeans and white sneakers, while gazing into the distance against a backdrop of a dirt patch and blue sky.

“He came back and he feels older and smarter than me !!! He’s a man and I cry everyday of my life because of the miracle and genius he is !!! When he plays the whole earth shakes !!!” Spears shared.

Trending on Billboard

Jayden recently showcased his musical skills in a video posted on Instagram on Dec. 21. In the split-screen clip, the budding artist is seen nodding along to a catchy beat.

Spears’ latest post follows her Christmas Day message, where she expressed her joy at finally reuniting with Jayden after a lengthy separation. “Best Christmas of my life !!! I haven’t seen my boys in 2 years !!!” she shared on Instagram. “Tears of joy and literally in shock everyday koo koo crazy so in love and blessed !!! I’m speechless thank you Jesus !!!”

The “…Baby One More Time” singer also shared a sweet video of her and Jayden spending time together in front of a cozy fireplace.

Spears shares Jayden and his older brother, 19-year-old Sean Preston, with ex-husband Kevin Federline. The couple married in September 2004 and divorced in July 2007. After the split, Federline gained custody of the boys, who relocated to Hawaii with him last year. Spears also had a brief reunion with Jayden in early November when he visited her at her Los Angeles home, according to People.