Music News

17 Jan 2024

Ariana Grande’s Fans Are ‘Not Okay’ After Her New Album Announcement: See the Reactions

If anyone has cause to celebrate this week, it’s Arianators. After waiting a long four years for a new album from their idol, Ariana Grande has at last announced that her new album, Eternal Sunshine, is arriving in less than two months.

The news came in a Wednesday morning (Jan. 17) Instagram post from Grande, who shared the project’s release date, March 8, as well as some of its cover artwork. The photos feature the Grammy winner posing with red lips — which are already a hallmark of her new musical era — in a babydoll top and sheer tulle gloves.

“eternal sunshine ? ☼ ⋆｡˚⋆ฺ 3.8,” she captioned the post.

The announcement came days after the pop star dropped the album’s lead single “Yes, And?,” Grande’s first proper solo material since her 2020 album Positions. Between the two LPs, the Victorious alum had purposefully stepped away from music to focus on her R.E.M. Beauty business and her role as Glinda in the upcoming live action Wicked films.

Needless to say, her fanbase is stoked after Wednesday’s notice. “WE ARE GETTING A BRAND NEW ARIANA GRANDE ALBUM IN LESS THAN 2 MONTHS OH MY GOD,” tweeted one Arianator, sharing a clip of a woman shrieking with disbelief in an old episode of Maury Povich’s eponymous talk show.

“ariana grande coming this march to save the music industry oh yall are NOT ready,” wrote another fan, while a third simply stated, “ariana grande just announced an album. i am not okay.”

See some of the best reactions to Grande’s Eternal Sunshine announcement below:

17 Jan 2024

Usher Has Set a Very High Bar For His Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Set: ‘It Has to Be Perfect’

Though he’s currently running through the paces of rehearsals for his first go at it, Usher knows the rigors of preparing a Super Bowl halftime show. With just 13 minutes to perform a career-spanning set and eight minutes to set up the stage, the singer told Vogue magazine in a new digital cover story that there he knows there is no room for error.

“It has to be perfect,” said the “Yeah!” singer known for his mind-bendingly smooth dance moves and elaborate staging. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I want people who have been a part of that journey to feel like it’s a celebration for everybody, for all of us, from the beginning up until this point.”

Because the pre-game specifics of the halftime show are notoriously tightly-held, there were no details to share about what songs fan can expect to hear, even though Usher did give the magazine a sneak peek about his Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII set. Among the items definitely on the checklist: roller skating, killer choreography, one major costume change and, unlike last year’s performer, Rihanna, some special guests.

“This night was specifically curated in my mind to have R&B take the main stage,” he said, teasing that he’s pulled together a team who represent the architects of the genre to help him compile the set list. “Not just R&B music, but R&B performance, R&B connection, R&B spirit.” The singer who tearfully closed out his 100-show Las Vegas residency in December, said he’s also been thinking about such other legendary Vegas icons as Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley while putting together the show.

“I’m literally speaking to every woman. I want to make it feel like that,” the legendarily lusty singer said of aiming for a sensual intimacy in the 65,000-capacity stadium, while also keeping in mind other legendary Super Bowl halftime shows as he celebrates his own history.

“I’m thinking about the fact that I’ve been able to walk through the front door as a result of their sacrifice and ability,” he said of the legacy of such previous Black icons as Michael Jackson and Prince, as well as what R&B means in a country where some of its most famous practitioners had to enter the stage through the kitchen door in the 1950s and 60s due to segregation.

“It’s made me feel joyous. It made me feel like I want to go out there, and I want the world to smile when they look at me. I want them to feel something, and feel my passion, my love, feel like I was the right person to sit in this position, and I was the right person to bring this kind of energy and love and connection to the entire world,” Usher said.

“People will tune in for a football game, but I hope when they look at that halftime performance, I’m hoping they walk away with something that’s healing them,” he added. “Something that makes them feel hopeful, and not just look at the past, but have hope for the future, and have hope for a different type of future than we’re looking at right now in the present.”

The 45-year old singer is gearing up to release his ninth studio album, Coming Home, on Feb. 9, just two days before he takes the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the big game. It’s a gig that his fans will tell you is a long time coming, but which didn’t materialize until Jay-Z called up to ask Ush to do the honors this year.

“Every day I’m kind of sitting here and I take a moment to just look at where we’re going to be, which is right there,” Usher told the magazine while pointing to the shiny black glass spaceship of a stadium in the Nevada desert.

And, not for nothing, the writer reveals that they have already heard an “afrobeat-inflected earworm” from Coming Home, assuring fans that it is “20 tracks of absolute bangers.”

17 Jan 2024

LeAnn Rimes Opens Up About Recent Surgery & Cervical Dysplasia Diagnosis

LeAnn Rimes is giving fans a vulnerable update after having surgery for cervical dysplasia. 

In a lengthy message shared to her Instagram, the 41-year-old country star opened up about how she’s taking her health into her own hands in 2024. “i have to say, this january, has been joyful and easeful,” she began in her post, including two photos of her enjoying the outdoors.  

“however, yesterday, i underwent a minor surgery and i wanted to share what i went in for because i think it’s an important reminder to get our annual screenings in order to catch changes that may be taking place within the body early on,” she continued. “several months back, i had my annual pap smear, which came back abnormal.”  

The “How Do I Live” singer went on to explain that she’s been dealing with abnormal pap results since she was 17 years old, something her doctors have been monitoring through regular exams. After her most recent scan showed that Rimes had high-grade cervical dysplasia, she underwent a LEEP procedure to remove any abnormal, pre-cancerous cells. 

According to Mayo Clinic, cervical dysplasia isn’t cancer, but the presence of cells that “look different from typical cervical cells” on the surface of the cervix. It can range from mild to severe, depending on how different the cells look, and can go away on its own or “turn into cancer” over time. 

“now, usually you’re not under anaesthesia for this procedure, but i elected to be,” Rimes wrote in her post. “i’ve had enough trauma in my life already, so i prefer to be out and comfortable. that, my friends, is advocating for your overall, mental wellness and comfort and i HIGHLY recommend it!” 

“i’ve always been open about my health challenges and this time around is no different,” she added. “so, ladies, please don’t put off getting your annual pap. my men, too… make sure you get your annual physical, minus the pap smear ?” 

Rimes recently closed out 2023 with a holiday tour, which made stops in Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando and more. In November, she released God’s Work (Resurrected), an extended version of her 2022 record God’s Work.  

“2023… you were good to me, i was good to you…,” she wrote in a Dec. 30 Instagram post. “but, 2024… it’s ON!” 

17 Jan 2024

Nicki Minaj Said She Could Listen to This Whitney Houston Song Forever During ‘Colbert Questionert’ Grilling

As Stephen Colbert often says on The Late Show, if you want to truly, deeply peer into the soul of an artist the best way to do it is via his show’s signature “Colbert Questionert” probing list of queries. Nicki Minaj found that out on Tuesday night (Jan. 16) when she sat for the pre-taped segment in which the Pink Friday 2 MC revealed the burning answers behind such soul-searching questions as: “what is the best sandwich?”

There are no wrong answers, even though Minaj’s response was definitely far from standard. “Turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, salt and pepper, oil and vinegar, jalapeños, mayonnaise, mustard, toasted, hero,” Minaj told her old pal Colbert in her signature rapid-fire cadence.

Her next answer, however, was even more unique. Asked about her first concert, Minaj recalled going to the Hot 97 Summer Jam in 2001 when Jay-Z shocked the crowd by bringing out surprise guest Michael Jackson. “Many, many years ago… and Michael Jackson came out. Yes,” she recalled, rolling her eyes when Colbert asked what MJ sang. “He didn’t perform, he came out of this box and the people went crazy.”

The “Anaconda” rapper also, of course, said the snake is the scariest animal and that the apple is superior to the orange, because it could help feed her and her infant son, affectionately known as “Papa Bear.” In an answer that certainly pleased observant Catholic Colbert, Minaj opined that when we die, the good go to heaven and the bad go to hell, naturally. “Pearly gates, fiery pit, what more do you need to know?” Colbert said.

Nicki added that her favorite action movie is a tie between Gladiator and Black Panther, that she would never be caught dead in an aisle seat on a plane — she doesn’t worry about climbing over someone to get to the bathroom because she “doesn’t fly on those kind of planes” — and her least favorite smell is when the garbage piles up on the streets of New York.

She also noted that her earliest memory is of wanting to go to a chain called Burger Boys in her native Trinidad and when asked which song she could listen to on repeat for eternity, Minaj chose the Whitney Houston classic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”

Check out all of Minaj’s answers below.

17 Jan 2024

Carin León, Young Miko & More: Here’s Every Latin Artist Playing Coachella 2024

Coachella 2024’s lineup is stacked with Latin and/or Spanish-language acts set to perform in the desert this year.

Peso Pluma, who in 2023 was a surprise guest during Becky G’s set, returns to Coachella, and this time he’ll be performing his own set on April 12 and 19. The two Fridays will also feature performances by Puerto Rican emerging star Young Miko and Argentine hitmaker Bizarrap, marking the producer’s first U.S. general market festival.

The event will take place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., from April 12 to 14 and April 19 to 21. Tyler, the Creator, Doja Cat and Lana Del Rey are this year’s headliners. No Doubt is also on the lineup, marking the Gwen Stefani-led group’s reunion for the first time in nine years.

Mexican artists Santa Fe Klan, Kevin Caarl and Carin León will also be making their Coachella debut. Meanwhile, Colombian star J Balvin makes his grand return to Coachella since first performing at the festival in 2019 (although he appeared as a special guest for Karol G’s set in 2022).

Last year’s festival was headlined by Bad Bunny, who made history as the first Spanish-language artist to ever headline Coachella. Other Latin artists who’ve performed throughout the years include Banda MS, Grupo Firme, DannyLux, Nicki Nicole, Nathy Peluso, Café Tacvba, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Los Ángeles Azules, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, among many others.

Here’s when the Latin and/or Spanish-language acts are playing Coachella 2024:

Friday, April 12 & 19

  • Peso Pluma
  • Bizarrap
  • Young Miko
  • Son Rompe Pera

Saturday, April 13 & 20

  • Santa Fe Klan
  • Kevin Kaarl
  • The Red Pears
  • Girl Ultra
  • Depresión Sonora

Sunday, April 14 & 21

  • J Balvin
  • Carin León
  • Latin Mafia
  • Hermanos Gutiérrez
  • Eddie Zuko
  • Bb Trickz

17 Jan 2024

Miley Cyrus, Janelle Monáe & More Nominated for 2024 GLAAD Media Awards: See the Full List

With awards season well underway, LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD is ready to celebrate queer talent in the entertainment industry with the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards.

On Wednesday (Jan. 17), GLAAD announced the full list of nominees for their annual awards, which will take place in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 14, and in New York City on Saturday, May 11. Among the two major music categories at the annual ceremony, a total of 20 openly queer artists received plaudits.

In the awards’ main music category for outstanding music artist, GLAAD nominated Miley Cyrus, Janelle Monae, Boygenius, Billy Porter, Sam Smith, Troye Sivan, Brandy Clark, Kim Petras, Renee Rapp and Victoria Monet for their albums released in 2023.

Meanwhile, in the outstanding breakthrough music artist category — which celebrates new acts that earned new levels of mainstream success in 2023 — GLAAD named Chappell Roan, David Archuleta, Fancy Hagood, G Flip, Ice Spice, Iniko, Jade LeMac, The Scarlet Opera, Slayyyter and UMI as nominees.

Billboard also received two nominations at this year’s GLAAD Media Awards: one for outstanding print article for our June 2023 cover featuring Maren Morris in conversation with drag artists Sasha Colby, Symone, Eureka O’Hara and Landon Cider, and another for outstanding magazine overall coverage (digital and print).

In a statement released with the nominations, GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis congratulated this year’s honorees and celebrated the organization’s long history of supporting the LGBTQ community. “For 35 years, the GLAAD Media Awards has provided the global stage for LGBTQ creators, alongside industry talent and leaders to be celebrated and supported,” she said. “At a time when the LGBTQ community is under attack by false narratives and misinformation … this year’s nominees powerfully reflect the realities of LGBTQ existence today, in our communities and around the globe.”

Check out the complete list of nominations for the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards below:

Outstanding Music Artist

Billy Porter, Black Mona Lisa (Island UK/Republic Records)

boygenius, The Record (Interscope)

Brandy Clark (Brandy Clark)

Janelle Monae, The Age of Pleasure (Atlantic Records)

Kim Petras, Feed the Beast & Problematique (Amigo/Republic Records)

Miley Cyrus, Endless Summer Vacation (Columbia Records)

Renee Rapp, Snow Angel (Interscope)

Sam Smith, Gloria (Capitol Records)

Troye Sivan, Something to Give Each Other (EMI Australia/Capitol Records)

Victoria Monet, JAGUAR II (Lovett Music/RCA Records)

Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist

Chappell Roan (Atlantic Records/Island Records)

David Archuleta (Archie Music)

Fancy Hagood (Fancy Hagood Enterprises)

G FLIP (Future Classic)

Ice Spice (10K Projects/Capitol Records)

Iniko (Columbia Records)

Jade LeMac (Artista Records)

The Scarlet Opera (Perta/Silent Records)

Slayyyter (FADER Label)

UMI (Keep Cool/RCA)

Outstanding Film – Wide Theatrical Release

All of Us Strangers (Searchlight Pictures)

American Fiction (Amazon MGM Studios)

Anyone But You (Columbia Pictures)

The Blackening (Lionsgate Films)

Bottoms (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

The Color Purple (Warner Bros.)

It’s a Wonderful Knife (RLJE Films)

Knock at the Cabin (Universal Pictures)

Moving On (Roadside Attractions)

Shortcomings (Sony Pictures Classics)

Outstanding Film – Limited Theatrical Release

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Blue Fox Entertainment)

The Blue Caftan (Strand Releasing)

Blue Jean (Magnolia Pictures)

How to Blow Up a Pipeline (Neon)

Joyland (Oscilloscope)

L’immensità (Music Box Films)

Monica (IFC Films)

Our Son (Vertical Entertainment)

Passages (Mubi)

Summoning Sylvia (The Horror Collective)

Outstanding Film – Streaming Or TV

Cassandro (Amazon Prime Video)

Christmas on Cherry Lane (Hallmark Channel)

Friends & Family Christmas (Hallmark Channel)

Frybread Face and Me (Array Releasing)

Nuovo Olimpo (Netflix)

Nyad (Netflix)

Red, White, and Royal Blue (Amazon Prime Video)

Runs in the Family (Indigenous Film Distribution)

Rustin (Netflix)

You’re Not Supposed To Be Here (Lifetime Television)

Outstanding Documentary

Beyond the Aggressives: 25 Years Later (MTV Documentary Films)

Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate (Netflix)

Every Body (Focus Features)

Kokomo City (Magnolia Pictures)

Little Richard: I Am Everything (Magnolia Pictures)

Orlando, My Political Biography (Janus Films)

Rainbow Rishta (Amazon Prime Video)

Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed (HBO Documentary Films)

The Stroll (HBO)

“UYRA – The Rising Forest“ POV (PBS)

Outstanding New Series

The Buccaneers (Apple TV+)

Class (Netflix)

Culprits (Hulu)

Deadloch (Amazon Prime Video)

Everything Now (Netflix)

Found (NBC)

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Paramount+)

The Last of Us (HBO)

The Other Black Girl (Hulu)

Tore (Netflix)

Outstanding Drama Series

9-1-1: Lone Star (Fox)

The Chi (Showtime)

Chucky (SyFy/USA Network)

Doctor Who (Disney+)

Good Trouble (Freeform)

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

Quantum Leap (NBC)

Riverdale (The CW)

Station 19 (ABC)

Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Outstanding Comedy Series

And Just Like That… (Max)

Good Omens (Amazon Prime Video)

Harlem (Amazon Prime Video)

Harley Quinn (Max)

Our Flag Means Death (Max)

Sex Education (Netflix)

Somebody Somewhere (HBO)

Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

What We Do In The Shadows (FX)

With Love (Amazon Prime Video)

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

Black Cake (Hulu)

Bodies (Netflix)

The Confessions of Frannie Langton (Britbox)

The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)

Fellow Travelers (Showtime)

The Full Monty (FX on Hulu)

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (Amazon Prime Video)

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (Netflix)

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Netflix)

Transatlantic (Netflix)

Outstanding Reality Program

Bargain Block (HGTV)

Family Karma (Bravo)

I Am Jazz (TLC)  

Living for the Dead (Hulu)

Queer Eye (Netflix)

Real Housewives of New York City (Bravo)

Selling Sunset (Netflix)

Swiping America (Max)

TRANSworld Atlanta (Tubi)

The Ultimatum: Queer Love (Netflix)

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula (Shudder/AMC+)

The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion (MTV)

Drag Me to Dinner (Hulu)

Love Trip: Paris (Freeform)

My Kind of Country (Apple TV+)

Next in Fashion (Netflix)

Project Runway (Bravo)

RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV)

Survivor (CBS)

The Voice (NBC)

Outstanding Children’s Programming

“Any Way You Slice It” Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City (Netflix)

“Blue River Wedding” Ada Twist: Scientist (Netflix)

Bossy Bear (Nick Jr.)

Firebuds (Disney Jr.)

Monster High (Nickelodeon)

Pinecone & Pony (AppleTV+)

Princess Power (Netflix)

Ridley Jones (Netflix)

Summer Camp Island (Cartoon Network)

Work It Out Wombats! (PBS Kids)

Outstanding Kids & Family Programming or Film – Live Action

Heartstopper (Netflix)

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Disney+)

Jane (AppleTV+)

Power Rangers Cosmic Fury (Netflix)

XO, Kitty (Netflix)

Outstanding Kids & Family Programming or Film – Animated

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (Max)

Craig Of The Creek (Cartoon Network)

The Dragon Prince (Netflix)

The Ghost and Molly McGee (Disney Channel)

Hailey’s On It! (Disney Channel)

The Loud House (Nickelodeon)

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (Disney Channel)

Nimona (Netflix)

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (Disney+)

Transformers: EarthSpark (Paramount+)

Outstanding Broadway Production

Fat Ham, by James Ijames

How to Dance in Ohio, by Jacob Yandura and Rebekah Greer Melocik

Melissa Etheridge: My Window, by Melissa Etheridge

Once Upon a One More Time, by Jon Hartmere

The Sign in Sydney Brustein’s Window, by Lorraine Hansberry

Outstanding Podcast

Finding Fire Island (Broadway Podcast Network)

Gay and Afraid with Eric Sedeño (Past Your Bedtime)

Las Culturistas (iHeart)

NPR’s Embedded (NPR)

Queen of Hearts (Wondery)

Rooted Recovery Stories (Promises Behavioral Health)

Sibling Rivalry (Studio 71)

That Conversation With Tarek Ali (Buzz Sprout)

This Queer Book Saved My Life (This Queer Book Productions, LLC)

TransLash (TransLash Media)

Outstanding Video Game

Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP)

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Little Goody Two Shoes (AstralShift/Square Enix)

Overwatch 2 (Blizzard Entertainment)

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (Summerfall Studios/Humble Games)

Tchia (Awaceb/Kepler Interactive)

Thirsty Suitors (Outerloop Games/Annapurna Interactive)

This Bed We Made (Lowbirth Games)

Too Hot To Handle 2 (Nanobit/Netflix Games)

Outstanding Comic Book

Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent, written by Tom Taylor (DC Comics)

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain, written by Tini Howard (Marvel Comics)

Hawkgirl, written by Jadzia Axelrod (DC Comics)

Killer Queens 2, written by David M. Booher (Dark Horse Comics)

The Neighbors, written by Jude Ellison S. Doyle (BOOM! Studios)

New Mutants Lethal Legion, written by Charlie Jane Anders (Marvel Comics)

The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos, written by Tate Brombal based on an idea by James Tynion IV (Dark Horse Comics)

Poison Ivy, written by G. Willow Wilson (DC Comics)

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, written by Alyssa Wong (Marvel Comics)

Tim Drake: Robin, written by Meghan Fitzmartin (DC Comics)

Outstanding Original Graphic Novel/Anthology

Blackward, by Lawrence Lindell (Drawn & Quarterly)

Carmilla: The First Vampire, written by Amy Chu (Berger Books/Dark Horse Comics)

Cosmoknights (Book Two), by Hannah Templer (Top Shelf Productions)

Four-Color Heroes, by Richard Fairgray (Fanbase Press)

Heartstopper Vol. 5, by Alice Oseman (Graphix/Scholastic)

Light Carries On, by Ray Nadine (Dark Horse Books)

Northranger, written by Rey Terciero (HarperAlley)

Parallel, by Matthias Lehmann (ONI Press)

Roaming, by Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)

Us, by Sara Soler (Dark Horse Books)

Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode

“Certainty” Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts (Disney+)

“Chaos, Law, and Order” The Problem With Jon Stewart (Apple TV+)

“Cynthia Nixon and Kim Petras” Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo)

“Dulcé Sloan & Sasha Colby Talk What It Means to Be A Happy Trans Person” The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

“Elliot Page Opens Up In New Memoir: ‘It Felt Like The Right Time’” The View (ABC)

“The Hardest Fight Is the Fight Against Status Quo” The Conversations Project (Hulu)

“I’m Not Just Gay, I’m Your Son” Karamo (syndicated)

“Jennifer Hudson Surprises HIV Activist with $10,000” The Jennifer Hudson Show (syndicated)

“Trace Lysette & Patricia Clarkson, Laverne Cox” The Kelly Clarkson Show (syndicated)

“Unapologetically Me” Tamron Hall (syndicated)

Outstanding TV Journalism Segment

“11th Hour: Transgender Athletes and What People Don’t Understand” The 11th Hour (MSNBC)

“19-Year-Old Designer CJ King Gets Second Chance to Walk the Runway” GMA3 (ABC)

“The All in Y’all” (KEYE-TV CBS Austin)

“Anti-LGBTQ+ Law in Uganda that Threatens the Death Penalty Sparks International Outcry” PBS Newshour (PBS)

“Bringing Queer Joy into the World of Hip-Hop” ABC News Live Prime (ABC News Live)

“Des Moines LGBTQ Community Hosts First-Ever ‘People’s Pride‘” (WOI-TV Local 5 Des Moines)

“Geena Rocero Talks About Her New Memoir ‘Horse Barbie’ and the Power of Living Unapologetically” CBS Mornings (CBS)

“How Eco-Drag Queen Pattie Gonia Defines What It Means to Fight for the Environment” Nightline (ABC)

“New York City Gay Bar Deaths Classified as Homicides” (NBC News Now)

“One-on-One with the President of the American Medical Association (AMA)” The CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell (CBS)

Outstanding TV Journalism – Long-Form

“Beyond Limits: Who I Am” CBS Sports (CBS)

“CBS Reports: A Nation in Transition” CBS News (CBS)

“Club Q One Year Later” (KKTV CBS 11 Colorado)

“Freedom to Exist” Soul of a Nation (ABC)

“It’s Ok To Ask Questions – Pidgeon Pagonis” (WMAQ-TV NBC 5 Chicago)

“Marty’s Place: Where Hope Lives” (+Life Media with KGO-TV & ABC Localish)

“Our America: Who I’m Meant to Be” (ABC Owned Television Stations)

“Proud Voices: A NY1 Special” (Spectrum News NY1)

“Serving in Secret: Love, Country and ‘Dont Ask Don’t Tell’” (MSNBC)

“VICE Special Report – Out Loud // Big Freedia Presents: Young Queer Artists To Look Out For” (Vice News)

Outstanding Live TV Journalism – Segment or Special

“Capehart on SCOTUS rulings: ‘My Possibilities are Up to Them, Not Up to Me’”  The Last Word (MSNBC)

“CNN’s Anderson Cooper Speaks With Lauri Carleton’s Daughter, Ari Carleton, About Her Mother’s Legacy” Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)

“Flipping the Script: Live Interviews on LGBTQ+ Community” Morning News NOW (NBC News Now)

“Gio Benitez Interviews Sasha Velour on Her Book and the Climate of Drag in America” Good Morning America (ABC)

“Indiana Students Put on LGBTQ-Themed Play Themselves After it’s Canceled By the School” Yasmin Vossoughian Reports (MSNBC)

“José Díaz-Balart Reports: A Texas Mother’s Fight: the Case for Gender-Affirming Care” José Díaz-Balart Reports (MSNBC)

“One-on-One with Eureka O’Hara” The Reid Out (MSNBC)

“Pride Across America” (ABC News Live)

“TikTok Sensations ‘The Old Gays’ Talk About How They Became Friends and Their New Docuseries” TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (NBC)

“Two Anti-LGBTQ Bills Advance to Louisiana House” Breakdown (WWL-TV CBS New Orleans)

Outstanding Print Article

“As Drag Bans Proliferate, Maren Morris Goes Deep With Drag’s Biggest Stars on Why the Show Must Go On” by Stephen Daw (Billboard)

“Black Queer History is American History” by Myeshia Price (TIME)

“‘But Most of All I’m Human’: These 3 Transgender Teens Prove Identity Stretches Beyond One Label” by Susan Miller (USA TODAY)

“The Dancer” by Matt Kemper (The Atlanta-Journal Constitution)

“Heroism Overpowers Hate” by John Sotomayor (Embrace Magazine)

“Kim Petras Is Breaking the Mold” by Jeff Nelson (People)

“Pop Icons Are ‘Mothers’ Now. The LGBTQ Ballroom Scene Wants Credit.” by Samantha Cherry (The Washington Post)

“Stop Bad Hair and Uglier Legislation (The New Classics)” by Karen Giberson (AC Magazine)

“Transgender Youth: ‘Forced Outing’ Bills Make Schools Unsafe” by Hannah Schoenbaum and Sean Murphy (AP)

“We Have the Tools to Stop HIV. So Why Is It Still Spreading?” by LZ Granderson (Los Angeles Times)

Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage

The Advocate

Billboard

People

Variety

Out

Outstanding Online Journalism Article

“The AP Interview: Pope Francis Says Homosexuality Not a Crime” by Nicole Winifield (AP.com)

“Book Banners Came for This Colorado Town. They Didn’t Anticipate Resistance.” By Jeff Fuentes Gleghorn (LGBTQNation.com)

“Evidence Undermines ‘Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria’ Claims” by Timmy Broderick (ScientificAmerican.com)

“From Drag Bans to Sports Restrictions, 75 Anti-LGBTQ Bills Have Become Law in 2023” by Jo Yurcaba (NBCNews.com)

“How the Latinx Drag Queens of Brooklyn Are Finding Freedom through Their Cultures” by Juan De Dios Sanchez Jurado (TeenVogue.com)

“Pedro Zamora, ‘Real World’ Star Who Died of AIDS, ‘Humanized the Disease for a Generation,’ Say Activists” by David Artavia (Yahoo.com)

“Pride Month Feels Different As Threats, Fear of Violence Grows” by Brooke Migdon (TheHill.com)

“Some Trans Kids Are Being Forced to Flee America for Their Safety” by Nico Lang (HuffPost.com)

“Stochastic Terrorism: Links between the GOP, Right-Wing Influencers & Neo-Nazi Violence” by Christopher Wiggins (Advocate.com)

“What Does Queer Gen Z Want on TV? Everything under the Rainbow” by Jude Cramer (INTOMore.com)

Outstanding Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia

“7 Remarkable Trans Elders Share Lessons for the Next Generation” (them.us)

“Brave Spaces” (PBS.org)

“CANS Can’t Stand” (NewYorker.com)

“Club Q: Stronger Together” (NFL.com)

“‘I’ve Always Known I Was Different’: Four Trans People Share Their Stories” (WashingtonPost.com)

“Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Calls Out the New York Times’ Anti-Trans Coverage & Advice for Trans Youth” (Variety.com)

“Moving Isa” (Insider.com)

“People Come Out to Their Parents | Truth or Drink” (Cut.com)

“Protecting Pride: Resilience after Tragedy – Club Q Survivors Fight to Project Their Community” (GoodMorningAmerica.com)

“Transnational” (Vice.com)

Outstanding Blog

Charlotte’s Web Thoughts

Erin in the Morning

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

LawDork

Mombian

Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents

The Queer Review

The Randy Report

The Reckoning

The Rot Spot

Special Recognition

The Dads (Netflix)

+Life Media

Love in Gravity

Relighting Candles (Hulu)

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé (AMC Theatres)

The Tennessee Holler

Yes I Am: The Ric Weiland Story

Outstanding Scripted Television Series (Spanish Language)

4 Estrellas (RTVE Play)

Las Noches de Tefía (Atresplayer)

Las Pelotaris (Vix)

Sagrada Familia (Netflix)

Sin Huellas (Amazon Prime Video)

Outstanding TV Journalism (Spanish Language)

“Adolescentes trans relatan su experiencia” Noticiero Telemundo (Telemundo)

“Celebrando el orgullo” Noticiero Telemundo (Telemundo Chicago)

“Entrevista con Jesus Ociel Baena” Noticias 24/7 (Univision)

“Fe en la comunidad LGBTQ” Despierta América (Univision)

“El mes del orgullo” Univision Contigo (Univision Dallas)

“La directora Aitch Alberto presenta: ‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’” Ojo Crítico (CNN Español)

“La rapera Villano Antillano habla con Jorge Ramos sobre cómo su música está rompiendo estereotipos” Al Punto (Univision)

“‘La Sala’ brinda un lugar seguro para jóvenes de la comunidad LGBTQ+ en Washington Heights” Noticias 47 (Telemundo)

“Spirit Day” Hoy Día (Telemundo)

“Sufren en silencio” Noticias 52 (Telemundo)

Outstanding Online Journalism Article (Spanish Language)

“Abogan por una política pública contra la violencia hacia la comunidad trans en Puerto Rico” por Carolina Gracia (ElVocero.com)

“La activista trans que sepulta a sus amigas olvidadas: ‘Los primeros cuerpos los velaba yo sola, solita’” por Daniel Alonso Viña (ElPais.com)

“Carlos Adyan nos invita a su boda civil con Carlos Quintanilla: ‘Todo ha pasado como yo soñaba’” por Lena Hansen (PeopleEnEspanol.com)

“El eterno desafío de ser un hombre o mujer trans en El Salvador” por María Teresa Hernández (APnews.com)

“Familias latinas con menores trans temen a nuevas leyes que limitan el acceso a tratamientos médicos: ‘Es lo que ha mantenido a mi hija viva’” por Anagilmara Vílchez y Lourdes Hurtado (Telemundo.com)

“‘Hemos huido de algo muy cruel’: las familias que buscan una vida mejor para sus hijos transgénero en otros estados de EE.UU.” por Leire Ventas (BBC.com)

“Personas mayores LGBTQIA+ ‘tienen que regresar a un clóset para poder buscar vivienda’” por David Cordero Mercado y Joaquín A. Rosado Lebrón (PeriodismoInvestigativo.com & ElNuevoDia.com)

“Quiero que todo el mundo pueda decir libremente ‘así soy yo’” por Maria Mercedes Acosta (Sentiido.com)

“Reconocimiento a medias también es estigmatizante: RAE agrega ‘no binario/a’ a su diccionario” por Alex Orue (Homosensual.com)

“Wendy Guevara, la ‘perdida’ que lo ganó todo” por Jonathan Saldaña y Mari Tere Lelo de Larrea (Quien.com)

Outstanding Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia (Spanish Language)

“Conoce a la primera diputada negra y trans de Brasil” por Natalia Barrera Francis, Joyce García, David von Blohn, Paula Daibert y Claudia Escobar (Descoloniza – AJ+ Español)

“La increíble historia de cómo ‘Mami Ruddys’ refugió a decenas de jóvenes LGBTIQ en Puerto Rico” por Marcos Billy Guzmán y Pablo Martínez Rodríguez (El Nuevo Día)

“Mi novio vive con VIH y yo no: ser una pareja serodiscordante” por Mariana Escobar Bernoske y Daniela Rojas (La Disidencia – El Espectador)

“This gay cowboy convention celebrates sexual freedom — and Mexican identity” por Jackeline Luma, Kate Linthicum y Maggie Beidelman (Los Angeles Times)

“Villano Antillano cuenta todo de la realidad Queer de su música” por Yollotl Alvarado, René Barreto, Alfredo Castellanos, Sofía Reyes, Rai Irizarry, Arjun Demeyere, Luis Ramírez, Florencia Botinelli, Iván Juárez y Sebastian Fernández (GQ México y Latinoamérica)

Reconocimiento Especial /Special Recognition (Spanish Language)

Enamorándonos (Univision)

El Sabor de Navidad (Vix)

Drag Latina (Revry / LATV)

Wendy, perdida pero famosa (Vix)

17 Jan 2024

Green Day and Jimmy Fallon Rock N.Y. Subway Station With Surprise ‘Basket Case’ Performance

If you happen to wander into the Rockefeller Center subway station in New York on Tuesday night (Jan. 16) and caught a glimpse of a pretty decent Green Day cover band rocking for some beer money you probably should have pushed to the front. As it turns out, the veteran pop-punk trio went underground with Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon for his latest surprise pop-up commuter jam session for an upcoming late night segment.

According to video posted by fans, singer Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool and Fallon arrived in disguise, wearing floppy wigs and shades — with Fallon deeply undercover in a long blonde weird beard and matching shoulder-length curly hair wig. The unplugged set opened with a mellow cover of Bad Company’s 1975 classic “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” with the quartet all looking appropriately AM radio groovy as word seemed to spread among the growing, cameras-in-the-air crowd that perhaps these were not your usual buskers.

Though the Tonight Show has not yet announced when the segment will air, Green Day are gearing up for an intimate gig at New York’s 1,100-capacity Irving Plaza on Thursday night (Jan. 18) in advance of Friday’s (Jan. 19) release of their 14th full-length studio album, Saviors.

After taking off the disguises, the band then ripped through a mini-set that included 1994 Dookie single “Basket Case” — the band is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their breakthrough major label debut album — as well as the Saviors singles “Look Ma, No Brains!” and “Dilemma,” a cover of KISS’ “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “American Idiot,” with Fallon shouting along and playing tambourine.

Green Day are gearing up for the upcoming European and North American legs of their Saviors Tour, which will find them playing Dookie and American Idiot each night, plus other favorites; the U.S. dates will feature support from the Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and the Linda Lindas.

Check out footage of the surprise Green Day set below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=WJmxta1ukIs&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

17 Jan 2024

Ariana Grande Announces Seventh Album ‘Eternal Sunshine’: Here’s When It Arrives

The wait is finally over, Arianators. Just days after releasing its lead single “Yes, And?,” Ariana Grande finally announced her seventh album Eternal Sunshine Wednesday (Jan. 17), sharing the highly anticipated project’s release date and cover artwork on Instagram.

“eternal sunshine ? ☼ ⋆｡˚⋆ฺ,” she simply captioned her post, adding that the record’s arrival is less than two months away: “3.8”

The 30-year-old pop star also included three images in her announcement, the first of which fans have already seen — a close-up photo of Grande’s face and red lips, which doubles as the the “Yes, And?” artwork. The following photos appear to be alternate covers — Grande previously confirmed that Eternal Sunshine would have multiple — both of them featuring the Grammy winner posing in a white babydoll top and red tulle gloves.

March 8 will mark the end of a yearslong wait for a new album from Grande, who hasn’t released an LP since 2020’s Positions. Aside from a few collaborations and a 10th anniversary re-release of her debut record Yours Truly, the vocalist has spent the past few years focusing on her role in the upcoming Wicked films and her R.E.M. Beauty business.

Grande’s Eternal Sunshine announcement comes on the heels of her new single “Yes, And?,” a dance-inducing ’80s time capsule released Jan. 12 via Republic Records. She also dropped a music video filled with upbeat group choreography and jabs at the general public’s fixation with her personal life, something she also addresses in the song’s lyrics: “Your business is yours and mine is mine/ why do you care so much whose d–k i ride?”

See Grande’s announcement for Eternal Sunshine below:

17 Jan 2024

Might As Well Face It, Jennifer Lopez Is Addicted to Love in Epic ‘This Is Me… Now: A Love Story’ Film Trailer

Jennifer Lopez suffers from some serious love overload in the first trailer for her upcoming Amazon original film This is Me… Now: A Love Story. The two-minute clip that dropped on Wednesday morning (Jan. 17) gives a peek at what looks like an epic tale of Lopez’s eternal search for love, complete with an all-star supporting cast that includes Fat Joe, Trevor Noah, Kim Petras, Post Malone, Keke Palmer, Sofia Vergara, Jenifer Lewis, Jay Shetty, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Sadhguru, Derek Hough and more.

“I know what they say about me… about hopeless romantics,” Lopez says in voiceover amid a swell of dramatic strings and a shot of the singer/actress first sharing a passionate kiss on the ground and then on having her veil lifted on her wedding day. The she adds, “…that we’re weak. And I’m not weak.”

A quick-cut of Lopez walking solemnly in a steamy subway, staring blankly into a firepit and racing across a lake on a motorcycle before crashing out ends with the ominous warning: “Not all love stories have a happy ending.”

Longtime pal rapper Fat Joe then pops into frame as Lopez’s cozy sweater-wearing therapist before a roomful of her pals stage an intervention, telling Jen that they fear the “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” singer might be a sex addict. The preview features footage from the just-released movie musical-style video for the earworm single “Can’t Get Enough” — the first taste of JLo’s upcoming This Is Me… Now album — as part of a film a release describes as a, “narrative-driven cinematic odyssey, steeped in mythological storytelling and personal healing.”

The “genre-bending” original project promises to showcase “her journey to love through her own eyes. With fantastical costumes, breathtaking choreography, and star-studded cameos, this panorama is an introspective retrospective of Jennifer’s resilient heart.” The trailer also finds Lopez in a support group describing her childhood sharing a room with her sister, lying awake at night wondering how anyone can get shut-eye “when your heart never goes to sleep.”

The narrative-driven short film from Amazon MGM Studios was directed by Dave Meyers (Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift) and written by Lopez and Matt Walton based on a story by the singer, Meyers and Chris Shafer; it is due out on Prime Video globally on the same day as the album, Feb. 16.

In keeping with Meyers’ legendarily over-the-top, effects-laden clips for artists including Harry Styles (“Adore You”), Grande (“No Tears Left to Cry”) and Swift (“Me!”), the This Is Me film preview features futuristic landscapes, elaborate, Gene Kelly-esque dance sequences and a parade of famous faces throughout.

The cast also includes husband Ben Affleck, as well as Trevor Jackson, Paul Raci, Bella Gagliano, Brandon Delsid, Ashley Versher, Malcolm Kelner, Alix Angelis, Danielle Larracuente and Matthew Law.

In an Instagram post featuring the trailer, Lopez wrote, “I have not been this nervous, excited, scared and thrilled to share something with you in years!! The story of the journey from This Is Me…Then to This Is Me…Now is the most personal thing I’ve ever done.”

Check out the This Is Me… Now: A Love Story trailer below.

17 Jan 2024

Director Matthew Vaughn’s Daughter Is Convinced Taylor Swift Secretly Wrote the Spy-Novel-Turned-Movie ‘Argylle’

Taylor Swift‘s Easter eggs are legion. And Swifties are legendary for scouring the planet to uncover every hidden clue, regardless of how improbable their theories might be. And the latest one is a twisted yarn for the ages.

Perhaps you’ve seen the trailer for Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn’s latest action flick, Argylle?The movie starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa and Samuel L. Jackson hits theaters on Feb. 2 and follows the adventures of a spy novelist who carts around an adorable Scottish fold cat in an argyle-print backpack with a peekaboo bubble that allows the kittie to observe the world on her owner’s real-life adventures.

The movie is based on a novel called Argylle written pseudonymously by an author known as Ellie (or in the movie, Elly) Conway that hit shelves on Jan. 9. So naturally Swifties think the singer — who over the past year has been setting records with her career-spanning Eras Tour, releasing re-recordings of her Speak Now and 1989 albums and criss-crossed the country to watch NFL boyfriend Travis Kelce crush the competition with the Kansas City Chiefs — wrote the book.

Some of the parallels do feel like Swift eggs, including the fact that TayTay loves wearing argyle sweaters, sometimes ghostwrites songs using pen names — even hawking a “Red (Taylor’s Version) Argyle Sweater” — and famously has two Scottish Folds, Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson. And, not for nothing, she carried Olivia Benson in a catpack similar to the one in the movie in her Miss Americana doc from 2020. Add in the fact that Swift directed the VMA-winning 14-minute All Too Well: The Short Film and is working on her feature directorial debut for Searchlight Films, for which she wrote the original script, and it all seems… plausible?

As Rolling Stone reported, because even the most dogged Swiftie could not find any internet history of author Conway anywhere, as well as all of the above, naturally they put two and six together and are convinced Swift is behind the book.

“I’m not a big internet guy, and it was actually my daughter who came up to me — this is the power of celebrity and the internet — and said, ‘You never told me Taylor wrote the book!’” Vaughn told the magazine. “And I’m looking at her going, ‘What are you talking about Taylor Swift wrote the book? She didn’t write the book!’ And I was laughing because I was like, ‘It’s not true! She didn’t write the book!’ But my daughter was convinced of it.”

Vaughn could not stress enough that this one project Swift was not involved with. He told RS, “There is a real book … and it’s a really good book. And there is an Elly Conway who wrote the book, but it’s not Taylor Swift. And I say that because I imagine Taylor Swift has a load of people trying to jump on her bandwagon left, right, and center, and I don’t want to be a part of that club. I did read the conspiracies and I was like, wow, they don’t leave a stone unturned! But it’s not Taylor Swift. She definitely didn’t write the book.”

It gets better, though. Swift did play a small part in the movie according to the director, who said his daughters with supermodel Claudia Schiffer convinced the couple to buy them a Scottish Fold for Christmas after watching Miss Americana. And that cat, of course, is the one featured in the film.

“Ironically, what she is responsible for is the Scottish Fold,” Vaughn said. “I got home one day, it was Christmas, and I was like, ‘What the f–k is that noise?’ And I’m running around the house and I hear a noise, and the kids had seen a Taylor Swift documentary [Miss Americana] and there was a Scottish Fold in that, and they’d persuaded my wife, Claudia [Schiffer], to get them the kitten for Christmas. It was bought without my permission and hidden from me.”

Watch the Argylle trailer below.