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The first of three live broadcasts of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest yielded the initial results of the competition, with 10 countries out of 15 moving forward into the grand final on Saturday (May 11) and five countries going home.
Most notable among the 10 winning countries are Luxembourg, which returned to the pan-European competition this year after a 31-year absence, and Ireland, which holds the record for the most wins with Sweden at seven each.
However, Ireland has failed to qualify for the grand final 11 times since the semifinals were introduced in 2005. Bambie Thug breaks that spell with “Doomsday Blue,” a self-described “electro-metal breakdown.” Thug (real name: Bambie Ray Robinson) is the first nonbinary artist to represent Ireland in Eurovision and will be the first Irish contestant in the competition since Ryan O’Shaugnessy placed 16th with “Together” in 2018.
Thug’s entry is expected to place high in the grand final rankings. If they end up in the top five, it will be Ireland’s biggest Eurovision success since Marc Roberts’ “Mysterious Ways,” which finished second to Katrina & the Waves winning U.K. entry “Love Shine a Light” in 1997.
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Talia, an Israeli-born singer living in Luxembourg, will be the first person from that small European country — the only grand duchy (a country ruled by a monarch with the title of grand duke or duchess) remaining in the world — to sing in Eurovision since Modern Times placed 20th with “Donne-Moi Une Chance” in 1993.
The other eight countries that qualified for the grand final are Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Lithuania, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine. The five countries relegated out, by public vote during the live broadcast, are Australia, Azerbaijan, Iceland, Moldova and Poland.
The oddsmakers have Croatia heavily tipped to win; it would be that nation’s first victory in 30 attempts, although Riva, a band from Croatia, triumphed in 1990 when their country was still part of Yugoslavia.
A second semifinal will be broadcast live on Thursday (May 9). There will be 16 countries fighting for a spot in the grand final top 10 that night: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland.
Pre-qualified, and thus able to skip the semifinals, are the host country (Sweden) and the “Big Five” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom), so-named because they contribute the largest amounts to the production budget.
Semifinal No 2 of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest will be live on Peacock in the U.S. on Thursday starting at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT. The grand final will also be live, on Saturday at the same times.
50 Cent has filed a defamation lawsuit against his ex Daphne Joy over her public accusations that he raped and physically abused her, calling them a “calculated attack” of false allegations designed to destroy his reputation.
In a case filed Monday in Houston court, the rapper (real name Curtis Jackson) says Joy (Daphne Joy Narvaez) made her claims as retaliation after the rapper sought legal action to take sole custody of their son in the wake of a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs that accused Joy of being a “sex worker.”
50 Cent’s lawyers say the allegations against him were nothing more than an attempt to “destroy his personal and business reputation, harm Jackson’s commercial and business interests, negatively affect his custody case, and prevent him from seeing his son.”
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“As apparently intended by Narvaez, Jackson has been subjected to extensive public ridicule, hatred, and contempt,” his attorneys write in the complaint, obtained by Billboard. “Jackson brings this action for defamation…in order to vindicate his rights and protect his reputation from Narvaez’s calculated attack.”
Included as an exhibit to Monday’s lawsuit is a letter the rapper’s attorneys sent to Joy last month, demanding that she remove the posts and issue a retraction. They say she responded by demanding “millions of dollars” and for 50 Cent to drop his custody case in return for removal of the post.
“Narvaez refuses to take down or remove the defamatory post unless he complies with extortive demands, including the payment of large sums of money and forfeiting his meritorious custody action,” Jackson’s lawyers write.
Joy could not immediately be reached for comment.
The dispute dates back to March, when Joy’s name was mentioned in a wide-ranging sexual abuse lawsuit filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones. In that complaint, Jones claimed that Combs had “bragged” about paying Joy and other women a “monthly stipend” for sex.
Days later, Joy posted a scathing statement about Jackson to Instagram: “Let’s put the real focus on your true evil actions of raping me and physically abusing me,” she wrote at the time. “You are no longer my oppressor and my God will handle you from this point on.”
In his lawsuit on Monday, Jackson says that Joy’s blistering accusations were a response to his decision to “take legal action” to seek custody of their 11-year old son Sire in the wake of the lawsuit against Diddy. “Upon learning of the troubling allegations in the Combs litigation, Jackson came to the reasonable conclusion that it was not in his child’s best interest for Narvaez to have full custody,” the suit states.
Courts have made it difficult for “public figures” like a famous rapper to sue for defamation. They must prove that someone like Joy made her statements with “actual malice” – meaning she knew they were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. But in Monday’s complaint, 50 Cent’s lawyers say Joy’s “unequivocally false” statements meet that difficult standard.
“Narvaez knows that Jackson did not rape or physically abuse her, yet she knowingly published the false statements to her almost 2 million followers on Instagram,” 50’s lawyers write. “Narvaez published the defamatory post, and refuses to remove it, out of sheer hatred and ill will toward Jackson.”
There’s a lot of fresh blood in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 this week, with Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” debuting at No. 2, Shaboozey‘s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” rising to No. 3, and Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Espresso” rising to No. 4 (all behind a second week at No. 1 for Taylor Swift’s […]
Tom Holland continues to be the sweetest boyfriend. The actor took to Instagram on Tuesday (May 7) to share a stunning snap of his girlfriend Zendaya’s standout Met Gala outfit, which she chose in collaboration with her stylist Law Roach. The Euphoria star rocked a custom Maison Margiela by John Galliano gown, referencing a haute couture […]
Country singer HARDY links up with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg for his short film “Gin & Juice” and to promote his new song “Gin & Juice (Another Shot From Dr. Dre).” The short film features appearances from Snoop, Dre and actress Nicola Peltz Beckham and is made in collaboration with Gin & Juice By Dre & Snoop — the legendary rap duo’s first ready-to-drink product from their new premium spirits company.
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In a press release, HARDY, the pride of Philadelphia, Mississippi had this to say: “The entire ‘Gin & Juice’ process has been a dream for me. I recorded the song and in a few short weeks I was on set with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. It didn’t feel real until I showed up and I saw the names on the trailers. I spent two days with them and I can honestly say they are two of the coolest, most genuine people and they made me feel right at home. I am so thankful for the experience and I’m looking forward to hanging with those guys again.”
HARDY is setting up to go on his Quit!! Tour. Back in March, his song “Truck Bed” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. It was his first as a solo artist and 12th as a songwriter. HARDY’s had two other number ones on the chart as a performer: “Beers on Me,” with Dierks Bentley and Breland, which dominated for one week in April 2022 and “One Beer” (featuring Lauren Alaina and Devin Dawson) which hit the top in December of 2020.
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Check the short film above, listen to the new track here, and check out HARDY’s tour dates below.
HARDY LIVEMay 25—Patriotic Festival—Norfolk, VAMay 30—Walmart AMP—Rogers, ARMay 31—Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre—St. Louis, MOJune 1—Ruoff Music Center—Noblesville, INJune 6—Budweiser Stage—Toronto, ONJune 7—Broadview Stage at SPAC—Saratoga Springs, NYJune 8—Dairen Lake Amphitheater—Buffalo, NYJune 9—CMA Fest – Nissan Stadium—Nashville, TNJune 14—PNC Music Pavilion—Charlotte, NCJune 15—Coastal Credit Union Music Park—Raleigh, NCJune 20—PNC Bank Arts Center—Holmdel, NJJune 21—Xfinity Center—Mansfield, MAJune 22—BankNH Pavilion—Gilford, NHJune 27—Freedom Mortgage Pavilion—Camden, NJJune 28—Jiffy Lube Live—Bristow, VAJune 29—Country Thunder Bristol—Bristol, TNJuly 13—Country Concert—Fort Loramie, OHJuly 18—Country Jam—Eau Claire, WIJuly 19—Rock The South—Cullman, ALJuly 21—Faster Horses—Brooklyn, MIJuly 25—Riverbend Music Center—Cincinnati, OHJuly 26—Veterans Park – Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival—Milwaukee, WIJuly 27—Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre—Tinley Park, ILAugust 4—Watershed Festival—George, WAAugust 17—Country Thunder Alberta—Calgary, ABAugust 22—Bash on the Bay—Put-in-Bay, OHSeptember 12—Dudy Noble Field—Starkville, MSOctober 20—Morrison, CO—Red RocksOctober 21—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks
Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Jelly Roll, Old Dominion, Lady A, Riley Green, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne and Walker Hayes took the stage on Saturday (May 4) at the 11th annual iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One in Austin, Texas. Old Dominion kicked off the show with a performance including some some of their biggest hits “Song For […]
Susan Buckner, the actress and dancer best known for her turn as the bubbly and often-teased Rydell High cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 blockbuster musical Grease, has died. She was 72.
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She died Thursday in Miami, family spokesperson Melissa Berthier announced. No cause of death was revealed.
Buckner portrayed Hollywood bad girl Jean Harlow alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the 1977 CBS telefilm The Amazing Howard Hughes and was one of the dancers/synchronized swimmers known as the Kroffettes on The Brady Bunch Hour (the 1976-77 ABC variety show was created by Sid and Marty Krofft). She also starred opposite Sharon Stone in Wes Craven’s Deadly Blessing (1981).
In Grease, directed by Randal Kleiser at Paramount, Buckner’s Patty convinces Olivia Newton-John’s Sandy Olsson, a new student, to try out for the cheerleading squad. She often is the butt of jokes from the Pink Ladies and T-Birds and called the “bad seed of Rydell High” by Stockard Channing’s Betty Rizzo.
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Born in Seattle on Jan. 28, 1952, Buckner won the Miss Washington pageant in 1971 and competed for the Miss America crown, then appeared as a Golddiggers dancer and sketch performer on NBC’s The Dean Martin Show in 1973. That led to becoming part of an all-girl group called Fantasy and half of a musical duo known as Buckner & Pratt.
She played one of the construction workers alongside Tim Rossovich and others on the 1980 ABC comedy When the Whistle Blows, which lasted just 10 episodes.
She also appeared on episodes of Police Woman, Switch, Starsky and Hutch, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries — as Georgia “George” Fayne — B.J and the Bear and The Love Boat and had roles in the films The First Nudie Musical (1976) and Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989).
Buckner left Hollywood to raise her family and went on to direct kids theater and teach dance.
Survivors include her children, Adam and Samantha; grandchildren Oliver, Riley, Abigail and Ruby; sister Linda; daughter-in-law Noel and son-in-law Adam; and her longtime partner, Al.
Donations in her memory can be made to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
BLACKPINK‘s Lisa brought some pink venom to the Miami International Autodrome on Sunday when the K-pop star served as the Formula 1 Grand Prix flag-bearer and met the Oracle Red Bull Racing team. On Tuesday (May 7), Lisa posted photos from the event on Instagram, writing that she felt “Honored to wave the flag at […]
BE:FIRST’s “Masterplan” blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated May 1, ending Creepy Nuts’ consecutive run atop the chart at 13 weeks.
The title track of the septet’s concept single released April 24 on CD, “Masterplan” debuts at No. 2 for CD sales with 115,963 copies sold in its first week, and comes in at No. 7 for streaming with 7,955,802 weekly streams. It also rules downloads (35,174 units), radio airplay and video views, dominating three metrics to take the top spot on the Japan Hot 100 like the group’s previous release, “Mainstream.” This is BE:FIRST’s sixth No. 1 hit, having previously ruled the tally with “Gifted,” “Bye-Good-Bye,” “Scream,” “Boom Boom Back,” and “Mainstream.”
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Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” slips to No. 2 after 13 straight weeks atop the Japan Hot 100. While it yields the top spot this week, the number of downloads for the MASHLE Season 2 opener increased by 105% from the week before, and points for karaoke and radio also increased, resulting in only a slight decrease in overall points.
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Omoinotake’s “IKUOKU KONEN” rises 5-3 this week. The three-man band hit the stage for its first headlining show at the Osaka Jo Yaon outdoor concert hall on April 28, celebrating the day the band was formed, and downloads increased slightly probably due to this event. Omoinotake is set to digitally release a new single called “Tsubomi” (Bud) on May 5, to be featured as the ending theme of the anime series My Hero Academia Season 7.
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WEST.’s “Heart” bows at No. 6. “Heart” is the anniversary single commemorating the tenth anniversary of the seven-member boy band’s CD debut on April 23. The track ruled sales with 263,585 CDs sold in the first week, while also coming in at No. 19 for radio.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from April 22 to 28, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
Even rockers are Swifties! Pearl Jam’s frontman Eddie Vedder and bassist Jeff Ament joined Bill Simmons on his self-titled podcast this week, where they praised Taylor Swift — especially since Vedder attended Swift’s Eras tour with his wife and two daughters. “She’s an artist who’s respectful of her audience and I know from my daughter […]
