Music

07 Jan 2024

This Golden Globe Winner Used His Speech As a Chance to Meet Bruce Springsteen

The Golden Globes are always a bit looser than most awards show – after all, there’s an open bar. So it was only fitting that at the 2024 Golden Globes on Sunday (Jan. 7) night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., one winner took his acceptance speech as a chance for a little human touch with an iconic rocker.

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When it was revealed that Poor Things nabbed the award for best motion picture – musical or comedy, a team of people behind the film, including star/producer Emma Stone and director/producer Yorgos Lanthimos, took the stage. Stone had spoken earlier that night when she won the award for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy and chose to abdicate her acceptance speech slot as one of the film’s producers, forcing the Greek director to take the mic.

Considering the unconventional film is about a young woman (played by Stone) attempting to get the most out of life regardless of social expectations, it was perhaps inevitable that Lanthimos threw polite protocol to the wind at the Globes and used his moment in the spotlight to satiate his hungry heart.

“I just wanted to speak to Bruce Springsteen the whole night,” Lanthimos said as he grabbed the mic. “We have the same birthday – the 23rd of September!” As Stone and the Poor Things cast and crew laughed behind him, the camera cut to Springsteen flashing a thumbs up from his table. (Springsteen was a 2024 Golden Globe nominee for writing “Addicted to Romance” for She Came to Me, which was up for best original song but lost to Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell’s “What Was I Made For?” from the blockbuster Barbie film.)

“He’s been my hero since I grew up,” Lanthimos explained. “Anyway, I’m wasting my time.”

Lanthimos went on to thank Searchlight Pictures for making the film, his cast and his crew (“Emma, she’s the best,” he said), but couldn’t walk away without one more shout-out to the Boss. “Thank you, Bruce Springsteen, for making me grew up [sic] the way I did.”

When social conventions said “sit down,” Yorgos stood up. Growin’ up.

The Golden Globes are produced and owned by dick clark productions. Penske Media Corporation, Billboard’s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.

07 Jan 2024

Billie Eilish & Finneas and More Record-Setters at the 2024 Golden Globes

“Barbenheimer,” which broke records at the box-office last summer, also dominated the 2024 Golden Globe Awards, which were presented at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Sunday (Jan. 7).

Oppenheimer won five Globes, the most by any film since La La Land swept seven awards seven years ago. Barbie won two (fewer than expected) – best original song and in the new cinematic and box office achievement category. In the latter category, it beat Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which some had thought might be an upset winner.

“What Was I Made For?,” the Barbie ballad by Billie Eilish and Finneas, won best original song, defeating two other songs from Barbie, “Dance the Night” and “I’m Just Ken.” It’s the sibling pair’s second Globe in three years, which constitutes the fastest repeat trip to the podium in this category since Benj Pasek and Justin Paul won back-to-back awards in the category with “City of Stars” from La La Land (which they composed with Justin Hurwitz) in 2017 and “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman in 2018.

Eilish is just the fourth woman to win twice in the category, following Carole Bayer Sager, Marilyn Bergman and Diane Warren.

“What Was I Made For?,” which Barbie director Greta Gerwig has called the film’s “heart” song, is considered the front-runner to win the Academy Award for best original song. The Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 23.

Ludwig Göransson won best original score for Oppenheimer. It’s his first Globe win, following nominations in this category for Black Panther and Tenet and a best original song nod for co-writing “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Göransson is the first Swedish composer to win for best original score. Göransson is considered the front-runner to win the Academy Award for best original score on March 10.

The top winner on the TV side was HBO’s Succession, with four awards, followed by FX’s The Bear and Netflix’s Beef, with three awards each.

Past Lives went 0-5 for the night, the biggest shutout by any film. On the TV side, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building had the biggest shutout, also going 0-5 on the night.

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge. 

07 Jan 2024

Golden Globes 2024 Photos: Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez & More

The 2024 awards season kicked off Sunday (Jan. 7) with the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. The ceremony, produced by dick clark productions, was hosted by comedian Jo Koy, with not only Hollywood’s brightest stars in attendance, but also numerous musicians who were nominated for their musical contributions to film.

Among them were Taylor Swift, who received a nod for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in the cinematic and box office achievement category (she lost to blockbuster Barbie); Selena Gomez, who was nominated for her portrayal of podcaster Mabel Mora in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building (The Bear‘s Ayo Edebiri won); Dua Lipa, who was a presenter and was also nominated for her Barbie contribution “Dance the Night”; Jennifer Lopez, who was there with husband Ben Affleck; and more.

While the music stars did not perform their nominated works at the ceremony, they did hobnob with their fellow celebrities during the show, which was broadcast on CBS and Paramount+. Some moments were shown on TV, while others were captured by photographers, including Swift and Barry star Bill Hader, who posed for a photo together, and Dua Lipa presenting with Elizabeth Banks.

Below, see some of the best photos from the 2024 Golden Globes, from Billie Eilish and Finneas’ win for best original song, to Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman and actor Jared Leto’s chat with Robert Downey Jr., The Bear stars celebrating their wins and more.

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.

07 Jan 2024

Chely Wright Says New York Times Op-Ed Speculating About Taylor Swift’s Sexuality Is ‘Triggering’ and ‘Upsetting’

Chely Wright, who was brought up in the lede of a Jan. 4 op-ed published by the New York Times that speculated about Taylor Swift‘s sexuality, has shared her thoughts after being named in the piece.

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“I was mentioned in the piece, so I’ll weigh in,” country singer Wright wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sunday (Jan. 7). “I think it was awful of @nytimes to publish. Triggering for me to read— not because the writer mentioned my nearly ending my life— but seeing a public person’s sexuality being discussed is upsetting.”

The op-ed is based on NYT opinion editor Anna Marks’ theory that Swift could be a closeted queer woman sending subtextual signals about her sexuality in her work. It weaves in discussion about progress that has been made around the LGBTQ community’s rights in the U.S. since the start of Swift’s career.

The piece references Wright’s memoir Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer. Wright, who came out as gay in 2010, has shared her personal challenges with going public about her personal life. As she wrote in an essay in 2011, “I didn’t know how to be me in this life that I’d carved out — this gay, Christian, farm girl from Kansas who sang country music. I just didn’t know how to make those pieces fit.”

Marks’ NYT article opens with this sentence: “In 2006, the year Taylor Swift released her first single, a closeted country singer named Chely Wright, then 35, held a 9-millimeter pistol to her mouth.”

Marks wrote, “Queer identity was still taboo enough in mainstream America that speaking about her love for another woman would have spelled the end of a country music career. But in suppressing her identity, Ms. Wright had risked her life. The culture in which Ms. Wright picked up that gun — the same culture in which Ms. Swift first became a star — was stunningly different from today’s.“

Since it was published, the NYT 5,000-word piece that goes on to make assumptions at length about Swift’s sexuality has faced criticism across social media for its open speculation about the Midnights singer’s private life and identity.

Wright, who had a No. 1 hit on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart with “Single White Female” in 1999, posted her comment in reply to music writer Chris Willman, agreeing with his take that “this was the least defensible op-ed I can remember ever seeing the NYT run.”

See Wright’s statement below.

07 Jan 2024

Billie Eilish, Finneas Win Golden Globe for Best Original Song: ‘Writing That Song Kind of Saved Me’

Billie Eilish didn’t forget to be happy at the 2024 Golden Globes. The 22-year-old pop star and brother Finneas won the best original song – motion picture trophy for their emotional Barbie ballad “What Was I Made For?” on Sunday (Jan. 7), beating out other music heavyweights for the victory.

The “Happier Than Ever” singer accepted the award with her big brother by her side. “I was not expecting this in this moment Thank you to my brother, Finneas. You are the reason I am who I am,” she began, a big smile on her face, before thanking director/writer Greta Gerwig, star Margot Robbie and more.

The seven-time Grammy winner then got personal. “It was exactly a year ago almost that we were shown the movie and I was very, very miserable and depressed at the time. Writing that song kind of saved me a little bit,” she shared. “A year later and here we are. It’s really surreal. I feel incredibly, incredibly lucky, incredibly lucky and grateful.”

She then addressed all of the stars in the room with her at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles: “You guys scare the living hell out of me — everyone in this room! Thank you so much! This means the world!”

“What Was I Made For?” — which peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August — was nominated alongside fellow Barbie soundtrack tunes “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa and “I’m Just Ken,” performed by Ryan Gosling and written by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt. Also receiving nods in the category were Bruce Springsteen’s “Addicted to Romance” from She Came to Me, Jack Black’s “Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Lenny Kravitz’s “Road to Freedom” in Rustin.

Jo Koy hosted the 2024 Golden Globes, which were produced by dick clark productions.

Watch Billie Eilish’s acceptance speech below:

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.

07 Jan 2024

Ludwig Göransson Wins Best Original Score Golden Globe for ‘Oppenheimer’

The 2024 Golden Globes on Sunday (Jan. 7) marked the 81st annual ceremony for the awards show – and the first one since the Hollywood Foreign Press Association officially disbanded, meaning that the esteemed awards show — which kicks off awards season every year — is entering a new era.

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In the best original score – motion picture category, it was a stacked lineup of nominees: Jerskin Fendrix for Poor Things; Ludwig Göransson for Oppenheimer; Joe Hisaishi for The Boy and the Heron; Mica Levi for The Zone of Interest; Daniel Pemberton for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; and the late Robbie Robertson for Killers of the Flower Moon.

But when Andra Day and Jon Batiste opened the envelope (after freestyling a bit of the Super Mario Bros. video game soundtrack), they revealed Göransson was the 2024 winner for scoring Christopher Nolan’s epic blockbuster about the political intrigue and ethical complications that came with the advent of nuclear power during World War II.

“Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and thank you to Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas for inviting me on this journey and creating this masterpiece,” Göransson during his acceptance speech. “Working with Christopher Nolan has been an incredible experience. The way you use music in your films and storytelling has inspired a lot of people,” he said to Nolan, who was seated in the audience at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

“I also want to thank Cillian Murphy – I have been watching your face over and over again. It’s been an incredible experience and thanks for inspiring me. I want to thank all the musicians who play on this score, they’ve made an incredible effort, and I also want to thank my partner in life and partner in music, Serena (McKinney), for helping me realize this music. I love you.”

Göransson is a three-time Grammy winner, as well as an Academy Award winner for his Black Panther score. Unlike most Hollywood composers, he’s also part of a Billboard Hot 100 topper — he co-wrote and co-produced Childish Gambino’s 2018 No. 1, “This Is America.”

The Golden Globes are produced and owned by dick clark productions. Penske Media Corporation, Billboard’s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.

07 Jan 2024

Taylor Swift Loved This Moment in Ayo Edebiri’s Golden Globes Speech: Watch

Heard, chef! Taylor Swift couldn’t help but nod in agreement during The Bear star Ayo Edebiri’s acceptance speech for best actress in a TV series – musical or comedy at the 2024 Golden Globes on Sunday (Jan. 7).

The moment came in the middle of the actress’ speech, during which she thanked not only her costars, her family and fellow nominees, but some really behind-the-scenes people who have played a role in her career. “There’s so many people who I probably forgot to thank. Oh my god — all of my agents’ and managers’ assistants,” Edebiri, who plays chef Sydney, excitedly emphasized. “To the people who answer my emails, you are all the real ones! Thank you for answering my crazy, crazy emails. Yeah, I’m really, really grateful. If I forgot to thank you, I’m sorry, unless you were mean or something!”

As the actress, who earned her first Golden Globe nomination and win for her work on the show’s second season, gave Hollywood assistants their shoutouts, the 12-time Grammy winner — whose Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film is up for the cinematic and box office achievement award — couldn’t help but show she agreed with Edebiri’s acknowledgement of assistants, clapping, nodding and mouthing with a smile, “Oh yeah, yup!”

Earlier in the night, The Bear lead Jeremy Allen White, who plays Carmy on Hulu’s hit show, won for best actor in a TV series – musical or comedy.

The 2024 Golden Globes was hosted by Jo Koy and held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. It was produced by dick clark productions.

Watch Ayo Edebiri’s acceptance speech and Taylor Swift’s reaction to it below:

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.

07 Jan 2024

Golden Globes Host Jo Koy Mocks the NFL’s Taylor Swift Obsession

On Sunday (Jan. 7) evening, the 81st annual Golden Globes (and first following the dissolution of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 2023) took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

2024 Golden Globes host Jo Koy couldn’t resist a joke about audience member Taylor Swift, a last-minute attendee whose 2023 concert film about her blockbuster Eras Tour, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, is nominated for the cinematic and box office achievement award, one of two new awards at the 2024 ceremony.

“As you know, we came on after a football double header,” Koy said early in the program, tipping to the fact that the Globes started airing on CBS right after an NFL showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift — I swear.”

The crack is a reference to the much-lampooned reality that ever since the world-famous pop star began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and attending numerous NFL games, NFL broadcasts have been replete with reaction shots of Swift watching her boyfriend from the crowd (not to mention a seemingly endless supply of Swift-related puns from NFL announcers).

In response to Koy’s joke, Swift gave a deadpan, poker face reaction and simply took a sip of her wine.

In his show-opening monologue, Koy also joked about Jared Leto, calling him “hot Jesus,” and the TV show Only Murders in the Building. “On that show you don’t know whose side to be on,” he said of the Selena Gomez-starring series. “That’s how I feel about Daryl Hall and John Oates,” he quipped, referring to the ongoing legal showdown between the Hot 100-topping pop duo.

07 Jan 2024

Taylor Swift Stuns on the 2024 Golden Globes Red Carpet in Slinky Green Dress

Is Taylor Swift‘s slinky green dress at the 2024 Golden Globes Reputation (Taylor’s Version)-coded? Whether her floor-length evening gown is meant to reference a Rep-era snake or not, the pop icon stunned on the red carpet before the Golden Globes ceremony, where Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour was up for the cinematic and box office achievement award Sunday night (Jan. 7).

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Swift, adorned with De Beers jewelry (including what appeared to be a snake ring) and reportedly wearing a custom Gucci dress, could certainly “make the whole place shimmer” in her glamorous look.

With her hair down in soft waves (and the return of her signature bangs, after rocking a sideswept style most recently), the focus was her shiny, green gown; one could say its texture gave off snake-scale vibes, to the delight of fans hoping for a certain album whenever Swift announces her next re-recording. Swift’s elegant dress covered her shoes while baring her shoulders and back with its thin straps.

Inside at the ceremony, Swift was seen with friends — sitting next to Emma Stone, hanging out with Miles Teller’s wife, Keleigh, and posing for a photo with Selena Gomez.

See Swift’s full look and red carpet arrival below. Keep up with the the full list of 2024 Golden Globes winners here.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Gilbert Flores/Golden Globes 2024

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Gilbert Flores/Golden Globes 2024

07 Jan 2024

Ed Sheeran Reacts to First Emmy Win: ‘It Was a Real, Real Surprise’

Ed Sheeran wasn’t expecting to win an Emmy at the 2023 Primetime Emmy Creative Arts Awards.

Along with Max Martin and Foy Vance, Sheeran took home the award for outstanding original music and lyrics for “A Beautiful Game,” which they wrote for an episode of Ted Lasso. Night one of the 2023 Primetime Emmys took place Saturday night (Jan. 6).

“We won an Emmy last night. I was not expecting to win at all,” Sheeran, a first-time Emmy winner, wrote Sunday. “It was a real real surprise waking up to the news, I wish I had been there but I’m just about to kick off the Asia tour so had to be elsewhere sadly.”

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Sheeran then described how the Emmy-winning song came to be: “I wrote a song for Ted Lasso with Max Martin and @foyvance called ‘A Beautiful Game’. We were all fans of the show and got asked to do a song for the finale, so 2 years ago this month we got in together and wrote a song about love and football, and how it is always about the journey rather than the destination. I recorded a crowd at one of my stadium shows for it singing the final chant to keep it in the footie wibes.”

“It was up against some fantastic artists and songs in its Emmy category for Best Original Music and Lyrics, hence not thinking we had a chance in hell of winning, but thank you so much for whoever voted for it, and to Max, Foy and all the Lasso crew. I really am honoured. The song is out everywhere on all platforms if you haven’t heard it yet. Love you all ! And happy new year, see ya on the road,” said Sheeran.

Winners in five of seven music categories were announced on night one of the awards, which took place at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. Winners in the other two music categories are to be announced on night two on Sunday (Jan. 7). The main Primetime Emmy telecast will air on Monday, Jan. 15, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on FOX.

See Sheeran’s reaction post below.