Music

08 Dec 2023

Green Day, Reneé Rapp, Ludacris, Janelle Monae & More to Perform on 2024 ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest’

The lineup for the Hollywood portion of the 2024 Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest was revealed on Thursday night (Dec. 7), and it is jam-packed with pop, hip-hop, R&B and rock stars. The list includes Green Day, Janelle Monae, Ludacris and Reneé Rapp, as well as “Barbie” band Aqua, Bebe Rexha, Coco Jones, Doechii and Ellie Goulding.

Other stars slated to anchor the West Coast portion of the broadcast include Loud Luxury, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Paul Russell and Two Friends.

Seacrest will co-host this year’s 52nd annual edition from New York with singer Rita Ora, with Emmy-winning TV personality Jeannie Mai lined up to co-host the Hollywood portion of the broadcast in the Pacific time zone. Ora and Mai take over from Liza Koshy and Ciara, who co-anchored the show for the past few years. Singer/TV presenter Dayanara Torres will return as a co-host in the Atlantic time zone from Puerto Rico in a Spanish language countdown from the Puerto Rico Convention Center at DISTRITO T-Mobile. This year’s edition will not feature a central time zone countdown from New Orleans for the first time since 2017.

Performers for the other time zones have not yet been announced. Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024 will air on Dec. 31 live on ABC beginning at 9 p.m. ET, kicking off more than five-and-a-half hours of performances and special guests.

DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldrige. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.)

See the West Coast lineup below.

08 Dec 2023

Cher Is Heading to the Metaverse With ‘Christmas’ Roblox Event: Exclusive

Cher‘s chart-topping Christmas album marked her first-ever holiday record — and now, the legendary singer will embark on another first: a trip to the metaverse.

Billboard can share exclusive first details about Cher’s four-week event on Roblox that launches today (Dec. 8) in the latest collaboration between Warner Music Group and leading metaverse game developer Gamefam. Cher will head to WMG’s music-themed Roblox world Harmony Hills, which will have its halls decked in festive decor, add new holiday-themed locations, and launch limited-time virtual merchandise inspired by some of the superstar’s most iconic looks with tinsel hair, winter fairy wings, diamond antlers and a winter crown. The activation will spotlight three of Cher’s new Christmas tracks: “Drop Top Sleigh Ride” with Tyga, “Angels in the Snow,” and her historic new No. 1 single, “DJ Play a Christmas Song.”

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Alongside a virtual Cher NPC (non-playable character) designed to match her new album cover, players can earn the wearable avatar merch by successfully completing tasks like delivering presents, climbing up Christmas trees and participating in snowball fights.

The Cher space in Harmony Hills is the latest launch in WMG and Gamefam’s partnership that kicked off in February 2023 ahead of a Super Bowl concert with Warner Records rapper Saweetie. Gamefam reports the concert holds the highest rating among any concert on Roblox with a 96 percent player rating, with the Super Bowl campaign earning over 7.5 million visits in one week. A Bebe Rexha concert in July in support of her Bebe album averaged 8,300 concurrent users amid its 4.3 million unique visits.

Leaning into the 70 million daily active users on Roblox marks a unique opportunity for a legend like Cher to reach across generations, including an entirely new audience and demographic, via festive and familiar holiday music.

“Christmas songs have this magic that always brings families together and we feel Cher’s Christmas album really captures that spirit,” explains Jacqui Bransky, vp of Web3 and Innovation at Warner Records. “We thought taking her music to Roblox would help expose her to a new generation of fans while simultaneously spreading joy. We wanted to make the whole experience feel like a story, something that really draws the audience in while still feeling authentic to who Cher is as an artist.”

Adds Alli Guglielmino, svp of Growth at Gamefam, “Cher is an everlasting, multi-generational superstar and, after seven decades, Cher continues to find innovative ways to connect with a new wave of fans…as Gen Z and Alpha turn away from traditional music consumption methods, there’s no better place to reach them than the metaverse gaming platform where they’re actively playing for 2.5 hours every day.”

Cher’s Christmas event on Roblox (launching at 7 p.m. ET on Dec. 8) joins her heavy promo run for the holiday LP that’s included performances at the iHeartRadio Z100 Jingle Ball, the Rockefeller Center Tree-Lighting Special and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Cher, Roblox

Gamefam & Warner Records

08 Dec 2023

Mariah Carey Drops Festive New Lambily Edition ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ Video

Mariah Carey has been barnstorming the country for nearly a month on her festive Merry Christmas One and All tour and on Friday morning (Dec. 8) she presented her fans with the greatest gift of all: a new Lambs-centric video for her modern holiday classic, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

“The best thing about being on tour is getting to celebrate the holidays with my lambily!! To show my appreciation, here is a new video for ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You,’ [Christmas tree, present emoji],” she tweeted. “I’m calling this one the ‘Festive Lambs Edition!’ [heart, snowman emoji].”

The refreshed clip opens with footage of MC getting touched up backstage before a quick cut of super-excited fans in their Santa finest getting pumped for the show. The rest of the four-minute visual is essentially a super-cut featuring footage from the concerts intercut with rehearsal run-throughs, peeks at the action backstage, lots of shots of fans singing and dancing along with all their hearts and enough unabashed joy to float you through the next two weeks.

Carey kicked off the tour on Nov. 15 at the Yaamava’ Casino in Highland, CA and she’s kept the sled fueled up through dates at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, as well as gigs in Denver, Kansas City, Toronto, Montreal, Detroit, Chicago and Pittsburgh. She’ll touch down in Boston on Monday (Dec. 11) as the run winds down with gigs in Philadelphia (Dec. 13), Baltimore (Dec. 15) and a final gig at Madison Square Garden in New York on Dec. 17.

Because it’s MC’s time of year, of course “All I Want” reclaimed the top spot on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Dec. 9), dashing from No. 3 to No. 1 on the former and 8-1 on the latter.

Check out the “Festive Lambs Edition” of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” video below.

07 Dec 2023

Nicki Minaj Drops Her Long-Awaited Sequel ‘Pink Friday 2’: Stream It Now

Thirteen years after releasing her debut album Pink Friday, Nicki Minaj has delivered the long-awaited sequel.

Throughout Pink Friday 2, Minaj barrels through her foes at full throttle, showcasing the same unflappable wit that has made her a rap icon, as proven by her song “Big Difference.” “Like my hunnids blue/ Bad bi–hes, yeah, I keep ’em by the two/ It’s a big difference between me and you/ I ain’t nothin’ like you, you, you or you.”

Collaborators on the project include Future (“Nicki Hendrix”), J. Cole (“Let Me Calm Down”), Lil Uzi Vert (“Everybody”) and gospel star Tasha Cobbs Leonard (“Blessings”).

Minaj previously released the album’s lone single “Last Time I Saw You” with a more pop-centric vibe. “It’s a song about guilt,” she told Vogue in her cover story last month. “And I don’t think people make a lot of music about the experience of guilt. But if you talk to any human being on earth about it, they would know exactly what you mean. That ‘I wish I had’ feeling. Once I wrote the hook, I started to think of people that I love and see every day and still take for granted. You know what I’m saying? So I hope the song does a good thing.”

Pink Friday 2 is Minaj’s first album since her 2018 effort Queen, which included singles such as “Good Form,” “Chun Li,” and “Bed” with Ariana Grande. Along with Grande, Queen had features from Lil Wayne, Future, The Weeknd, and more. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 185,000 album-equivalent units. 

Stream Pink Friday 2 below. 

07 Dec 2023

Linkin Park, Olivia Rodrigo & The Doors Lead Record Store Day Black Friday 2023 Top-Sellers

Record Store Day’s Black Friday festivities on Nov. 24 yielded big gains for vinyl album sales in the U.S., thanks to hot-selling titles by the likes of Linkin Park, Olivia Rodrigo, The Doors, U2 and Post Malone – all released exclusively for the indie store holiday.

According to Luminate, in the tracking week ending Nov. 30, the top five-selling Record Store Day (RSD) Black Friday album release were Linkin Park’s Lost Demos (on translucent sea blue vinyl), Rodrigo’s four-song Guts: The Secret Tracks (on opaque deep purple vinyl), The Doors’ Live in Bakersfield, California, August 21, 1970 (on double vinyl), U2’s U2 Live: Under a Blood Red Sky (on red vinyl, naturally) and Post Malone’s The Diamond Collection (on clear double vinyl). (See lists below, which are ranked by album sales generated in the week ending Nov. 30.)

The Doors’ Live in Bakersfield set was released on both vinyl and as a two-CD set, and their combined sales across the two configurations make the album the RSD Black Friday top-seller overall for the week.

Typically, many unique and limited-edition titles – both albums and singles – are released for RSD Black Friday celebrations, exclusively sold through independent and small chain music stores. Record Store Day traditionally has its main indie store holiday in the springtime (2023’s edition was held on April 22), followed by a secondary shindig for Black Friday.

In the week ending Nov. 30, U.S. vinyl album sales industry-wide (across all sellers of music, not just indie stores and small chains) grew 67% to 1.748 million sold (up from 1.046 million sold the previous week). Independent store vinyl album sales for the week jumped 149% to 829,000 (up from 333,000 the previous week). 47.4% of all vinyl albums sold in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 30 were purchased at independent and small chain music stores (829,000 of 1.748 million).

With 1.748 million vinyl albums sold industry-wide, that marks the fifth-largest week for vinyl album sales in the U.S. in the modern era, since Luminate began electronically tracking music sales in 1991. (It’s also the second-largest week of 2023 for vinyl album sales, following the week ending April 27, which captured Record Store Day 2023, with 1.809 million sold). The biggest week since 1991 for vinyl album sales was the week ending Dec. 22, 2022, when 2.232 million vinyl albums were sold.

Top-Selling Record Store Day Black Friday 2023 Exclusive Albums at Independent Record Stores in U.S. (By Configuration)
Rank, Artist, Title
1. Linkin Park, Lost Demos (translucent sea blue vinyl)
2. Olivia Rodrigo, Guts: The Secret Tracks (opaque deep purple vinyl)
3. The Doors, Live in Bakersfield, California, August 21, 1970 (double vinyl)
4. U2, U2 Live: Under a Blood Red Sky (red vinyl)
5. Post Malone, The Diamond Collection (clear double vinyl)
6. Rilo Kiley, Under the Blacklight (translucent “blacklight” purple vinyl)
7. Noah Kahan, Cape Elizabeth (color marbled vinyl)
8. Grateful Dead, Filmore West 1969, March 2nd (five vinyl LP box set)
9. Coheed and Cambria, Live at the Starland Ballroom (solar flare colored double vinyl)
10. Gram Parsons and The Fallen Angels, The Last Roundup: Live From the Bijou Café in Philadelphia, 3/16/73 (double vinyl)
11. Jerry Garcia & John Kahn, Pure Jerry: Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium San Rafael, California – February, 28, 1986 (double vinyl)
12. Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark: Demos (vinyl)
13. CZARFACE, CZARtificial Intelligence (translucent Czarbury orange vinyl)
14. The Beach Boys, The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album (green vinyl)
15. My Morning Jacket, Happy Holiday! (clear vinyl with “white snow splatters”)
16. Faces, Had Me a Real Good Time: Live at the BBC, In Session & In Concert 1971-1973 (vinyl)
17. Nas, I Am… The Autobiography (double vinyl)
18. The English Beat, I Just Can’t Stop It (double vinyl)
19. Willie Nelson, Shotgun Willie (double vinyl)
20. Bill Evans / Chuck Israels / Larry Bunker, Tales: Live in Copenhagen (1964) (vinyl)
21. Various Artists, Jazz Dispensary: At the Movies (purple marble vinyl)
22. Kim Petras, Problematique (apple red vinyl)
23. Jonas Brothers, The Family Business (clear double vinyl)
24. Soundtrack, Asteroid City (orange double vinyl)
25. The Flaming Lips, Live at the Paradise Lounge (pink vinyl)

Top-Selling Record Store Day Black Friday 2023 Exclusive Singles at Independent Record Stores in U.S.
Rank, Artist, Title
1. Prince and The N.P.G, Gett Off (12-inch vinyl)
2. Billy Strings featuring Willie Nelson, California Sober (green 12-inch vinyl)
3. Turnstile x BADBADNOTGOOD, Mystery / Alien Love Call, featuring Blood Orange / Underwater Boi (12-inch vinyl)
4. Motley Crue, Too Young to Fall In Love (Remix) / Knock em’ Dead Kid / Too Fast for Love (orange/black 12-inch vinyl)
5. Cypress Hill, Insane In the Brain (2023 Remix) / Hits From the Bong (2023 Remix) (12-inch vinyl)
6. Phoenix, Winter Solstice / Winter Solstice (Braxe+Falcon Remix) (7-inch vinyl)
7. Aimee Mann, Dead Eyes / Dead Eyes (demo) (7-inch vinyl)
8. Jeff Beck, Midnight Walker Lament, featuring Imelda May / Elegy for Dunkirk (Live), featuring Olivia Safe / Goin’ Down (Live) (12-inch vinyl)
9. The Hold Steady, The Death of the Punchline / Radar & Leda (random color 12-inch)
10. Waterboys, This Is the Sea (Fast) / The Passenger (10-inch vinyl)

Source: Luminate, for the week ending Nov. 30, 2023.

07 Dec 2023

Selena Gomez Comments on Benny Blanco Dating Rumors: ‘He Is My Absolute Everything in My Heart’

You might have seen some rumors floating around online Thursday (Dec. 7) that Selena Gomez is dating producer Benny Blanco — well, Gomez saw the rumors too. The pop star/actress went on an Instagram commenting spree Thursday, responding to social media reaction to the rumored pairing.

“He is my absolute everything in my heart,” she commented on this post, before replying to other comments on the account. “I don’t understand. If you actually care about me. This is my happiest,” she said to one commenter. “If you don’t, feel free to say whatever you want. But I will never allow your words to guide my life. Ever. I’m done. If you can’t accept me at my happiest then don’t be in [my] life at all.”

One commenter fired back: “If you can’t handle the hate then stop posting pictures of your boyfriend lol – it should be special between you two only. Don’t be mad at your fans. They love you.” Gomez countered by offering up a timeline of the new relationship, saying that they’ve actually kept things private for half a year. “Not mad. It’s been 6 months bb. I will always defend my friends family and fans till the day I die.”

Billboard has reached out to a rep for Gomez to confirm the validity of the comments.

Following the comments, Gomez took to her own Instagram Stories and shared a photo that appeared to be of her and Blanco. In a separate Story, she wrote: “Just a reminder of how much I appreciate and love each and everyone of you.”

Blanco co-produced Gomez’s most recent song “Single Soon,” which arrived in August and was a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. They also collaborated on Blanco’s “I Can’t Get Enough,” alongside Tainy and J Balvin, in 2019.

Aside from addressing Blanco rumors, she also responded to a fan who asked the status of her third solo album. “When is sg3 coming sel?” the comment read, to which Gomez responded: “in 2 months.”

07 Dec 2023

‘Barbie,’ Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ Film Nominated for The Hollywood Creative Alliance’s 2024 Astra Awards

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie led the Astra Awards nominations with 15 nods, while Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was a beat behind with 14. The films each received nominations for best picture, director and cast ensemble.

Barbie also took three of the six nominations for best original song for “Dance the Night,” “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For?”

The late Robbie Robertson is nominated for best original score for his work on Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. He is competing with Ludwig Göransson’s score for Oppenheimer, among others.

Taylor Swift’s Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which made history as the top-grossing concert film of all time, is vying for best documentary feature with two other music docs (American Symphony, about Jon Batiste, and Little Richard: I Am Everything, about the flamboyant rock legend) and three non-music docs.

Killers of the Flower Moon and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and each received 10 nominations in the awards, which are presented by the Hollywood Creative Alliance. The Holdover and Poor Things are tied with nine nominations each. The Color Purple had eight, including best actress for Fantasia Barrino.

Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, about legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, received seven nods including best actor and best director for Cooper and best actress for Carey Mulligan.

Winners of the 2024 Astra Film Awards will be revealed on Saturday, Jan. 6, during a live-streamed event from the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, beginning at 6:30 pm PT/9:30 pm ET. Comedian Jimmy O. Yang will serve as host.

The Astra Creative Arts Awards winners will be revealed on Monday, Feb. 26 at City Market Social House in Los Angeles.

Here are nominees for the 2024 Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards in 14 selected categories:

Best Original Song

“Camp Isn’t Home” from Theater Camp, Written by Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, and Mark Sonnenblick – Performed by Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Noah Galvin, Alexander Bello, Bailee Bonick, Donovan Colan, Jack Sobolewski, Kyndra Sanchez, Luke Islam, Madisen Lora and Quinn Titcomb (Searchlight Pictures)

“Dance the Night” from Barbie, Written by Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, Dua Lipa, and Caroline Ailin – Performed by Dua Lipa (Warner Bros. Pictures)

“I’m Just Ken” from Barbie, Written by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt – Performed by Ryan Gosling (Warner Bros. Pictures)

“Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros Movie, Written by Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond, and John Spiker – Performed by Jack Black (Universal Pictures)

“This Wish” from Wish, ​​Written by Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, and JP Saxe – Performed by Ariana DeBose (Walt Disney Pictures)

“What Was I Made For?” from Barbie, Written By Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell – Performed by Billie Eilish (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Score

Elemental, Thomas Newman (Disney/Pixar)

Killers of the Flower Moon, Robbie Robertson (Apple Original Films)

Oppenheimer, Ludwig Göransson (Universal Pictures)

Poor Things, Jerskin Fendrix (Searchlight Pictures)

Saltburn, Anthony Willis (Amazon MGM Studios)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Daniel Pemberton (Sony Pictures)

Best Documentary Feature

20 Days in Mariupol (PBS Distribution)

American Symphony (Netflix)

Beyond Utopia (Roadside Attractions)

Little Richard: I Am Everything (Magnolia Pictures)

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (Apple Original Films)

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (AMC Theatres Distribution)

Best Animated Feature

The Boy and The Heron (GKids)

Elemental (Disney/Pixar)

Nimona (Netflix)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)

Suzume (Sony Pictures/Crunchyroll)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount Pictures)

Best Voice-Over Performance

Ariana DeBose – Wish (Walt Disney Studios)

Bradley Cooper – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney/Marvel)

Daniel Kaluuya – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)

Hailee Steinfeld – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)

Jack Black – The Super Mario Bros Movie (Universal Pictures)

Shameik Moore – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)

Best Cast Ensemble

Air (Amazon MGM Studios)

Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films)

Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)

The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)

The Holdovers (Focus Features)

Best Supporting Actress

America Ferrera – Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers (Focus Features)

Julianne Moore – May December (Netflix)

Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Lionsgate)

Viola Davis – Air (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Supporting Actor

Charles Melton – May December (Netflix)

Colman Domingo – The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers (Focus Features)

Glenn Howerton – BlackBerry (IFC Films)

Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)

Ryan Gosling – Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Actress

Carey Mulligan – Maestro (Netflix)

Emma Stone – Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures)

Fantasia Barrino – The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Greta Lee – Past Lives (A24)

Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films)

Margot Robbie – Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Actor

Barry Keoghan – Saltburn  (Amazon MGM Studios)

Bradley Cooper – Maestro (Netflix)

Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)

Colman Domingo – Rustin (Netflix)

Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)

Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers (Focus Features)

Best Original Screenplay

Air, Written by Alex Convery (Amazon MGM Studios)

Anatomy of a Fall, Written by Justine Triet & Arthur Harari (NEON)

Barbie, Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Past Lives, Written by Celine Song (A24)

Saltburn, Written by Emerald Fennell (Amazon/MGM Studios)

The Holdovers, Written by David Hemingson (Focus Features)

Best Adapted Screenplay

American Fiction, Screenplay by Cord Jefferson (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Screenplay by Kelly Fremon Craig (Lionsgate)

Killers of the Flower Moon, Screenplay by Eric Roth & Martin Scorsese (Apple Original Films)

Oppenheimer,  Screenplay by Christopher Nolan (Universal Pictures)

Poor Things, Screenplay by Tony McNamara (Searchlight Pictures)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dave Callaham (Sony Pictures)

Best Director

Alexander Payne – The Holdovers (Focus Features)

Ben Affleck – Air (Amazon MGM Studios)

Bradley Cooper – Maestro (Netflix)

Celine Song – Past Lives (A24)

Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)

Cord Jefferson – American Fiction (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)

Emerald Fennell – Saltburn (Amazon MGM Studios)

Greta Gerwig – Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films)

Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Picture

Air (Amazon MGM Studios)

American Fiction (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)

Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)

The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)

The Holdovers (Focus Features)

Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films)

Maestro (Netflix)

Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)

Past Lives (A24)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)

07 Dec 2023

Music Docs About Jon Batiste, Joan Baez, Little Richard & More Eligible for 2024 Best Documentary Feature Film Oscar

At least 15 music docs are among 167 features that are eligible for consideration in the documentary feature film category at the 2024 Oscars. These include films that tell the stories of such varied musicians as Jon Batiste, Carlos Santana, Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd, Joan Baez, Little Richard, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Thelonious Monk and Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Members of the documentary branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will vote to determine the shortlist and, later, the nominees in this category. The shortlist of 15 films will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 21.

The Academy notes that some of the eligible films in this category have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfill that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.

Films submitted in the documentary feature film category may also qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including best picture. Documentary features that have been submitted in the international feature film category as their country’s official selection are also eligible in this category. 

The Academy also released lists of eligible films in two other categories on Thursday (Dec. 7). A total of 33 features are eligible in the animated feature film category. Eighty-eight countries or regions have submitted films that are eligible in the international feature film category. (A shortlist of 15 films will also be announced in that category on Dec. 21.)

Nominations for the 96th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide. Jimmy Kimmel is hosting.

Here are 15 notable music docs that are vying for a spot on the shortlist in the documentary feature film category. They are listed in alphabetical order.

07 Dec 2023

Adele Meets ‘Fellow Londoner’ Dua Lipa & Shows Off Her ‘Gift of Gab’ at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment

We all know Adele has a way with words — both in song and in interviews — but in her cheeky speech Thursday morning (Dec. 7) at The Hollywood Reporter‘s Women in Entertainment breakfast, she warned the crowd that she’s “not really a motivational words kinda gal.”

“I’m just gonna be upfront about it straightaway,” she said as she accepted the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award. “I’m also not really a speeches kind of gal. They’re really not my f—ing forte. I can’t. When I’m nervous, I swear. Forgive me. I’m British, what can I say?”

It might be hard to convince the room of Hollywood power players gathered at the Beverly Hills Hotel that Adele is not a “speeches kind of gal” after she gave an equal-parts heartfelt and riotous one on Thursday, poking fun at the early call time (“It’s an absolute honor to be here today in full f—ing glam at 8 a.m.”) while paying tribute to the industry’s trailblazing women who preceded her (“It’s because of them that I have every right to be the boss at work and the boss at home”).

The event also brought together two music powerhouses who one might assume had crossed paths before. “I finally got to meet Dua Lipa!” Adele said in her speech. “A bit starstruck. Absolutely love her. Fellow Londoner.” She also joked about the height of the microphone onstage and invoked her fellow pop star’s name. “It’s hard with this microphone, isn’t it, Dua?” she said. “We’re very, very tall — like supermodels. Well you are, I’m not — but anyway!”

Previous Sherry Lansing Award recipient Helen Mirren presented Adele with the honor, recalling the first time she heard the song “Hometown Glory” from Adele’s 2008 debut album 19 and “a shiver went down my back. That chill that comes just a few times in your life, when you realize you are listening to a brilliant and game-changing new artist. And I thought, ‘Wow, a goddess walks amongst us.’”

Kerry Washington was also honored at the event, receiving the Equity in Entertainment Award from Ariana DeBose. And the most touching aspect of the program was when Dua Lipa, Camila Cabello and others helped present more than $1 million in scholarships to high school seniors who are part of THR’s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program. “The scholarships had me in floods of tears,” Adele said to start her speech.

Watch Adele’s full speech and see Dua Lipa’s photos from the event below:

07 Dec 2023

Mariah Carey Sends Brenda Lee Flowers for ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ Topping Hot 100

Mariah Carey has given Brenda Lee an early Christmas gift, from one holiday queen to another.

On Thursday (Dec. 7), the “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” singer revealed that Carey sent her a sweet bouquet of flowers, along with a message congratulating her on her holiday hit scoring the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.

On her Instagram Stories, Lee posted a photo of the flowers, along with the card sent from Carey that read, “Dearest Ms. Brenda, congratulations on your historic No. 1. Have a Merry Christmas. Love, Mariah.”

Lee, who soundtracked the post with Carey’s seasonal No. 1 hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” captioned the post, “Thank you for your sweet note, @mariahcarey! Wishing you the merriest Christmas, too!”

Lee’s No. 1 is, indeed, a historic one. Sixty-five years after the song’s initial release, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” crowned the Dec. 9-dated Hot 100 this week. The past four Christmases, the song had peaked at the No. 2 spot behind Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The track jumped up seven spots from the week prior, resting firmly within the chart’s top 10 at the No. 8 spot on the all-genre tally. Carey’s Christmas classic sits one spot behind at No. 2.

Lee celebrated the hit’s No. 1 position on the chart via Instagram on Dec. 5. “#RockinAroundtheChristmasTree is officially #1 on the @Billboard #HOT100 charts!” she excitedly shared. “Thank you so much for listening and rockin’ this holiday season! #65YearsLater #Hot100Charts #ARockinChristmas.”

See Lee’s Instagram Story here before it disappears.