Music
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Mary J. Blige, Lisa Lisa and Gloria Gaynor comprise the trio of icons who will be spotlighted when Lifetime’s 2025 “Voices of a Lifetime” platform returns this winter. The launch begins Jan. 25 with the premiere of the original movie Mary J. Blige’s Family Affair. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, […]
Nikola Jokic is apparently a big fan of 50 Cent, especially the Queens rapper’s song “Many Men.”
After Denver Nuggets teammate DeAndre Jordan recently revealed that the 2003 song is Jokic’s favorite, the NBA on TNT crew joked with the three-time MVP about him supposedly knowing every word and pleaded for him to rap the words during a postgame interview.
“No, no, no, I’m not,” Jokic laughed, refusing to rap. “D.J. is a bad teammate. I love the song, I love the song, but I’m not going to [rap it].”
“Peyton Watson is our locker room DJ, so anytime Nikola request a song, if it’s not, like, Serbian folk music, it is ‘Many Men’ by 50 Cent,” Jordan shared on the Run It Back podcast. “He knows the words from start to finish. … That’s his song, man, he loves it.”
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Jordan couldn’t confirm if the Serbian big man had ever seen 50’s 2003 movie Get Rich or Die Tryin’, but he said he’s going to get him a tape if he hasn’t. “You know what, I don’t know, but if he hasn’t, I’m going to get it for him on VHS.”
However, the Joker bashfully denied Jordan’s claim, but said he’ll learn the words and maybe perform the song sometime in the future.
“No, no, he’s lying. I don’t know the words. But I’m going to [learn] it. Maybe I’m going to perform, I think,” he said as they egged him on and suggested he do the performance during the upcoming All-Star weekend in February.
The highlight of the clip, though, is Adam Lefkoe rapping the hook and Shaq attempting to rap the words in Serbian (or French, maybe Creole, depending on who you ask.)
Angel Carter Conrad is getting ready to tell her side of her family’s history — including her memories of famous brothers Nick Carter and the late Aaron Carter — in a new documentary titled The Carters coming to Paramount+ later this year.
As announced Wednesday (Jan. 22), the two-part project will give viewers a “deeply personal look at the extreme highs and tragic lows of a family propelled into the spotlight” by Nick’s boy band career with the Backstreet Boys and Aaron’s rise to solo pop stardom. Told through the eyes of Angel — Aaron’s twin sister — the doc will piece together the Carter family’s “deeply disturbing path” through never-before-seen home movies and exclusive interviews with friends Melissa Joan Hart and Scout Willis.
“The Carters follows bona fide American teen heartthrobs, Nick and Aaron, who seemed to have it all,” reads a description. “But behind their remarkable gifts was a family dealing with mental health struggles, drug addiction, and heartbreaking neglect.”
An exact release date has not yet been announced. Director Soleil Moon Frye said in a statement, “I feel morally responsible to create a safe space for others to share their truths … Angel’s courage in sharing her family’s journey of mental health issues, addiction, pain, unbearable loss, and at the core, love, is a profound testament to who she is.”
“This documentary is a labor of love for my family,” added Angel. “By sharing our true story — one shaped by loss, resilience, and healing — I hope to honor our journey and transform our past into a message of hope and purpose for others facing similar challenges.”
Aaron, Nick and Angel are three of five children in their family. They also had a sister named Leslie, who died of an apparent overdose in 2012, and another sister, Bobbie Jean, who died of an accidental overdose in 2023. Aaron died the year prior in an accidental drowning. The siblings also lost their father to a heart attack in 2017.
Seemingly uninvolved in the documentary, Nick Carter is currently embroiled in legal battles with three women who have accused him of sexual assault: Shannon “Shay” Ruth, Dream singer Melissa Schuman and an anonymous Jane Doe, who in August 2023 filed a complaint alleging Nick assaulted her multiple times in 2003 when she was 15. Ruth sued the “Now or Never” singer in December 2022 for allegedly raping her on a tour bus when she was a teenager, while Schuman’s suit came in April 2023 over claims Nick gave her drug-laced alcohol and assaulted her when she was 18.
In August last year, Nick countersued Schuman for $2.5 million. He also countersued Ruth before that; both times, a judge refused attempts to have the countersuits dismissed.
Few American-made mythologies loom larger than L. Frank Baum’s Oz. His 1900 book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was an instant sensation that was made into theatrical productions and films, and later inspired songs by Elton John, America, ELO and even the Melvins.
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Now, Jon M. Chu’s blockbuster Wicked is taking audiences beyond the yellow brick road, thanks to bewitching performances by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. So put on your emerald-colored glasses for a look back at Billboard’s coverage of a story that transported people over the rainbow to another world.
Not In Kansas Anymore
Just two years after Baum published his book, a musical adaptation, The Wizard of Oz, opened in a Chicago theater. Thanks to vaudeville veterans Fred Stone and David C. Montgomery playing the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, respectively, the Jan. 3, 1903, Billboard raved, “It is one continuous case of laughter throughout.” The reviewer noted, however, that “the music isn’t so very catchy.” If they only had a Rodgers & Hart!
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If They Only Had a Brain
When the sixth silent film based on Oz opened in 1925, a Billboard critic wasn’t convinced it was King of the Forest. “No one ever expects logic in a film of this species and certainly no one finds any in The Wizard of Oz,” wrote a reviewer in the April 25 issue of director Larry Semon’s slapstick take. The good news: “You can safely invite the school committee and the clergy to view this film as it is wholesome and totally without objectionable features.”
‘What Happened Next Was Rich’
When MGM’s lush The Wizard of Oz premiered in New York, Billboard was there — as was star actress Judy Garland, who sang a few songs after the screening with frequent co-star Mickey Rooney. The “vaudefilmers” combo grossed $68,000 and broke “all house records,” according to the Sept. 2, 1939, issue. Two weeks later, Billboard forecast a bright future for “Over the Rainbow”: “You can count on its staying around for some time.” By Sept. 30, the song was a jukebox must: “No ifs and buts to it — it’s got to be in every machine.”
No Place Like Harlem
When The Wiz, a stage musical reimagining with an all-Black cast, opened on Broadway in 1975, a Jan. 18 Billboard review hailed its “sauce, moxy and innovation.” Sidney Lumet’s big-screen adaptation was “a wow” but “rather long,” according to the Oct. 14, 1978, issue. The same reviewer also said that Michael Jackson “excels as Scarecrow in several numbers,” including “a vibrant duet” with Diana Ross on “Ease on Down the Road” — which hit No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 the next week.
Age-‘Defying’ Appeal
A full century after Oz first hit the Gay White Way, Wicked debuted on Broadway. It was very “Popular”: When Billboard launched its Top Cast Albums chart in the Jan. 21, 2006, issue, the original cast recording was the first No. 1. Wicked’s broomstick flight to Hollywood was just as successful. “Ariana Grande is a revelation,” praised a Nov. 22, 2024, Billboard article, adding that Erivo’s Wicked Witch “feels real and relatable — even in a musical with talking goats.”
The clubs are currently dark in Ibiza, but months before the 2025 season gets underway, we’ve got tabs on the 50 most played artists at island institution Ushuaïa in 2024. These 50 artists rank highest on a list of 3,001 unique acts whose music was identified at the club in 2024. The top five slots […]
Jason Aldean is sharing his support for Carrie Underwood after her performance at Donald Trump‘s presidential inauguration ceremony, where technical difficulties led to the American Idol winner delivering a rendition of “America the Beautiful” a cappella. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Aldean appeared on a recent episode […]
Sting is pulling out of his next few public engagements as he recovers from a temporary throat infection, the rock star announced Tuesday. In a post on his Instagram, the Police frontman’s team wrote that he would be canceling his scheduled appearance at the Jan. 23 Bass Magazine Awards, as well as his Jan. 24 […]
Ringo Starr earns his first top 10 on Billboard’s all-genre Top Album Sales chart (which dates to 1991) as Look Up enters the list dated Jan. 25 at No. 7. The effort from The Beatles’ iconic drummer also arrives across a host of other Billboard album tallies, including Indie Store Album Sales (No. 2), Top Rock Albums (No. 7), Americana/Folk Albums (No. 12), Top Country Albums (a career-best No. 27) and Top Rock & Alternative Albums (No. 30). On the overall Billboard 200, it starts at No. 147, marking Starr’s 20th entry, dating to his first, Sentimental Journey, in 1970.
The 11-song album, recorded in Nashville and produced by T Bone Burnett, was released Jan. 10, on the revived Lost Highway imprint.
Starr recently told Billboard, “I did love country music before I was in (The Beatles). We got plenty of it in Liverpool, because the lads who were in the merchant navy would bring not only rock and roll over, but country — and when country bands went on tour in England, they always played Liverpool.” The new set boasts a host of collaborators from the worlds of country, Americana/folk and bluegrass, including Alison Krauss, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle.
Look Up earned 9,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week ending Jan. 16 in the United States, according to Luminate, with 8,000 of that sum in traditional album sales.
That 8,000-sales figure yields Starr’s No. 7 arrival on Top Album Sales, marking his first top 10 and his 14th chart appearance on the 33-year-old chart, whose history dates to May of 1991, when Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Starr had previously peaked at No. 11 with 2021’s Zoom In.
Meanwhile Look Up charts on multiple other surveys. It opens at a career-best No. 27 on Top Country Albums, marking his second entry – and second top 40-charting effort – on the list. The 84-year-old previously appeared on Top Country Albums when Beaucoups of Blues hit No. 35 in December 1970.
Plus, Look Up starts at No. 12 on Americana/Folk Albums marking Starr’s first appearance on the 15-year-old chart.
-additional reporting by Keith Caulfield
Jim Jones is defending Drake‘s divisive UMG defamation lawsuit. During an appearance on the Broke N’ Frontin podcast, the subject of the Toronto rapper’s controversial subject came up, and the Dipset member had an interesting perspective. “He’s not personally suing against Kendrick Lamar, which everybody seems to think that this lawsuit is about,” Jones said. […]
If you were expecting to see live performances of the five best original song nominees on the 97th annual Academy Awards on March 2, be prepared for something different this year.
Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and Janet Yang, Academy president, sent a letter to Academy members on Wednesday (Jan. 22) in which they said, “This year the Best Original Song category presentation will move away from live performances and will be focused on the songwriters. We will celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life. All of this, and more, will uncover the stories and inspiration behind this year’s nominees.”
This is reminiscent of something the Grammy Awards did in 1981, when they had the songwriters of the song of the year nominees perform and discuss the nominated songs. As David Wild wrote in the 2007 book And the Grammy Goes To… The Official Story of Music’s Most Coveted Award, “One innovative moment came at the end of the show. Many years before shows like MTV’s Unplugged or VH1’s Storytellers, this Grammy show presented a group of songwriters nominated for song of the year – including Amanda McBroom (‘The Rose’), Christopher Cross (‘Sailing’), Fred Ebb and John Kander (‘New York, New York’), Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore (‘Fame’) and Lionel Richie (‘Lady’) – to both explain and perform stripped-down versions of the songs. It was a vivid reminder of the power of the songwriter.”
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In their letter to academy members, Kramer and Yang also wrote “We are thrilled to bring back our ‘Fab 5’ moments, where individual film artists recognize nominees.” This refers to a technique first used on the 2009 Oscar telecast and revived last year, in which five previous winners in each of the four acting categories take turns lauding this year’s nominees.
(In a press conference days before the 2024 Oscars telecast, Raj Kapoor, executive producer and showrunner of the 2024 and 2025 Oscars, said he loved those introductions on the 2009 show and revived the idea. “It was this lovely storytelling,” he said. “And, again, it came down to connection. It was past winners speaking to present nominees, and just that lovely connection and that human interaction.”)
Kramer and Yang also said that the show will pay tribute to Los Angeles, which has experienced devastating wildfires in recent weeks. “We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry.”
Here’s the letter from Kramer and Yang in full:
Dear Academy members,
Our deepest thanks to all of you for your compassion and support over the last few weeks. Our thoughts remain with those who were impacted by the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires. If you would like to join the Academy in supporting the ongoing relief efforts, please click here for a list of aid resources.
After continued consultation with ABC, our board, and other key stakeholders in the Los Angeles and film communities, planning continues for the 97th Oscars ceremony on Sunday, March 2. This year’s Oscars will celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.
As a reminder, our 97th Oscars Nominations will be announced tomorrow, January 23, at 5:30am PT via global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s digital platforms (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook), ABC’s Good Morning America, and ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. American Sign Language (ASL) services will be available on YouTube.
As a precursor to tomorrow’s announcement, we wanted to share a little bit about this year’s show. Hosted by the incredible Conan O’Brien, our 97th Oscars will be a celebration of connection and collaboration – honoring the unifying spirit and creative synergy of moviemaking. We will highlight the transformative power of the teamwork that brings cinematic visions to life.
As part of this, we are thrilled to bring back our “Fab 5” moments, where individual film artists recognize nominees. Also, this year the Best Original Song category presentation will move away from live performances and will be focused on the songwriters. We will celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life. All of this, and more, will uncover the stories and inspiration behind this year’s nominees.
And we will honor Los Angeles as the city of dreams, showcasing its beauty and resilience, as well as its role as a beacon for filmmakers and creative visionaries for over a century. We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry.
There is so much more in store, including powerful musical moments that connect film’s rich history to its bold and inspiring future. We hope you will tune in tomorrow morning to watch the Nominations Announcement, and we greatly appreciate your ongoing commitment to the Academy and our film community. We are stronger together.
Bill Kramer and Janet Yang