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Noah Cyrus is showing support for her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, and his new music amid family drama.
On Friday (Feb. 7), the 25-year-old singer took to her Instagram Story to share a post about Billy Ray’s latest single, “Lost.”
“so proud of my Dads INCREDIBLE new single LOST with my good, old friend @samtinnesz and @tommeeprofitt,” she wrote, alongside a brief teaser of the track and a pair of red heart emojis.
Billy Ray’s “Lost,” featuring Tinnesz and Profitt, marks the 63-year-old country singer’s first new release since his rocky performance at the Liberty Ball during Donald Trump’s inauguration. His appearance on Jan. 20 was plagued by technical difficulties, leading him to perform “Achy Breaky Heart” a cappella for the crowd.
Following the controversial performance, Billy Ray’s son Trace Cyrus, older brother to Miley and Noah, shared an open letter on Instagram expressing concern for his father’s well-being.
“Me and the girls have been genuinely worried about you for years but you’ve pushed us all away,” he wrote. “Noah desperately has wanted you to be a part of her life and you haven’t even been there for her. That’s your baby girl. She deserves better. Somehow just like me she still idolizes you though.”
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On Jan. 25, Trace posted another Instagram letter, claiming Billy Ray had threatened him with legal action after the public plea for his father to “get help.”
Billy Ray, along with his ex-wife Tish, is the parent of Brandi, 37, and Trace, 35, both of whom Billy Ray adopted after marrying Tish. Together, they also share Miley, 32; Braison, 30; and Noah. He is also the father of 32-year-old Christopher, his son with ex-girlfriend Kristin Luckey.
In late January, Billy Ray announced an upcoming album, produced by Braison. The album is expected to be released sometime this summer.
“This is art imitating life, imitating art,” Billy Ray said of the album. “It starts and ends with art. Braison is very talented and ‘25 is his year. I’m glad to be a part of it. This record is gonna be special. I’m gearing up for what will be the journey of a lifetime.”
Ashanti is opening up following the death of Irv Gotti.
On Friday (Feb. 7), the R&B star shared a heartfelt tribute on social media to honor the Murder Inc. Records founder after his passing.
“I can’t believe things ended like this….and it makes me so sad,” Ashanti wrote on her Instagram Story, according to TMZ. “We weren’t on the best terms the past few years but as I’ve always said, through our ups and downs I will forever be grateful for everything that you’ve done for me. We made history and that will remain infinite..”
The “Foolish” singer continued, “I’ve always respected your musical genius and ability to push me to be my best.. All the greatness and positive things that came, far outweigh the dark and negative times. I have always prayed for you to find peace. Sending love and prayers to the entire family. Rest well. Rest in Peace Irv.”
Along with the post, Ashanti also reportedly shared a series of throwback photos from her Murder Inc. days, including an image from the release of her 2002 self-titled debut album.
Gotti, who co-founded the iconic Murder Inc. Records and helped launch the careers of Ja Rule and Ashanti in the early 2000s, passed away on Feb. 5 after suffering a stroke. He was 54 years old.
Alongside his brother Chris, Irv Gotti (born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr.) launched Murder Inc. in 1998 as an imprint of Def Jam, following his success in helping bring DMX to the vaunted hip-hop label. Ja Rule became the flagship artist for Murder Inc., and the label’s first release was his 1999 debut album, Venni Vetti Vecci.
In addition to Ja Rule, Gotti also discovered Ashanti when she was a teenager. She went on to achieve fame with memorable hooks on rap hits and her own solo R&B success. Ashanti’s three biggest hits all came in 2002: Ja Rule’s “Always on Time,” featuring Ashanti, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks; Fat Joe’s “What’s Luv?,” featuring Ashanti, peaked at No. 2; and her own “Foolish” spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Billboard recently named “Foolish” and “I’m Real” among the Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century.
Gotti won a Grammy in 2003 for co-producing Ashanti’s eponymous debut album, which earned best contemporary R&B album. He was nominated again the following year for co-writing Ashanti’s “Rock Wit U (Awww Baby),” which was a finalist for best R&B song.
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Source: Anadolu / Getty / PSN
Yup, PSN is still down, and nobody at PlayStation is saying a damn thing about it.
Last night, everyone who wanted to play online games on their PS5 and PS4 consoles over the weekend found out that they won’t be able to because the PlayStation Network suffered a massive global service outage.
PSN has been down for over 14 hours, and PlayStation has not shared any details about what is happening. The official PlayStation X account shared a post from the US AskPlayStation account stating, “We are aware some users might be currently experiencing issues with PSN,” and directing gamers to the PlayStation Network service status page only to see red dots across the board signaling PSN is still down,
https://x.com/AskPlayStation/status/1888041723831484682
This outage has been one of the most prolonged outages in recent memory, but it still pales in comparison to the outage of 2011, which saw PSN not function for 23 days following an “external intrusion” that took the service out and saw the private user data of 77 million subscribers be swiped.
While this situation is probably not on that level, it is bad enough that games, specifically ones that require gamers to be online, like Marvel Rivals, have done more talking than PlayStation on the matter.
Per Marvel Rivals:
Due to PlayStation server’s emergent issue today, PlayStation users might have difficulty launching games, apps, or network features. We are actively communicating with the PlayStation team and will restore the game once we receive a solution plan from the PlayStation team.
We apologize for any inconvenience and will notify the community through official channels once the issue is fixed. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Was PSN Hacked?
Some gamers believe that PSN has been hacked, and that’s why PlayStation is so mum on the situation and is suggesting folks should reset their passwords.
https://x.com/Troydan/status/1888078195934609665
Bruh.
We hope it’s just a PlayStation issue and that the company can get PSN back up and running before the weekend is over. The gallery below shows more reactions on the dire situation for PlayStation owners.
2. Sound adivce
3. Ruh Roh
6. Howling
7. Accurate
8. We have a winner here
9. This is all of us right now
Primus has found a new drummer.
About four months after the abrupt departure of longtime percussionist Tim “Herb” Alexander, the veteran band revealed their new timekeeper following a global open call for auditions.
“Hoffington!!! Welcome aboard! @johnhoffmandrums,” Primus singer and bassist Les Claypool wrote on Instagram Friday (Feb. 7), alongside a photo featuring Claypool with new drummer Hoffman and guitarist Larry LaLonde.
Primus announced on Oct. 29 that Alexander had resigned suddenly on Oct. 17 via email, citing a “loss of passion for playing” — a reason that Claypool and LaLonde admitted “came as a complete shock.”
Following Alexander’s departure, Primus announced they would be holding auditions for a new drummer. “Taking submissions from all points in the universe for the position of Primus drummer/percussionist,” the band wrote, adding, “Flashy chops are wonderful, but groove, pocket, and the ability to listen, react, and contribute to the musical conversation is a must.”
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Primus took to social media again in late December to warn applicants of scammers who had begun contacting hopefuls ahead of in-person auditions.
Hoffman, a drummer from Shreveport, La., documented his preparation for the audition on YouTube.
“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity,” the drummer wrote on Instagram in late January. “I came and did my thing the way I do it. It went as well as I could have hoped. Maynard James Keenan was sitting directly in front of me and watched my entire audition. He gave me this towel. It’s been one of the most incredible days of my life. I love you all. We did this.”
Primus’ first show since Alexander’s final appearance in August took place as part of the band’s New Year’s Eve celebration at the Fox Theater in Oakland, Calif., on Dec. 30. The night began with sets from Claypool’s other projects, Holy Mackerel and Frog Brigade, and concluded with a six-song performance by Primus, featuring Bryan “Brain” Mantia on drums.
Check out Primus’ new drummer announcement on Instagram here.
Of all the ultra-familiar songs appearing in Super Bowl LIX ads — from Bruce Springsteen‘s “Born to Run” to Van Halen‘s “Panama” to Louis Armstrong‘s “What a Wonderful World” to Seal‘s “Kiss from a Rose” — the most sentimental may be the Bellamy Brothers‘ “Let Your Love Flow,” used in a Budweiser spot about a horse rescuing a keg from a raging river and rolling it into a bar.
It’s sentimental, anyhow, for Concord Music Publishing. In the early ’70s, Larry Williams, a Neil Diamond roadie, penned the track, and a producer put it in the hands of the Bellamy Brothers. Their breezy, mid-tempo version hit No. 1 in 1976. By then, Williams had signed with a new publisher, Bicycle Music, and as the company changed hands over the years, including a sale to Concord in 2015, “Let Your Love Flow” endured as a sort of Song Zero. “That was literally the very first song technically signed to Concord,” says Brooke Primonte, the company’s executive vp of global sync. “It’s very dear to everybody who’s been here since day one.”
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The song’s story, and its timeless feel, exemplify the Super Bowl synchs this year; viewers won’t hear much contemporary music a la 2024’s Ice Spice-enhanced Starry spot featuring the rapper’s hit “Deli.” H.E.R.‘s version of “Born to Run” is in a Dove commercial about empowering young girls to appreciate their bodies; “Panama” is in an ad starring Glen Powell as a dad reading “Goldilocks” to kids and fantasizing about fighting dragons in Dodge Rams; Shaboozey sings “What a Wonderful World” as Nerds characters parade around him in New Orleans; and in a surreal, star-studded Mountain Dew spot, Seal appears as … a seal.
“These are songs pretty much guaranteed to accomplish what the agency or brand are trying to do,” says Tom Eaton, senior vp of music for advertising at Universal Music Publishing Group, which has represented Seal for more than seven years. “They’re choosing songs familiar to a wide assortment of people. They can’t miss.” Adds Frank Di Minno, vp of creative sync at Warner Chappell, one of the publishers for “Panama”: “This was definitely the catalog Super Bowl.”
The Dove spot is the first-ever commercial to use Springsteen’s signature 1975 anthem, more than three years after he sold his catalog to Sony Music Publishing for $550 million. Springsteen retains approval rights for the song, and after Brian Monaco, Sony Music Publishing’s president/global chief marketing officer, shared the spot with the singer-songwriter’s team a month or two ago, they approved it quickly. “There’s definitely demand for his catalog, as well as other ones we’ve purchased — we have Paul Simon and Queen,” Monaco says, adding that with Super Bowl ads costing a reported $7 million to $8 million, “brands want to get the most bang for their buck by using songs that people know.”
As a result, synchs, a multibillion-dollar industry for music publishers, are especially expensive for brands this year. According to music business sources, costs on the publishing side range from $400,000 to $2.5 million, not counting the separate fees for licensing master recordings.
“The numbers are showing [that] people are streaming classic music at very high rates, as opposed to music of the last 10 or 15 years, just in their daily lives,” says Marty Silverstone, president of global sync for publisher Primary Wave, whose Super Bowl synchs this year include Smokey Robinson‘s “Cruisin’” for Haagen-Dazs and Huey Lewis & the News‘ “The Power of Love” for Bud Light. “I’m seeing, even more than usual, the appetite for nostalgia-driven music.”
Super Bowl ads often mirror the times, and this year’s familiar-songs trend may have deeper cultural relevance. “The country is trying to find its way in very challenging times,” says Dan Rosenbaum, vp of commercial licensing for BMG, whose three synchs include a share of “What a Wonderful World.” “Using a song that has resonance from a time that was simpler gives a certain comfort to the viewer.” Adds Steve Nalbert, vp of sync licensing and digital for Round Hill Music, another “What a Wonderful World” publisher: “More than ever, we need unifying music that bring us together, rather than pulls us apart. Luckily, the brands realize that, too.”
Billboard asked top publishers to tally their own synchs scheduled to appear as national spots during the game — including movie and TV trailers but not Fox broadcast promos, teasers or halftime show performances. Sony Music Publishing scored the most, with 14; Universal Music Publishing Group had 11; Warner Chappell, seven; Primary Wave, six; Kobalt, five; Reservoir Media, four; Concord and BMG, three apiece; and Round Hill, one.
This year’s trend towards familiar songs does not mean all the songs are older classics. Childish Gambino‘s 2018 anti-racist anthem “This Is America” appears in a Hims & Hers ad about a weight-loss drug: “Historically, Donald [Glover, who performed and co-wrote the song] and his team have been pretty selective about where they license ‘This Is America.’ They don’t pursue much,” says Rob Christensen, executive vp/head of global sync for Kobalt, the rapper’s publisher. “They thought this one was a good one to pursue.” (A few days before the game, the Partnership for Safe Medicines and two U.S. senators asked the FDA to block the ad due to not disclosing potential side effects.)
Reservoir Media’s synch total includes one “contemporary hip-hop song,” according to Scott Cresto, the publisher’s executive vp of synchronization and marketing, although he declined to reveal it before the game. Instead, he pivoted to a classic: A Michelob Ultra spot starring Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara playing pickleball with famous athletes (and not-so-famous pickleball stars) synchs to “Papa Loves Mambo,” a Perry Como hit that dominated the Billboard charts in 1954. The brand, he says, requested in its brief “something that played with humor, that a certain generation identified with, but all generations would recognize it.”
“It’s definitely cyclical,” Cresto adds. “There have been years where [brands] are looking for more contemporary pop hits. This year and last year have definitely leaned more catalog.”
From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
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Rey del Carnaval
Jay Wheeler has been named the 2025 Rey del Carnaval de Miami (King of the Carnaval), joining past crownholders such as Celia Cruz, Gloria Estefan, Pitbull, Daddy Yankee, and Chayanne, to name a few. The Puerto Rican artist will also headline the popular Calle Ocho street festival held March 9 in Miami, Fla. “Joining the list of so many legendary artists who have represented Miami Carnaval as kings and queens is an indescribable privilege,” Jay Wheeler expressed during a press conference held Thursday (Feb. 6) at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. “This is a special moment in my career and I am proud to represent our vibrant heritage as part of this incredible annual celebration of culture, music and community.”
Jay Wheeler
Kiwanis Club of Little Havana
Gente De Zona’s 25th Anniversary
Gente de Zona is turning 25 after kicking off its music career as a duo in 2000. To celebrate, Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcom Martínez have released a two-part single. Titled “Cositas Bonitas de eso Se Trata,” the artists reeled in four new Cuban artists to tell the story of a long-lasting and healthy relationship. “Cositas Bonitas” in collaboration with El Kamel and L Kimii is about dating and getting to know each other, while “Se Trata” in collaboration with Dany Ome and Kevincito El 13 is about commitment and building a future together. The former is a saucy reparto and the latter, has more pop elements laced with the Cuban-urban genre. According to a press release, both songs are part of the forthcoming Reparto by Gente de Zona album, and are the most romantic tracks on the project.
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Intimate Night with Arjona
In a very rare appearance, Ricardo Arjona celebrated his new album, Seco, with an intimate showcase in Miami, Fla. The exclusive event, held for select press and a small group of fans, took place Tuesday (Feb. 4) at the Adrienne Arsht Center, where Arjona performed songs from his new set, such as “Mujer,” and timeless hits including “Historia de un Taxi,” “Te Conozco,” and “Fuiste Tú.” In the midst of the presentation, the Guatemalan singer-songwriter shared life anecdotes, the album’s creative process, and even his dream of owning a bar in New York City. See a small recap of the evening below.
Daddy Yankee’s Birthday
Daddy Yankee might be in a legal battle with his ex-wife Mireddys González, but he’s keeping positive in the midst of it all—at least that’s what he’s showing fans on social media. This week, the former reggaetón hitmaker celebrated his 48th birthday (Feb. 3) alongside family and friends in Puerto Rico. “The faith community surprised me by celebrating my birthday last night,” he said in an Instagram post. “Honestly, they caught me off guard and surprised me. What a gift from heaven! When you least expect it, God always finds a way to cheer you up and never lets you down. Thank you to all the pastors, evangelists and artists of the kingdom who volunteered for this surprise party. Also to my AYALA family, who never miss a dance. Blessings to all, we had an extremely good time.” Check out DY’s surprise party in the below videos and photos.
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Source: Gilbert Flores / Getty / Kai Cenat
Kai Cenat made the right choice. Protecting his integrity and his bag over streaming with Kanye West.
The world’s most popular Twitch streamer (debate your cousin), is not linking up with the most problematic person in the world not named Elon Musk or Donald Trump.
Kai Cenat announced to his Twitch followers that the once-planned stream with Kanye West, aka Ye, is no longer happening. Cenat revealed that he made his decision after seeing West’s latest round of bizarre and extremely antisemitic tweets.
“I’m gonna go ahead and address the elephant in the room,” Cenat told his fans. “I seen the tweets, bro. I don’t know what’s going on.” He revealed he was just as stunned as everyone else by Kanye West’s recent online behavior. “I don’t know, bro. It’s crazy.”
Cenat’s announcement comes after he excitedly revealed on January 29 that he was planning to take a trip to Japan and hopefully get West on his stream. The Twitch streamer also bumped into the rapper at the Grammys before the whole Bianca Censori naked on the red carpet stunt.
“He’s a very good, motherf*cking dude,” Cenat said on January 29. “I think he’ll be open to the stream. “If I had to say a percentage,” Kai Cenat said. “It’s at like probably 90%. We been talking almost every day.”
Welp.
You Know Kanye West Is Going To React
Kanye West has yet to respond to Cenat’s decision, but we fully expect him to. We won’t be surprised if he calls him an “industry plant” again or something worse.
Fans have been reacting to Cenat making the right decision not to associate himself with a Black Nazi sympathizer, some are calling him a sellout, while others understand he’s got a brand to protect.
https://x.com/kanyewest/status/1888107257474511185
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
2. Ehhhhhh
3. Basically
5. Oh really?
Wicked, Emilia Pérez and The Substance each won three awards at the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards, which were held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. on Friday (Feb. 7). But none of those films took the top prize, best picture, which went to Anora (which won no other awards on the night).
Jon M. Chu, the director of Wicked, won best director. He’s the third director to win a Critics Choice Award for a musical, following Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!) and Damien Chazelle (La La Land). Chazelle went on to also win the Oscar for that film. Luhrmann and Chu weren’t even nominated for these films. Wicked’s other Critics Choice Awards were best production design and best costume design.
Emilia Pérez won best foreign language film, best original song for “El Mal,” and best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña, who was took the lead on singing “El Mal” in the film.
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The Substance won best actress for Demi Moore, best original screenplay and best hair & make-up.
Films receiving two awards were A Real Pain, Conclave and Challengers.
“El Mal,” co-written by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard, also won the Golden Globe Award for best original song on Jan. 5. With these two wins, “El Mal” appears to be the front-runner in the race for best original song at the Oscars.
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross’ acclaimed score for Challengers won the Critics Choice Award for best original score, just as it won at the Golden Globes. But it cannot win the Oscar as it wasn’t even nominated. It’s just the third film score to win both the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award and not even be nominated at the Oscars. The first two were Howard Shore’s score for The Aviator and Justin Hurwitz’s score for First Man.
Chelsea Handler hosted the Critics Choice Awards for the third year in a row. The show was originally set for Sunday, Jan. 12, but was postponed to Sunday, Jan. 26, and then postponed again, because of wind-whipped wildfires in Los Angeles that began on Jan. 7. The three-hour show, which included awards for both film and television, aired at 7 p.m. ET/PT on E!. The show will also be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
Here’s the full list of nominations on the film side for the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, with winners marked.
Best Picture
A Complete Unknown
WINNER: Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing
The Substance
Wicked
Best Song
“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl – Music by: Andrew WyattLyrics by: Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li“Compress/Repress” – Challengers – Music by: Trent Reznor, Atticus RossLyrics by: Trent Reznor, Luca GuadagninoWINNER: “El Mal” – Emilia Pérez – Music by: Clément Ducol, CamilleLyrics by: Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard“Harper and Will Go West” – Will & Harper – Sean Douglas, Kristen Wiig
“Kiss the Sky” – The Wild Robot – Music & Lyrics by: Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi“Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez – Music & Lyrics by: Clément Ducol, Camille
Best Score
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Clément Ducol & Camille – Emilia Pérez
WINNER: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two
Best Acting Ensemble
Anora
WINNER: Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Saturday Night
Sing Sing
Wicked
Best Actor
WINNER: Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Hugh Grant – Heretic
Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Mikey Madison – Anora
WINNER: Demi Moore – The Substance
Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov – Anora
WINNER: Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II
Best Supporting Actress
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
WINNER: Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez
Best Young Actor/Actress
Alyla Browne – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Elliott Heffernan – Blitz
WINNER: Maisy Stella – My Old Ass
Izaac Wang – Didi
Alisha Weir – Abigail
Zoe Ziegler – Janet Planet
Best Director
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker – Anora
Edward Berger – Conclave
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
WINNER: Jon M. Chu – Wicked
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two
Best Original Screenplay
Sean Baker – Anora
Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, Alex David – September 5
Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
WINNER: Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Justin Kuritzkes – Challengers
Best Adapted Screenplay
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox – Wicked
Greg Kwedar, Clint Bentley – Sing Sing
RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes – Nickel Boys
WINNER: Peter Straughan – Conclave
Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts – Dune: Part Two
Best Cinematography
WINNER: Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu
Alice Brooks – Wicked
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist
Stéphane Fontaine – Conclave
Greig Fraser – Dune: Part Two
Jomo Fray – Nickel Boys
Best Production Design
Judy Becker, Patricia Cuccia – The Brutalist
WINNER: Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales – Wicked
Suzie Davies – Conclave
Craig Lathrop – Nosferatu
Arthur Max, Jille Azis, Elli Griff – Gladiator II
Patrice Vermette, Shane Vieau – Dune: Part Two
Best Editing
Sean Baker – Anora
WINNER: Marco Costa – Challengers
Nick Emerson – Conclave
David Jancso – The Brutalist
Joe Walker – Dune: Part Two
Hansjörg Weißbrich – September 5
Best Costume Design
Lisy Christl – Conclave
Linda Muir – Nosferatu
Massimo Cantini Parrini – Maria
WINNER: Paul Tazewell – Wicked
Jacqueline West – Dune: Part Two
Janty Yates, Dave Crossman – Gladiator II
Best Hair and Makeup
Christine Blundell, Lesa Warrener, Neal Scanlan – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Hair and Makeup Team – Dune: Part Two
WINNER: Hair and Makeup Team – The Substance
Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, Laura Blount – Wicked
Traci Loader, Suzanne Stokes-Munton, David White – Nosferatu
Mike Marino, Sarah Graalman, Aaron Saucier – A Different Man
Best Visual Effects
Mark Bakowski, Pietro Ponti, Nikki Penny, Neil Corbould – Gladiator II
Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould, David Shirk – Wicked
WINNER: Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, Gerd Nefzer – Dune: Part Two
Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft, Peter Stubbs – Better Man
Visual Effects Team – The Substance
Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story, Rodney Burke – Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Best Animated Feature
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
WINNER: The Wild Robot
Best Comedy
WINNER: A Real Pain
WINNER: Deadpool & Wolverine
Hit Man
My Old Ass
Saturday Night
Thelma
Best Foreign Language Film
All We Imagine as Light
WINNER: Emilia Pérez
Flow
I’m Still Here
Kneecap
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
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Source: Anadolu / Getty / PlayStation Network
Gamers worldwide are screaming at their televisions because the PlayStation Network (PSN) is experiencing a major outage heading into the weekend when most people play video games.
PlayStation 5 and PS4 owners have taken to social media to voice their displeasure that they cannot connect to Sony’s online services, including multiplayer and the PlayStation Store.
While the US PlayStation account is still silent about the outage, the Ask PlayStation Japan account acknowledged the network’s current struggles in a post on X that Kotaku translated.
“At this time, the PlayStation Network (including PlayStation Store) may not be available,” the announcement reads that was posted at 7:12 p.m. ET on Friday, February 7. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers. We are currently investigating the issue and working to restore service, so please be patient.”
PlayStation has yet to provide a reason for the massive outage affecting gamers across the globe. All services are still down if you check the PlayStation status page.
The timing of the outage couldn’t have come at a worse time, with Monster Hunter Wilds currently holding a beta test weekend and Call of Duty having a double XP weekend.
Gamers Are Not Taking This Well
The reactions to the outage are pouring in on X, formerly Twitter. “Xbox mfs taking the chance to say “should’ve gotten an Xbox” while PlayStation network down. B***h f**k you & your shit box,” one post hilariously said.
Comedian Roy Wood Jr. came up with a gem, reminding gamers that there are games with single-player campaigns that do not require an online connection.
Welp.
You can listen to Roy Wood Jr. or turn on one of your Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch, PC, or Steam Deck. If you don’t have any of those other options, you’ll have to wait this out.
Hit the gallery below for more reactions to the PSN outage.
3. All of us right now
4. Felt this one
5. Uggghhhh
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez won best original song at the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards, which were held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., on Friday (Feb. 7).
The song, co-written by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard, the film’s writer, director and co-producer, also won the Golden Globe Award in that category on Jan. 5.
With these two wins, “El Mal” appears to be the front-runner in the race for best original song at the Oscars. The other Oscar nominees in that category are “El Camino,” also from Emilia Pérez; “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late; “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight; and “Like a Bird” from Sing Song. The latter three songs were not nominated at the Critics Choice Awards.
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Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross’ acclaimed score for Challengers won the Critics Choice Award for best original score, just as it won at the Golden Globes. But it cannot win the Oscar as it wasn’t even nominated. It’s just the third film score to win both the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award and not even be nominated at the Oscars. The first two were Howard Shore’s score for The Aviator at the 2005 ceremony and Justin Hurwitz’s score for First Man in 2019. (Shore, Hurwitz and Reznor & Ross had all won best original score at the Oscars with previous films, making these shut-outs hard to understand.)
The other best original score nominees at the Oscars are Volker Bertelmann for Conclave, Daniel Blumberg for The Brutalist, Kris Bowers for The Wild Robot and John Powell & Stephen Schwartz for Wicked.
Emilia Pérez also won best the Critics Choice Award for foreign language film. Zoe Saldaña, who sang “El Mal” in Emilia Pérez, (with an assist from Karla Sofia Gascón) won the award for best supporting actress.
Accepting the Critics Choice Award for best original song, Camille said “This gives us such a sense of belonging. It feels so grounding. You know this awards season sometimes is so hectic, so overwhelming. I feel like saying sometimes [sings] I’m just a bird.” Thank you so much to Jacques Audiard to allow the bird in me and us to write. Thanks to the Emilia Pérez team and to Zoe, of course, for being such a great artist.”
Ducol, Camille’s romantic partner and collaborator, spoke warmly about Los Angeles in accepting the award. “We’ve been making L.A. our home over the past few months with our family and fell in love with the city and its people. We were so warmly welcomed by the community here and made lasting friendships. Of course, we were heartbroken by the fires and destruction. Now I know why I dreamed of becoming a firefighter when I was young.”
Last year’s Critics Choice Award winners in the music categories were Ludwig Göransson’s Oppenheimer for best original score (which went on to win the Oscar) and “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie for best original song (which was Oscar-nominated, but lost to fellow Barbie song “What Was I Made For?”
Chelsea Handler hosted the Critics Choice Awards for the third year in a row. The show was originally set for Sunday, Jan. 12, but was postponed to Sunday, Jan. 26, and then postponed again, because of wind-whipped wildfires in Los Angeles that began on Jan. 7. The three-hour show, which included awards for both film and television, aired at 7 p.m. ET/PT on E!. The show will also be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
Final-round Oscar voting extends from Feb. 11-18. The 97th Oscars, hosted for the first time by Conan O’Brien, will be held on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The show will air live coast-to-coast at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC and streamed live on Hulu for the first time.
Here are the Critics Choice Award nominees in the two music categories, with winners marked:
Best Song
“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl – Music by: Andrew WyattLyrics by: Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li“Compress/Repress” – Challengers – Music by: Trent Reznor, Atticus RossLyrics by: Trent Reznor, Luca GuadagninoWINNER: “El Mal” – Emilia Pérez – Music by: Clément Ducol, CamilleLyrics by: Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard“Harper and Will Go West” – Will & Harper – Sean Douglas, Kristen Wiig
“Kiss the Sky” – The Wild Robot – Music & Lyrics by: Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi“Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez – Music & Lyrics by: Clément Ducol, Camille
Best Score
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Clément Ducol & Camille – Emilia Pérez
WINNER: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers
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