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Violet Grohl, the daughter of rock veteran Dave Grohl, is reportedly in the process of preparing her debut album.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Violet has been working on new material in a studio space that she had been gifted for her birthday by her father. Having performed alongside Dave in the past and also releasing music as a solo artist, Violet is has been described as being “incredibly committed” to the musical process and “to growing as an artist” by an unnamed source.
Currently, her studio time has seen her working with producer Justin Raisen, who has worked with artists as varied as Charli XCX, Drake, and John Legend, and most recently, Kim Gordon on her Grammy-nominated album The Collective.
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Violet first emerged as a musician in 2018 at the age of 12, performing a cover of Adele’s “When We Were Young” with her father. Since then, she has also joined her father and other surviving members of Nirvana for a cover of “Heart-Shaped Box”, in addition to providing backing vocals for the likes of St. Vincent and Beck.
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She’s also provided backing vocals on songs released the Foo Fighters‘ Medicine at Midnight and But Here We Are albums, and performed as part of the tribute concerts to late drummer Taylor Hawkins. In 2021, she also released her debut single, covering X’s “Nausea”, again in collaboration with her father.
“She’s a true torch singer,” a source told The Hollywood Reporter of her recent material. “Her vocals are tremendous. She’s very talented.”
Currently, official details relating to Violet’s full-length debut are being kept under wraps, including whether the music will be released via the Foo Fighters’ Roswell Records imprint of RCA Records – as was her “Nausea” single.
Dave Grohl and the remainder of his family have been relatively absent from the public eye since September, when Dave shared he had become the father of a daughter born outside of his marriage. “I plan to be a loving and supportive parent to her,” he wrote on social media.
“I love my wife and my children, and I am doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness,” he added. “We’re grateful for your consideration toward all the children involved, as we move forward together.”
It’s been a big year for Taylor Swift, so it only makes sense that she would celebrate her 35th birthday with an appropriately-large party.
Swift turned 35 on Friday (Dec. 13), just days after wrapping up Era Tour, which has assumed the throne of the highest-grossing tour of all time, by artists of any genre, and from any era in music history. Already, however, she’s celebrated with a number of special events, including sharing a cache of behind-the-scenes videos, and taking out an additional ten Billboard Music Awards – bringing her total to a massive 49.
The celebrations haven’t ended there, though, with reports that Swift’s partner, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, gifted $175,000 worth of floral arrangements and jewellery for her birthday.
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Now, her birthday week has continued with a party apparently inspired by the conclusion of Swift’s Eras tour. An Instagram post from Brittany Mahomes showed the former soccer player decked out in an outfit that pays homage to Swift’s Fearless album, while husband and Kelce’s Chiefs teamate Patrick Mahomes sporting a suit reminiscent of the “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” costume change.
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Elsewhere, Lyndsay Bell (wife of the Chiefs’ Blake Bell) could be seen wearing an outfit apparently inspired by Swift’s Lover era, while close friend Ashley Avignone sported a snake around her neck in reference to Reputation.
Other photos from the event also show friendship bracelets on offer as well, heavily referring back to the same bracelets which have become synonymous with Swift thanks to the Era tour.
Swift’s birthday celebrations have also coincided with her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, topping the Billboard 200 for the 17th week this week (chart dated Dec. 21), bringing her career total of weeks spent at No. 1 to 86 – second only to The Beatles at 130 weeks.
SPOILER ALERT: The following story contains the name of the winner and runner-up from Wednesday night’s (Dec. 18) season 12 finale of The Masked Singer.
It was another wild and wooly season on The Masked Singer, with the 12th go-round of the series welcoming everyone from former superstar NFL QB John Elway (Leaf Sheep) and surfer Bethany Hamilton (Macaron), to actors Yvette Nicole Brown (Showbird), Laverne Cox (Chess Piece), Jana Kramer (Royal Knight) and Drake Bell (Ice King), as well as former Conan O’Brien sidekick Andy Richter (Dust Bunny).
There were, of course, some professional singers in the mix too, including Paula Cole (Ship), Natalie Imbruglia (Bluebell) and AJ Michalka (Strawberry Shortcake). But when the last notes rung out, it was one of the all-time-great vocal groups that won out over one of their fellow R&B crooners.
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On their route to the winner’s circle, three-person masked marvels Buffalos were all over the map when it came to their musical choices, from an impressive early take on Cutting Crew’s 1986 hit “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight,” to a soulful run through Foreigner’s ultimate power ballad “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and a no-notes, touching cover of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One.”
And though the judges were sure they were members of a soul singing crew, Buffalos kept trying to keep Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke and Rita Ora off the scent with sing-alongs and sing-offs on Fall Out Boys’ “High Hopes,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” and a slam-dunk semifinal torching of Toto’s yacht rock anthem “Africa.”
In the end, though, after nearly being eliminated while trying to keep viewers and the judges guessing, they pulled out an absolutely stunning take on Sam Smith’s “Too Good at Goodbyes” on Wednesday night’s finale, leaving little doubt that their old pal McCarthy-Wahlberg was right all along.
When the wooly heads came off, it was none other than Boyz II Men‘s Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris who triumphed over Wasp, fellow R&B singer Mario. Billboard spoke with the trio before their elimination to talk about how the show challenged their nearly four-decade onstage rhythm, why they kept picking such seemingly out-there songs, and how they ended up on a Christmas tune with football’s Kelce brothers.
Why Buffalos? Those costumes seemed crazy heavy and hot.
Nathan: I like the power. I like the strength, I like the unity, the whole crew, the herd. … It’s everything about who we are. Everybody had their roles, but at the same time we know what we need to do to make the pack stronger.
Wanya: Extremely [hot in there]. I’m talking about water, sweat running down every aspect, every orifice.
Nathan: I almost hyperventilated in that joint and I’m normally not like that. When you’re in there you have to give a lot more energy than you would to get the costume to have personality. You’re like a mascot. It’s hell in there, bro. Doing that, and singing and staying in key and doing routines? That sh– ain’t easy!
You all have been in sync for decades, but on the show you couldn’t see each other or watch each other’s mouths move. Was that a challenge?
Shawn: It was almost like wearing a football helmet, where you only have a certain line of sight. You had to turn your whole body to communicate and then turn around and all you saw was what the mask allowed you to see. We had in-ears [monitors], so we could hear the mix, but then the music and the crowd are going, it gets your adrenaline up and you’re trying to put on a character. It’s a lot of information in those few minutes, outside of trying to sound good and stay on key.
Wanya: The only thing you could see through was the nose. The eyes were up here [points to forehead], so it was like a cone.
We’re used to smooth R&B from you, but you really stretched out with songs by Toto, The Verve, OneRepublic, Shania Twain, Fall Out Boy — were you trying to throw people off the scent?
Nathan: We tried to trick people. We all thought, “They’re gonna know us right away,” so we had to pick different songs and each guy had to sing a different part than they normally do. So we did that and as we got further along in the battles, we almost got kicked off, so it didn’t work and we decided, “Just let ’em have it!”
Shawn: The cool thing was the irony that with the masks on we were able to be ourselves. Those songs were representative of who we are, not just an R&B group. All those songs you hear us sing are ones we listened to as kids, the genres we love and songs that allowed us to display who Boyz II Men really is.
Your voices are so instantly recognizable apart and together. Were there people who figured it out right away?
Wanya: Yeah, Jenny [McCarthy-Wahlberg] knows us. We’ve been on the road with her a few times with [husband] Donnie [Wahlberg]. She knowns our mannerisms and has heard our voices night after night when we were on a package tour with the New Kids [on the Block]. She knew right away. We tried to be less recognizable, but then we were pushed to the bottom two and were like, “Hell no!”
You’ve had some many unique experiences in your career. Was this one of the most unusual things you’ve done?
Wanya: Absolutely. It really fits up there with one of the most different things Boyz II Men have done in our career, with the closing ceremonies of the Olympics when we did the national anthem [at the 1996 Games].
What was it about being behind a mask that appealed to you? What did you want to prove?
Nathan: No expectations. When you hear Boyz II Men in your mind, you expect it to sound a certain way, but when we don’t have those expectations you can go anywhere you want.
Wanya: Watching the show last night and looking at Nate, who was the green Buffalo, I swear you would never know it was Nate in that suit because Nate doesn’t perform like that — he’s mellow, smooth. He looked like me in that Buffalo suit! He was super-animated and I was so happy to see it.
Nathan: I was just trying to throw them off. I was having fun because this is what I do when I’m around my crew.
Were you able to still do some of your patented choreo in those costumes?
Wanya: We had to switch it up for sure, the feet were big, bro. The feet… and that head!
Nathan: I stepped on Shawn like three or four times.
On the finale, you impressed with Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know,” which rocked. But you really made Sam Smith’s “Too Good at Goodbyes” your own. It sounded like it could have been your single.
Nathan: That’s when the gloves came off.
Shawn: We knew we had to go full-out Boyz II Men on the last show, and by that time there were a lot of people who were clued in on it being us, so we were like, “Let’s do Boyz II Men things!”
Wanya: We had an inkling of who we were going against [Wasp], and that dude is no joke!
Nathan: We weren’t supposed to know, but we [could tell] who it was.
You said Jenny knew, but she also mentioned B2K, and Robin thought it could be the Jonas Brothers or the rest of 98 Degrees [minus their show mentor Nick Lachey] or Big Time Rush. Always wrong Ken Jeong went with Bell Biv DeVoe, Bone Thugs -N-Harmony or Tony! Toni! Toné! There were also guesses of Earth, Wind & Fire and Blackstreet. Your thoughts?
Shawn: Some of that was a bit off, like Bone Thugs? No offense to the Thuggers.
Since it’s the holidays, tell us about your collab with the Kelce brothers on their “It’s Christmastime (In Cleveland Heights)” single.
Shawn: They reached out to us and they felt like we were synonymous with the idea that they had for the song and it was fun. It’s always cool to do things like that because they’re unexpected and we’ve been in this business for over 30 years. At this point, we’re just trying to do things that are interesting or fun or funny or something that pushes the boundaries of what a group at this point in our lives can do. Not only that, but it was for a good cause, for charities and some of our personal charities. And, it’s the Kelces! They’re the hottest brother duo in the country right now.
We know they can ball, but most importantly: How do you rate their vocals?
Nathan: You know… they ain’t bad! They did their thing. They are really good at football and they do that really, really good and they did that well, and I think that’s what their lot in life is. No diss, but they were great.
Wanya: How about this? They did that better than some of us would run a 9 route. I’ll tell you that!
Martin Short is set to host Saturday Night Live this weekend (Dec. 21), and he couldn’t help but throw playful jabs at his friends in a new promo for the upcoming episode. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In the hilarious clip shared on Wednesday (Dec. 18), […]
Ariana Grande explains why touring her latest album isn’t in her plans and we break down how ‘Wicked’ songs are taking over the charts. Keep watching for more! Tetris Kelly: Ariana Grande is saying she’s halting the possibility of touring as ‘Wicked’ mania hits a high pitch with some radio smashes. We have the story. […]
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Katy Perry, Gracie Abrams, Tate McRae and NCT Dream are among the artists appearing on tonight’s Jingle Ball 2024 special on ABC.
Filmed at select stops on this year’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, the two-hour special airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Watch the Jingle Ball Tour on TV through your local ABC affiliate.
How to Watch 2024 Jingle Ball Special Live Online
Don’t have cable? You can livestream the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball special on ABC through DirecTV Stream. The popular streaming service includes a live ABC feed as part of its packages, allowing you to watch Jingle Ball online without cable. DirecTV Stream currently has a free trial promotion going on that you can use to watch the Jingle Ball performances online for free. See full details here.
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Another way to livestream Jingle Ball 2024 online? Use Fubo, which has a week-long free trial available here. Get the free trial to watch Jingle Ball on ABC for free. Fubo’s package includes free DVR so you record the broadcast to watch all the performances back on-demand. Continue with one of Fubo’s streaming deals or cancel before your free trial is up to avoid being charged. See details here.
How to Watch 2024 Jingle Ball Special On-Demand
Don’t need to watch the network special live on ABC? You can stream the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour the next day on Hulu. Hulu subscribers can log in to watch all the Jingle Ball Tour performances on-demand from home. Not a subscriber: get a free trial to test out Hulu here.
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In addition to Perry, Abrams, McRae and the K-pop sensations NCT Dream, this season’s holiday music event features performances from Meghan Trainor, Teddy Swims, Twenty One Pilots, Benson Boone, Madison Beer, Kane Brown, Shaboozy, Paris Hilton and the Kid Laroi.
Watch the 2024 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball special tonight at 8 p.m. on ABC, or stream it online free with DirecTV Stream.
“Paul Wall, baby. Whatchu know ’bout me?” is apparently a deeper question than we’ve realized.
The Houston rapper and jeweler was recently on The Breakfast Club where he revealed that he wasn’t aware that he was white until elementary classmates pointed it out.
“I didn’t know I was white ’til white people told me I was white,” said The People’s Champ with a bashful smirk on his face. “They was like, ‘You white. Why you talk and act like that? You white. And I’m like, what do you mean?’”
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Co-host Jess Hilarious then asked when he did finally realize that he was indeed white. “Definitely in elementary school or middle school,” Wall answered. “I mean, all my friends were Black or Mexican or Asian. I lived in a very diverse neighborhood, there were white people there, but it was Mexican, Black, Vietnamese, Indian… A lot of everything. So, we got a great mixture of growing up in America, I guess.”
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He then jokingly pointed out that his mother took a DNA test and said she was three percent African before adding, “I know she can’t say the N-word. That ain’t enough for her to say the N-word,” which drew a couple laughs from the room.
Paul Wall recently released his 15th solo album Once Upon a Grind which features DJ Fresh, Slim Thug, Cartel Bo, Lil’ Keke, Eddie Coke, Crys Wall, Big Tonka, Z-Ro, Big K.R.I.T., Berner, Freeway, Rich the Factor, Termanology, and Young Al.
You can watch the full interview below.
Morgan Wallen‘s Nashville bar, restaurant and music venue will soon have its neon sign, joining the slate of massive signs beckoning both tourists and locals to downtown Music City. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On Dec. 17, the Metro Nashville City Council gave permission for the […]
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For the past few days the internet’s been buzzing with the messiness between Papoose, Remy Ma, Eazy The Block Captain and Claressa Shields, but now it seems like Philly OG Cassidy is taking issue with Eazy due to The Block Captain talking slick about the Swizz Beatz former protégé.
Dropping off some new visuals to “Eazy Come Eazy Go,” Cass takes to the studio to throw some sharp darts at the man who broke up the “Black Love” that the Hip-Hop community was praising for years and dragged him across the ave for mentioning his name. Does Cassidy age at all? Homie looks like a high school senior still.
From Philly to New York, Hip-Hop legend/icon, KRS 1 is still letting his gems flow and for his clip to “Krazy,” the blast master continues to spit bars that contain knowledge of self to inspire listeners to move accordingly in this world of chaos. Much respect, triple OG.
Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from Lil Jarimy, Blu & Exile, and more.
CASSIDY – “EAZY COME EAZY GO”
KRS 1 – “KRAZY”
LIL JARIMY – “BACK ON”
BLU & EXILE – “A SONG CALLED PERCIPITATION”
SHOTOFF – “BLEW A BANKROLL”
BIG MOOCHIE GRAPE – “NEVER COME SECOND”
ZEDDY WILL – “PUMP IT UP”
DAVID BARS – “GIFTED”
Twenty-five films have been selected for the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 2024 “due to their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage.” They include two that had Billboard 200-topping soundtracks, Beverly Hills Cop and Dirty Dancing; one (Dirty Dancing) that featured an Oscar-winning song, “(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life”; and one (The Social Network) that featured an Oscar-winning score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
The selections span 115 years, from a silent film created to entice audiences at the dawn of cinema in 1895, Annabelle Serpentine Dance, to the newest selected film from 2010, The Social Network, a drama about social media.
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Popular Hollywood releases selected this year include the first Star Trek film added to the registry – 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, as well as Eddie Murphy’s first feature film on the registry, Beverly Hills Cop.
Two films selected this year, American Me and Up in Smoke, were produced by Lou Adler, a music industry legend who produced Billboard 200-topping albums by the Mamas and the Papas and Carole King. Adler, 91, was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 and received a trustees award from the Recording Academy in 2019. Adler has several other films on the registry including Monterey Pop, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and 20 Feet From Stardom, in which he made an appearance.
The 2024 selections feature diversity both in the filmmakers and in the stories depicted on screen.
Five films selected this year include prominent Hispanic artists or themes – American Me, Mi Familia, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Spy Kids and Up in Smoke.
Mi Familia and American Me both feature actor Edward James Olmos, who is now featured in eight films on the registry. American Me marks his first appearance as a director on the registry.
With this year’s addition of Mi Familia, director Gregory Nava now has three explorations of the Hispanic experience on the registry. Mi Familia joins previous selections El Norte and Selena.
Two films this year, Up in Smoke and Spy Kids, feature Cheech Marin. These are Marin’s first films on the registry. Up in Smoke is also the first Cheech & Chong film on the registry.
Several films this year were made by Black directors, including Ganja and Hess (1973, Bill Gunn); Uptown Saturday Night (1974, Sidney Poitier), Will (1981, Jessie Maple) and Compensation (1999, Zeinabu irene Davis). Will is considered to be the first independent, feature-length film directed by a Black woman.
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, an Academy Award-winning documentary selected this year, tells the story of the National AIDS Memorial Quilt, and an important period in LGBTQ history.
Deaf characters and culture are represented in two films this year: The Miracle Worker from 1962 and Compensation from 1999. In The Miracle Worker, director Arthur Penn depicted the Helen Keller story in a direct and unsentimental manner that was unusual for its time.
The selection Powwow Highway from 1989 stands out as one of the first indie films to treat Native Americans as ordinary people, navigating the complexities of everyday life, departing from long-perpetuated stereotypes.
“Films reflect our nation’s history and culture and must be preserved in our national library for generations to come,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. “We’re honored by the responsibility to add 25 diverse new films to the National Film Registry each year as we work to preserve our cultural heritage.”
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will host a TV special on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. ET to screen a selection of films named to the registry this year. Hayden will join TCM host and film historian Jacqueline Stewart, who is chair of the National Film Preservation Board, to discuss the films.
Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year the Librarian of Congress names 25 motion pictures to the National Film Registry that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant. The films must be at least 10 years old. The Librarian makes the annual selections after conferring with the members of the National Film Preservation Board and a cadre of Library specialists.
This year’s selections bring the number of titles in the registry to 900. Also considered were 6,744 titles nominated by the public. Nominations for next year will be accepted through Aug. 15, 2025, at loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/nominate/.
Here’s a complete list of the 25 films that were selected as 2024 additions to the National Film Registry. They are listed in chronological order.
Annabelle Serpentine Dance (1895)KoKo’s Earth Control (1928)Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)The Pride of the Yankees (1942)Invaders from Mars (1953)The Miracle Worker (1962)The Chelsea Girls (1966)Ganja and Hess (1973)The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)Uptown Saturday Night (1974)Zora Lathan Student Films (1975-76)Up in Smoke (1978)Will (1981)Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan (1982)Beverly Hills Cop (1984)Dirty Dancing (1987)Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989)Powwow Highway (1989)My Own Private Idaho (1991)American Me (1992)Mi Familia (1995)Compensation (1999)Spy Kids (2001)No Country for Old Men (2007)The Social Network (2010)