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The upcoming fifth season of The Kardashians has been billed as showcasing Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker‘s “new baby bliss” following the birth of their first child together, a son named Rocky Thirteen, in November. But it’ll also document the reality star’s scary experience with emergency fetal surgery leading up to the big day, as […]
Beyoncé may be notoriously elusive, but she always has an ear to the streets. On Wednesday (May 8), the Grammy winner shared two Instagram posts commemorating her visit to this year’s Coachella festivities, from supporting protégé Chlöe Bailey to joining in on the “II Hands II Heaven” dance challenge.
The first post, which Queen Bey used the official “II Hands II Heaven” sound for, consisted of a single reel that finds the “II Most Wanted” singer wearing a black cowboy hat, sparkly blue daisy dukes, a Willie Nelson T-shirt, platform boots and a fringe jacket doused in the print of the American flag. Both the Cowboy Carter banner and promotional hauler that were present during both weekends of Coachella also appear in the clip.
To top it all off, Beyoncé tried her hand at the viral “II Hands II Heaven” dance challenge, which began when a fan (X user @cuddapotato) posted a clip of Drea Kelly’s burlesque rehearsals with the Cowboy Carter standout in place of the original music (April 1). The video quickly went viral because of how well Kelly’s choreography fit to the “II Hands II Heaven” lyrics, “Pull my fit over these hips/ You grip, I grind/ Then taste this wine, I’ma taste what’s mine/ ‘Cause I’ma take what’s mine.”
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The video’s virality kicked off a string of other Drea Kelly-meets-Cowboy Carter clips, including hilarious takes on album cuts such as “Desert Eagle,” “Riiverdance” and “Sweet * Honey * Buckiin’” (with Shaboozey). Queen Bey’s addition to the challenge, which she presumably shot during Coachella, is more stop-motion than a proper video, which only adds to its humor.
In her other post, Beyoncé flaunted her outfit some more and shared sweet pictures with Kelly Rowland and Bailey, who performed an electrifying Coachella set in anticipation for her forthcoming sophomore solo studio album, Trouble In Paradise. On April 20, the “Have Mercy” singer shared her own take on the “II Hands II Heaven” challenge via TikTok, which she shot backstage at Coachella.
Drea Kelly, choreographer, dancer and ex-wife of disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly, has already given the “II Hands II Heaven” challenge her approval.
“I have been doing that choreography almost two years now (and it) has been on my page,” she told Vibe. “But you know, I want this to be a testament to people. Your gifts will make a way for you. And I don’t care what anybody thinks. Don’t think you’re too old. Don’t think your content is too old. Something that you put on your page years ago, somebody can discover and it has a new life.”
Beyoncé dropped her Billboard 200-topping Cowboy Carter album March 29, scoring simultaneous No. 1 debuts on Top Country Albums and Top Americana/Folk Albums in the process. Led by the historic Billboard Hot 100-topping “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the album features appearances by several country music icons and rising stars, from Dolly Parton to Hot Country Songs chart-topper Shaboozey.
Watch Beyoncé take on the “II Hands II Heaven” dance challenge below.
Steve Albini, the legendarily exacting producer/engineer and frontman of the noisesome indie rock bands Shellac and Big Black has died at 61. According to a staff member at Albini’s Electric Audio Recordings studio in Chicago, Albini died of a heart attack on Tuesday night (May 7).
Though he disdained the term “producer,” preferring “engineer” instead, Albini said in a 2018 interview that worked on more than 2,000 albums, mostly for underground or indie bands, but also notably on projects by two of the most important and influential bands of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
In addition to recording Nirvana’s final full studio album, 1993’s In Utero, he also worked on the beloved 1988 album Surfer Rosa by one of late Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain’s favorite bands, the Pixies. Constantly toggling between albums by A-list major label acts (PJ Harvey’s lashing 1993 album Rid of Me, Bush’s Razorblade Suitcase) and beloved indie bands from his native Chicago (Urge Overkill, The Jesus Lizard, Tar), Albini was also a prolific musicians in his own right with a series of hardcore and noise bands, including Big Black, Rapeman and Shellac.
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Born in Pasadena, Calif. on July 22, 1962, Albini positioned himself as a staunch outsider in the mainstream music industry, which he considered exploitative, refusing to accept the traditional producer royalties for any of the albums he recorded at his Chicago studio.
Shellac were poised to release their first album in a decade, To All Trains, next week, and had booked a series of shows in England in June, followed by a run of U.S. dates in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in July.
Often working on dozens of albums per year, Albini kept up his torrid pace recently, re-teaming with frequent collaborator folk singer Nina Nastasia in 2022, as well as working on albums by Black Midi, Spare Snare, Liturgy and Code Orange over the past two years.
This story will be updated.
The Kendrick Lamar–Drake battle has found its way into the political world. President Joe Biden’s campaign team put together a video dissing Donald Trump on May 6, which was soundtracked by Lamar’s bristling “Euphoria.” The clip utilizes a slideshow that kicks off with Biden and VP Kamala Harris before moving into photos of Trump. While […]
Lady Gaga‘s dynamic Chromatica Ball Tour is getting a second life on HBO’s Max streaming service, where a concert film capturing one of the trek’s final performances is set to premiere later this month. As announced Wednesday (May 8), Gaga Chromatica Ball will debut exclusively on the platform May 25, giving fans another chance to […]
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Muggles, make room on the mantel. Fisher-Price is releasing a magical series of Harry Potter-themed Little People Collector sets designed with Slytherins and Gryffindors in mind.
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On Wednesday (May 8), Mattel debuted the Little People Collector Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets sets featuring mini-figures of Potter and the gang — Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley — plus headmaster Albus Dumbledore, young Tom Riddle (aka Lord Voldemort) and the basilisk serpent.
Hogwarts with New Fisher-Price Little People Collector Sets
Courtesy of Fisher-Price
Little People Collector Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone Movie Special Edition Set for Adults & Fans, 4 Figures
The set retails for $24.99 and is inspired by the first two films in the franchise (now streaming on Peacock). Each figure measures 2.5 inches – perfectly sized for a shelf, dresser or mantel – but you might not want to take them out the of the packaging with all the intricate details for fans to enjoy.
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The Sorcerer’s Stone set features Potter in a Sorting Hat, Granger and Weasley holding wands, Professor Dumbledore in his purple robe, with the packaging recreating Hogwarts’ Great Hall. The Chamber of Secrets set features Potter, Riddle, Ginny Weasley (holding Riddle’s diary) and the basilisk.
Hogwarts with New Fisher-Price Little People Collector Sets
Courtesy of Fisher-Price
Little People Collector Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets Movie Special Edition Set for Adults & Fans, 4 Figures
The new releases are the first of a four-part series of Potter-inspired Little People Collector sets that will include the Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire collectibles dropping later this year.
Fisher-Price has featured other film franchises, beloved TV series, pop-culture figures and more for the Little People’s Collector’s Sets, including *NSYNC, RuPaul, Ted Lasso, Seinfeld, The Office, Parks & Recreation, The Golden Girls, E.T., Lord of the Rings, The Boys, Cobra Kai and The Big Bang Theory.
The Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets Little People Collectors sets are available at the Mattel Shop, Amazon and Walmart starting on Wednesday. If you’re a Prime member, you’ll get free shipping on your purchase and other perks. (Launch your 30-day free trial here.) For Walmart shoppers, Walmart+ offers free shipping and other membership benefits. Click here for more details.
Taylor Swift runs a tight ship. Following their surprise Dead Poets Society mini-reunion in the pop star and Post Malone’s “Fortnight” music video in April, both Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles opened up in separate interviews about keeping their cameos a total secret from everyone — including their kids.
First, Hawke appeared on The Late Show Monday night (May 6), where host Stephen Colbert wasted no time in asking the actor about his collaboration with Swift. “I think she wanted to hide a little Easter egg about Dead Poets Society,” the Before Sunrise star explained. “Josh and I, we laughed ourselves silly the whole day. We felt like the biggest rock stars in the whole world.”
“You can’t imagine what it’s like to walk through an airport with a friend you’ve known for 35 years, who you grew up with, and watch all the young people in the airport with their Eras sweatshirts on … and we got something on them,” he continued, recalling his and Charles’ voyage to Swift’s top-secret filming location. “We’re going to meet the queen ourselves.”
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Hawke also revealed he signed an NDA prior to shooting the project, meaning he couldn’t tell either of his young daughters — Clementine and Indiana, whom he shares with his wife, producer Ryan Shawhughes Hawke — about the endeavor.
“You tell my teenage daughters that I’m going to meet Taylor, and everybody at school’s going to know,” he told Colbert. “When they did find out, the look on their face was one of profound disappointment. [They were like,] ‘Don’t pay attention to my dad, my dad’s an idiot, you should be calling me.’ Taylor belongs to them. I can’t have that on them.”
Stopping by The Tonight Show the next day, Charles told Jimmy Fallon that he also kept the video hidden from his children before it dropped April 19, the same day Swift’s Billboard 200-topping album The Tortured Poets Department hit streaming services. “They’re just blabbermouths and they’ll go talk about it at school,” he said, laughing.
“Finally, right before it aired, I did tell my son because he’s so full of hot air,” added Charles, who shares two kids with his wife, author Sophie Flack. “He makes up so much stuff, I knew no one would believe him anyway. He said, ‘Dad, I actually told someone. They didn’t believe me, you were right.’”
The Good Wife alum also revealed that Swift had first reached out to Hawke’s oldest daughter, Stranger Things star Maya Hawke — whom he shares with ex-wife Uma Thurman as well as 22-year-old son Levon — in order to connect with the two Dead Poets Society leads. The actors co-starred in the Peter Weir-directed classic in 1989, nearly 30 years before they would reunite to play mad scientists conducting experiments on Swift’s character in “Fortnight.” The Post Malone-assisted track has since spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Taylor knows Ethan’s daughter Maya and reached out to her,” Charles recalled. “I think it’s a little tip of the cap to Dead Poets Society, other tortured poets. Once I got over thinking [Ethan] was punking me when he first called me — I said, ‘Dude, are you bulls–ting me right now?’ It just seemed like such a fun idea.”
“I will tell you this, [Swift’s] an incredible director,” Charles added. “My favorite kind of director ’cause she knows what she wants. I was already a fan of her music, but if any of you ever get to meet her, your fandom for her will just go up through the roof. She’s just such a genuine, cool, approachable person.”
Watch Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles open up about their “Fortnight” cameos below.
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The Little Mermaid is back! Disney announced Wednesday (May 7) that its animated musical series Disney Jr.’s Ariel — inspired by the Halle Berry live-action Little Mermaid movie — will arrive on the platform at 9 a.m. ET/PT on June 27 and the next day on Disney+.
Additionally, Billboard can exclusively reveal the fun-loving, adventure-filled theme song for the series below. Set in the Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica, the series follows mermaid princess Ariel (Mykal-Michelle Harris) as she embarks on underwater fun with her family and friends, including King Triton (Taye Diggs), Ursula (Amber Riley), Flounder (Gracen Newton) and mermaid friends Fernie (Cruz Flateau) and Lucia (Elizabeth Phoenix Caro).
In addition to the TV show, Walt Disney Records will release a digital soundtrack on June 28. Music is in integral part of the series, with Anthony M. Jones (Tone), Sofia Quinn, Olivia Waithe, Chantry Johnson, Michelle Zarlenga and Rosemarie Tan all part of the songwriting team; Emmy winner Christopher Willis as composer; and Sean Skeete, a dean at Berklee College of Music, the Caribbean music consultant. Plus, show-inspired items including dolls, playsets, role-play, costumes, apparel, books and more from Disney Consumer Products will be available for purchase this summer.
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Also on Wednesday, Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), Melissa Villaseñor (Saturday Night Live) and Ron Funches (Undateable) were announced as recurring cast members on the series.
‘Disney Jr.’s Ariel’
Disney Junior
In addition to the premiere episode airing June 27 on Disney Junior and later on Disney Channel, an initial batch of eight episodes will be available on Disney+ the following day (Friday, June 28). Plus, a new series of two-minute shorts, called Disney Jr.’s Ariel: Mermaid Tales, will be featured across Disney+, Disney Channel and Disney Jr. beginning Wednesday, June 5, to build excitement around the new show.
The new series comes about a year after Bailey starred as the classic Disney princess in the 2023 Little Mermaid live-action film. In the movie musical, the spirited mermaid swims to shore (against her father’s wishes) and saves a prince from drowning, ultimately making a deal with sea witch Ursula to become human. Jonah Hauer-King played Ariel’s love interest, Prince Eric. Melissa McCarthy starred as Ursula and Javier Bardem played King Triton, Ariel’s father and Ursula’s estranged brother. Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina and Jacob Tremblay rounded out the cast as Ariel’s friends Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle.
Ariel is executive produced by Lynne Southerland and is produced by Wild Canary in association with Disney Jr. Watch the opening credits and hear the theme song exclusively via Billboard below.
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If Jinkx Monsoon has proved anything over the last few years, it’s that she’s a bit of a chameleon. Whether she’s performing as a corrupt jail warden or a bombshell leading lady, the drag star can play just about anyone — including the embodiment of music itself. In an exclusive clip from the upcoming second […]
What does life as an LGBTQ+ professional in the music industry actually look like in 2024? That’s the question that non-profit diversity development organization Queer Capita is seeking to answer with a new survey. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The organization recently unveiled the State of […]
