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Cher is out there hitting all the usual spots promoting her long-awaited autobiography, Cher, The Memoir: Part One. And a recurring theme in her chats is how unapologetically Cher she is, including talking candidly about how hard it was reviewing her 78 years on Earth, most of which she’s spent in the public eye.
And, Cher being Cher, sometimes that forthrightness can tip over into not-safe-for-morning-TV talk. That’s exactly what happened on The Today Show on Tuesday morning (Nov. 19), when the singing legend sat down to talk about the memoir with co-host Hoda Kotb and dropped an uncensored F-bomb while telling a hilarious story about some solid relationship and career advice she got from late comedy icon Lucille Ball.
To be fair, Cher warned Kotb that she was going to sprinkle some zesty language into the breakfast mix when the host asked about what Ball had counseled when Cher split from husband/singing partner Sonny Bono in 1975. “I can’t say it on TV,” Cher said before making sure that producers were “going to bleep it.” When Kotb promised that it would be censored, Cher went ahead and told the story, as-is.
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She then described reaching out to Ball — who went through a similarly public break-up with her husband and I Love Lucy co-star, Desi Arnaz, 15 years earlier — who gave some sage, and salty, advice after Cher found out that, as she told Kotb, Bono had taken “all her money” before their split. “I said, ‘Lucy, I’m calling you because to my knowledge, there’s never been a situation besides mine except yours,’” Cher said she told Ball about a female entertainer who publicly left their on- and off-screen spouse. “And she said, “F–k him. You’re the one with the talent!’”
Though the f-word is now bleeped in the online video of the moment on the Today feeds, after it happened a clearly shocked Kotb said, “Oh!… we didn’t have the seven-second [delay]. But we will get it for the next feed!”
After realizing the f-bomb had not been bleeped, Cher turned to Kotb and pointed the finger, saying, “Well you said I could!”
Kotb laughed, saying, “I should have bleeped it myself! Bleep!”
That oopsie moment followed Cher’s Monday night (Nov. 18) visit to the Tonight Show, where she did another funny bit with host Jimmy Fallon and talked about how difficult it was to really lay it all out in the book — which is the first half of a two-part project that will be followed by Part Two next year.
“It was a b–ch,” she told Fallon about the first half of the book, which follows her rise from Cherilyn Sarkisian to worldwide fame as one-half of the Sonny & Cher duo. “It’s not going through your life that’s hard so much. But I did it a couple of times because the first time it didn’t work out. The second time I just didn’t want to tell anything. And then I thought, ‘You know what? Give back the money.’ It’s hard because when you’re telling your life there’s parts you’d like to guard.”
More importantly for her fans, the new Rock and Roll Hall of Famer also casually mentioned that she’s working on her twenty eighth studio album and follow-up to 2018’s ABBA cover album Dancing Queen; she released the Christmas holiday album in 2023. When Fallon asked if a new LP was on the horizon, Cher said she’s “about to” begin work on one to wild applause from the audience.
Watch Cher on the Tonight Show below.
Attention, ROSÉ stans — your No. 1 girl has a new solo single on the way.
As announced Tuesday (Nov. 19), the 27-year-old musician is dropping a song titled “Number One Girl” this Friday (Nov. 22). Sharing what appears to be the track’s cover art — a photo of ROSÉ staring wistfully off to the side while modeling a shirt with the song’s title printed on it — the BLACKPINK star wrote on Instagram, “this one’s for my number ones. ❤️”
“Number One Girl” will follow ROSÉ’s chart-topping duet with Bruno Mars, “APT.,” which has spent four weeks and counting at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200. Released in October, the track also debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the New Zealand native’s first top 10 solo hit.
Prior to “APT.,” ROSÉ announced her debut solo album, rosie, with a heartfelt post on Instagram. “I have poured my blood and tears into this album,” she wrote Oct. 1, two months ahead of the 12-track project’s Dec. 6 release date. “I cannot wait for you to listen to this little journal of mine. Rosie – is the name I allow my friends and family to call me. With this album, I hope you all feel that much closer to me.”
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At the time, ROSÉ also may have subtly teased the title of her new single by specifically thanking her “number ones” for their support. She did the same during her recent appearance on Hot Ones, closing the show by saying, “love you, number ones.”
The star isn’t the only member of BLACKPINK who’s been rolling out a solo era this year. LISA has also shared a slew of independent singles — “Rockstar,” “Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me)” and Rosalía duet “New Woman” — and announced her own solo album, Alter Ego, on the same day ROSÉ shared the news about “Number One Girl.”
The foursome — which also includes JENNIE and JISOO — is expected to reunite for full-band activities in 2025. But in the meantime, ROSÉ says she’s pursuing her solo efforts with advice from none other than Taylor Swift in mind.
“As soon as she met me, she’s like, ‘Spill, let me help you out,’” ROSÉ recalled of meeting the “Karma” artist recently. “I’m really grateful for her, because I was at a moment where I was drowning a little. She is literally the coolest, and she’s such a girl’s girl. She was telling me – ‘make sure to take care of this, this and this’ – like, logistics. She was trying to protect me.”
See ROSÉ’s “Number One Girl” announcement below.
While her October performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall was a one-night-only affair, Dua Lipa wants to make sure that her performance doesn’t go “Houdini.” On Tuesday (Nov. 19), the pop star announced the release date for her first-ever live album, Dua Lipa Live From The Royal Albert Hall. Recorded during her Oct. 17 performance […]
In the wake of a presidential election that saw calls to its crisis hotline increase by nearly 700%, The Trevor Project is taking a moment to celebrate some good news, courtesy of pop star Dua Lipa. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On Tuesday (Nov. 19), the […]
BLINKs already know LISA — now get ready to meet her alter ego. After weeks of teasing, the BLACKPINK star has finally announced that her debut solo album is on its way, and it’s coming in just a few months.
On Tuesday (Nov. 19) — a date fans have been impatiently counting down to alongside a cryptic timer on LISA’s website — the 27-year-old performer shared that her first-ever LP independent from her famous girl group is titled Alter Ego and slated to arrive Feb. 28. She also unveiled the project’s cover art, which features a sleek photo of a hooded LISA showing off her spiky black nails and staring down the camera.
On her LLOUD YouTube channel, the Thai singer-rapper further hyped up fans by dropping a three-minute album trailer, which expands on the teaser she dropped a few days prior to the announcement. With her eyes changing colors through the landscapes, the video finds LISA traveling from a black rock structure to a cyberpunk outer-space catwalk, an enchanted garden, a green laser-beam motorcycle track and a volcanic red runway.
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According to the press release, the five locations represent the five characters LISA emulates on the LP, “each representing a unique personality.” “They are represented by the five points on a star, which has become a key emblem in the campaign,” the description adds.
Alter Ego will follow a run of three LISA singles in 2024, beginning with “Rockstar” — which reached No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 — and followed by “New Woman” with Rosalía and “Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me).” The star has been prepping the album for months for a release ahead of BLACKPINK’s planned reunion in 2025, and in her Billboard cover story, she opened up about her perfectionism when it came to the project.
“I’m trying to figure it out, the tracklist and everything, what I can change in there,” she told Billboard. “Everything’s there. I think they’re going to be shocked at how capable I am [at] doing so many things.”
The star also gushed about her BLACKPINK bandmates ROSÉ — who has simultaneously been forging her own solo music era this year — JENNIE and JISOO in her cover story. “We know each other so well and know how much energy we have to put into every single project,” LISA said. “So we want to support and say, ‘You did really well!’ Like, JENNIE and Rosie just released their own songs, and we’re on texts, we’re on FaceTime. They’re like family.”
Watch the Alter Ego teaser and see the album cover below.
The priest who okay’d the filming of a controversial Sabrina Carpenter music video at his Williamsburg, Brooklyn church has been relieved of his duties. According to the Associated Press, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello was stripped of his position on Monday (Nov. 18) after church officials said an investigation revealed other evidence of mismanagement.
Bishop Robert Brennan said in a statement issued by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn that Gigantiello was relieved of “any pastoral oversight or governance role” after an investigation found that Gigantiello made unauthorized financial transfers to a former top aide in embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, which is being investigated on charges of corruption.
The investigation was sparked following outrage over the bloody video for Carpenter’s “Feather” shot at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg, in which the singer facilitates the deaths of a number of obnoxious men who are attempting to hit on her. The final scene, filmed at the church, found Carpenter dancing around the sacred space at the men’s funerals while wearing a short black dress and veil and posing with religious items on the altar, including a coffin with a sign that reads, “RIP B–ch.”
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Gigantiello was relieved of his administrative duties last November after the video’s release, with Brennan saying at the time that the parish did not “follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script.”
Following Gigantiello’s sanction, Carpenter told Variety that her team got “approval in advance,” and besides, “Jesus was a carpenter.” Her comments came after Gigantiello posted an apology on the Church’s Facebook page, in which he said he approved the filming of the video and did not find anything negative about Carpenter online, green-lighting the shoot in an effort to “further strengthen the bonds between the young creative artists who make up a large part of this community.”
He also said that he reviewed the video’s funeral scene plan and noted that the actual final scene shot was “not what was initially presented to me.”
In his statement announcing Gigantiello’s sanction, Brennan said, “I am saddened to share that investigations conducted by Alvarez & Marsal and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP have uncovered evidence of serious violations of Diocesan policies and protocols at Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Annunciation Parish. In order to safeguard the public trust, and to protect church funds, I have appointed Bishop Witold Mroziewski as administrator of the Parish.”
Though Mroziewski will now have “complete authority over the parish, Gigantiello will still be allowed to say Mass with Mroziewski’s approval. In addition, Brennan dropped Gigantiello from his fundraising duties as vicar of development for the diocese as a broader review uncovered other instances of administrative impropriety, including an ongoing investigation into Gigantiello’s use of a church credit card for “substantial” personal expenses.
During a Madison Square Garden show in September, Carpenter appeared to make light of the “Feather” dust-up, just days after Adams became the first New York Mayor to be indicted while in office. “Damn, what now?” she asked the crowd. “Should we talk about how I got the Mayor indicted?”
As K-pop continues its meteoric rise on the global stage, the industry’s biggest award show sets a new milestone with its first-ever U.S. date for its 25th anniversary.
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This week, on Nov. 21, 2024, the MAMA Awards will be held at Hollywood’s iconic Dolby Theater, marking the first time the event has crossed over to the States since its introduction in 1999. Widely regarded as one of the premiere K-pop events of the year, the MAMAs have spent the last 25 years growing from a music video awards ceremony in a Seoul theater to a multi-day, international affair across Asia. This year, the 2024 MAMA Awards will kick off with one night in Los Angeles before jumping to two days at the massive Kyocera Dome stadium in Osaka, Japan.
“Taking a first step is challenging, but at the same time, it’s meaningful,” MAMA’s chief producer Yoon Shin Hye shares with Billboard. “We strive to present various stages with an unmatched scale and provide unique experiences to global fans.”
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This year’s theme, “Big Blur: What is Real?,” encapsulates MAMA’s commitment to pushing boundaries and exploring ways to reshape and rethink the music industry. Meanwhile, legendary K-pop producer and music executive J.Y. Park will link with Anderson. Paak for a meeting of the musical minds, as HYBE and Universal Music’s LA-based girl group KATSEYE will team up with another local troupe in the Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders.
In this exclusive preview of this year’s show MAMA’s chief producer Yoon Shin Hye, delves into the vision and execution behind this year’s event. From overcoming the logistical challenges of hosting in two countries to crafting unique collabs that embody the MAMA spirit, the CJ ENM executive offers an inside look at the dedication and innovation driving the award show to evolve at its 25th anniversary.
Congratulations on what’s sure to be the biggest MAMA Awards. While I know having a ceremony in the U.S. was spoken about in the past, what happened to make it officially occur this year?
Yoon Shin Hye: Looking back on our 25-year MAMA heritage, MAMA has been held across Asia including Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Japan and evolved to become the world’s No. 1 K-Pop awards, which started as the “Mnet Asian Music Awards.” Over the course of our 25-year journey, MAMA Awards has realized the value of “MUSIC MAKES ONE” with the growth of K-pop, and has established our own unmatched system and know-hows through facing and overcoming countless challenges. This has paved the way to host MAMA Awards in the U.S.
How long did it take to confirm MAMA in LA?
Every year as we hold KCON LA, I could feel the strong passion of fans in the U.S. and thought 2024 would be the right time to take a first step in the U.S. with the growth of K-pop. In the planning phase, we came up with the concept of “BIG BLUR,” as it’s about blurred boundaries between time and space, online and offline, imaginary and reality, language and culture, I thought it would be fun to run the MAMA Awards in relays from U.S. to Japan, and this perfectly fits to this year’s story.
How did the Los Angeles lineup come together?
As MAMA Awards is taking a significant first step in the U.S., we thought it would be meaningful to have rookies. So, we made a lineup for the first MAMA Awards in the U.S. with rookie artists. Plus, we have J.Y. Park, who marks the 30th anniversary of his debut, and RIIZE, who have special memories in the U.S. The group debuted in LA, and this year marks the first year of their debut and they are set to show something about their debut stories at MAMA Awards.
What went into the collaborations between J.Y. Park and Anderson .Paak, and KATSEYES with the LA Rams Cheerleaders? Take us through the process.
We wanted to show and present collaborations that have never been seen anywhere else only at MAMA Awards, and what only MAMA can make it happen. This year marks the 30th anniversary of J.Y. Park’s debut — he’s a renowned K-pop producer and K-pop artist — and Anderson .Paak is a Grammy Award winner. Anderson .Paak also has a strong interest in K-pop and recently directed a film about K-pop titled K-Pops! and, as it happens, the two artists are of the same Miryang Park clan [a Korean clan originating from the southeastern city of Miryang in South Korea].
On top of that, we have another special collaboration between the global girl group KATSEYE and the Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders. We brought ideas about what we can only do in LA, what can be seen only at MAMA and to present performances with a diverse group of artists and become one through music at MAMA.
Actor Park Bo Gum will be the host for the U.S. date. How are you and he preparing?
Park Bo Gum has been with MAMA as a host since 2017 and he hosts the show with sincerity and delivers what MAMA wants to tell about its value and story. We’re confident that we can deliver our message and story well with our host, Park Bo Gum, at the MAMA Awards US. Park is also looking forward to hosting.
What challenges have you faced or do you anticipate facing to successfully hold the MAMA Awards in LA for the first time?
MAMA tries a new thing every year. We strive to present various stages with an unmatched scale and provide unique experiences to global fans. This year, the MAMA Awards will take place in the U.S. and Japan in relays and be broadcast live around the world. This reflects our commitment to bringing people together around the world. This year’s concept especially means opening and creating a new world of MAMA that transcends dimensions of time and space. We decided to host MAMA Awards in two different regions, starting in LA on the 21st and then moving over to Osaka for two days. Taking a first step is challenging, but at the same time, it’s meaningful. Given the time difference and distance, it wasn’t easy to arrange a meeting to prepare and discuss, but the whole process was meaningful and fun to work toward the same goal with artists and staff to create a great show.
The Dolby Theater in Hollywood is a very different venue than the Kyocera Dome. How do you create a seamless experience between a theater and a stadium?
LA Dolby Theatre is a symbolic place to many and home of the Oscars, where the Academy Awards is held every year; it’s like the heart of Hollywood. For the past few years, MAMA Awards has been held at a dome-style venue, and Dolby Theatre has its own mood as a venue and different characteristics. We are going to show something different from our previous MAMA stages and artists will take the stage in a different way at the distinctive venue.
With Los Angeles opening the MAMA Awards this year, can you share the ways you’ll establish the “Big Blur: What is Real?” theme? It’s very interesting but somewhat abstract.
MAMA has always wondered what kind of a new thing will be created when new technology meets art, and has visualized and created stages with that idea. MAMA’s concepts have been comprehensive ones, reflecting trends and environmental changes like the world shifting from analog to digital age, and globally being connected online in this digital era. At this year’s MAMA, we wanted to talk about chaos caused by rapid technological change in our time, which is happening faster than ever and how technological advancement and convergence across industries are affecting the music industry. We also reflected our willingness to create MAMA’s own “NEW THING” that crosses boundaries between imaginary and reality, time and space and online and offline. And we wanted to ask a question of “What is Real?” and make people think about what kind of music they really like.
Historically, MAMA has been a place for new TV projects or teasers to be announced, like Produce 48 or Boys Planet. Are there any surprises for audiences this time?
As we have been taking an uncharted path, MAMA will be full of ever-evolving performances. We are working hard to meet high expectations. MAMA is one “big live show,” and will have many surprising moments. Although watching performances in clips is becoming more common these days, I’m sure it will be much more fun to watch it live.
Madonna is thinking of readjusting how she presents her much-awaited upcoming biopic.
The Queen of Pop took to Instagram on Monday (Nov. 18) to share a series of recent selfies and photos, reflecting in the caption on the difficulties she’s been facing in telling the story of her life. “After struggling for days in LA , listening to producers and agents Tell me why I couldn’t make my film —I(been working on it for 4 years!!!),” she began. “Downsize-down scale -think smaller-they say—I realized that everything in my life is going to be challenged.”
Madonna continued that the experience as well as hanging out with “creative friends” has allowed her to “think outside the box,” noting, “I did not have a normal life. I cannot make this in the normal way.”
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She continued, “We cannot shrink and make ourselves smaller. If you want something badly enough in life— the whole universe will conspire to [help] you get it.”
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Ultimately, the “Material Girl” singer asked fans for their input, asking if she should make the “story of my life into a series or a feature film,” with much of the comment section agreeing that she should, in fact, make a multiple-part show. See her post here.
The film, initially announced in 2020, was set to delve into the life and career of the beloved musician, and Inventing Anna actress Julia Garner was rumored to have been offered the role of portraying the pop superstar. However, in 2023, the biopic was reportedly put on hold at Universal Pictures for Madonna to focus on her global Celebration Tour.
In July 2024, the biopic seemed to be back in the works. She took to Instagram to share a slideshow of photos in which she’s seen posing with a typewriter, writing a screenplay titled Who’s That Girl, in reference to her 1987 film and song of the same name. While the script is blurred, there are circles and notes indicating edits.
Ooh, bet you’re thinking, she’s so cool about Gracie Abrams, who just scored her first-ever top 10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with her runaway hit “That’s So True.”
As revealed Monday (Nov. 18), the 25-year-old singer-songwriter’s The Secret of Us deluxe track has reached a new peak at No. 6, a full seven spots up from its previous apex at No. 13 the week prior. Released Oct. 18 alongside three other bonus songs from her June sophomore LP, the jealousy-riddled post-breakup anthem first entered the chart at No. 44 on the Hot 100 dated Nov. 2.
Shortly after news of her top 10 debut went live, Abrams shared her gratitude on Instagram Stories. “First top ten on the Hot 100,” she wrote, typing out about 28 sobbing emojis and 18 red hearts. “THANK YOU FOR LISTENING”
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The Los Angeles native also showed her disbelief with a keyboard smash — “Agdgdhebfnsnchsjhfehdnmsydywgeyyeys” — and reposted cowriter Audrey Hobert’s reaction, “WHAT ON GODS GREEN.” “No like,” Abrams agreed.
In addition to No. 6 on the Hot 100, “That’s So True” also reaches No. 4 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart. Since it dropped, the track has blown past Abrams’ other Hot 100 high points with The Secret of Us‘ “Risk” and “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” which reached Nos. 94 and 19, respectively.
Before “That’s So True,” the pop songwriter’s biggest hit on the Hot 100 was “Us.,” a duet written and recorded with Taylor Swift for The Secret of Us. Bowing at No. 36 in July, the ballad recently nabbed Abrams her second-ever Grammy nomination (for best pop duo/group performance) and has become a staple of her setlists on The Secret of Us Tour and as an opener on the Eras Tour.
“This album has meant so much to me because it has supported me through a period of transitions,” Abrams told Billboard over the summer. “I’ve learned about how I like to spend my time, about what works for me or doesn’t in relationships, about how having friends is ultimately the priority for me. I don’t need to know who I want to wake up next to every day, but I know that I want to be there for every chapter of my friends’ lives.”
“I’m learning every five seconds,” she added at the time. “We’ll have to find out what it all turns into, but that’s me today.”
Gracie Abrams tops Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart for the first time, as “That’s So True” rules the Nov. 23-dated list. “That’s So True” lifts 4-1 in its fourth week on the chart (following its Oct. 18 release) with 23.5 million official U.S. streams earned in the week ending Nov. 14, a gain of 25%, according […]