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Kelly Clarkson started the Thursday (Jan. 19) episode of her talk show with a rendition of Chris de Burgh‘s “The Lady in Red.”
Backed by her house band Y’all, the singer belted the overly earnest love song, singing, “Never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight/ Never seen you shine so bright/ Never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance/ They’re looking for a little romance, given half a chance/ I have never seen that dress you’re wearing/ Or the highlights in your hair catch your eyes, I have been blind/ Lady in red/ Is dancing with me, cheek to cheek.”
Released as the second single from de Burgh’s 1986 album Into the Light, the ballad served as the British-Irish artist’s international breakthrough and hit No. 1 throughout the world, though it ultimately topped out at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of ’87.
After singing the track, Clarkson invited Bryan Cranston to the couch, where she promptly played a recently unearthed video dating service ad the Breaking Bad star filmed sometime in the 1980s. Then, Rita Wilson joined the pair to dish on the “sing for your supper” parties she throws with Tom Hanks for their celebrity pals.
Other Kellyoke numbers Clarkson has chosen to cover recently include Joji’s “Glimpse of Us” (with not one, but two pianos!), The Offspring’s “Come Out and Play (Keep ‘Em Separated),” Blink-182’s “All the Small Things” and Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World.”
Watch Clarkson power through “The Lady in Red” below.
Taylor Swift got a sweet shout-out from a Tennessee animal shelter this week in the form of four puppies named after some of her latest tunes.
“We recently received a generous donation from legendary singer-songwriter Taylor Swift,” the Williamson County Animal Center wrote in a touching Facebook post. “While all Swifties know Taylor loves cats, we hope she won’t mind that we named our newest adoptable puppies after her songs: ‘Carolina,’ ‘Bejeweled,’ ‘Midnight Rain’ and ‘Willow.’”
The Franklin-area center, based just outside Nashville, went on to share that two of the black-and-white, mixed breed pups — who all happen to be female —have already been adopted by local families, but that 3-month-old Carolina and Bejeweled were both still available as of Tuesday.
“We are very grateful for Taylor’s support of our shelter, which serves the pets of Williamson County through adoption, spay & neuter, enforcement, microchips, rabies clinics, and paw pantry,” WCAC concluded in its post.
Swift’s latest smash hit, “Anti-Hero,” just became her longest-running leader on the Billboard Hot 100 as it marked an eighth non-consecutive week at No. 1 on the chart dated Jan. 21.
Last week, the singer made a surprise appearance at The 1975’s tour stop at London’s O2 arena to perform “Anti-Hero” for the first time, and her live cover of the band’s “The City” caused its streaming numbers to spike. Next, she’s set to collaborate on a track, titled “The Alcott,” from The National’s upcoming album First Two Pages of Frankenstein.
Get a look at the adorable Swift-named pups below.
Jennifer Lopez opened up at the premiere of her new film Shotgun Wedding on Wednesday night (Jan. 18) about how she balances her personal and professional lives.
“How do I say this? I put my best foot forward as much as I can,” the superstar — who has two children of her own, as well as husband Ben Affleck’s three children from his marriage to Jennifer Garner — told People on the red carpet. “I’m not one to share my angst. I don’t feel like that’s my life as a performer. You always show the best of you. But I’m a human being like everybody else, and I suffer in silence at times.”
The “Luh You Papi” singer added that a commitment to getting vulnerable has played into the creation of her upcoming album, This Is Me … Now, sequel of sorts to 2002’s This Is Me… Then. “I have an album coming out,” she said. “And I’ve been thinking a lot about that — like, what parts of myself do I share with my audience? And what it means to be an artist and to be authentic. And I feel like there are some things that need to be said and shared because I think, like you just said, it’s like, ‘Oh, you have it all together.’
“But the truth is, I’m just like anybody else. I struggle at times, and I wonder at times and I doubt at times, and I’m insecure,” Lopez concluded.
She also teased that she has several other projects in the works beyond the music and her new rom-com, which streams on Amazon Prime starting Jan. 27. “Lots to come this year,” Lopez hinted. “Let’s just put it that way. A lot of sharing and artistic things that I think are going to be revelatory for people. And I’m happy to do that. I’m happy to share that.”
As for her blended family, she told Extra that things are going well. “We have five beautiful, beautiful children,” the star said. “We were just kind of thinking about what our lives have become and just feeling so blessed and grateful for where we wound up in our lives.”
Lopez and Affleck married in July 2022.
Gloria Gaynor is giving Miley Cyrus her flowers. Since its release less than a week ago, the former Disney Channel star’s brand new single “Flowers” has been drawing a lot of comparisons to the former’s iconic 1978 hit “I Will Survive” — and Gaynor approves.
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In a recent Instagram post, the 79-year-old disco icon shared her love for Cyrus’ new track, which dropped Friday (Jan. 13) and leads the way for the 30-year-old pop star’s eighth studio album Endless Summer Vacation to arrive March 10. “I’m in Nashville working on new music and just heard, “Flowers,” for the first time, @MileyCyrus …,” the Masked Singer alum wrote in a Jan. 17 Instagram post, sharing a snippet of the “Flowers” music video.
“Your new song carries the torch of empowerment and encourages everyone to find strength in themselves to persevere and thrive,” Gaynor continued. “Well done Miley!”
Fans were quick to note the similarities between “Flowers” and “I Will Survive,” and a mashup of the two songs have started circulating on Twitter in the past few days. Some think that Cyrus purposefully interpolated Gaynor’s self-love anthem at certain moments in the song, particularly during the choruses — a tribute that would make sense given “Flowers” is very similar in message to “I Will Survive.”
Some have also pointed out lyrical and melodic similarities between “Flowers” and Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man.”
The first few weeks of January have been a whirlwind so far for Cyrus’ fans, who first kicked off her new musical era during her New Years’ Eve special on NBC, which she hosted alongside her country music legend godmother, Dolly Parton. During the special, she announced “Flowers” and its release date, which sent fans into a tailspin upon realizing that it was on Cyrus’ ex husband Liam Hemsworth’s birthday. Five days later, she unveiled the release date and cover art for her forthcomign studio album, Endless Summer Vacation.
See Gloria Gaynor’s post about Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” below.
With less than 10 days until the release of TOMORROW X TOGETHER‘s forthcoming mini album, The Name Chapter: Temptation, more goodies hinting at the project’s contents continue to arrive. Thursday (Jan. 19) saw the K-pop group unveil the project’s tracklist, which includes a feature from rapper Coi Leray.
The tracklist was revealed in a poster shared to the K-pop group’s social accounts, and revealed the songwriting credits. The new tracks on the studio set include “Sugar Rush Ride” — the project’s lead single — “Devil by the Window,” “Happy Fools (feat. Coi Leray),” “Tinnitus (Wanna Be a Rock)” and “Farewell, Neverland.”
While MOA will need to wait a little while longer for the release of “Sugar Rush Ride,” the idols shared a snippet of the track via their TikTok account in videos of each member
The Name Chapter: Temptation and its lead single “Sugar Rush Ride” will arrive on Jan. 27, with an album preview to be released on Jan. 22. Two additional teasers for the project’s lead single will be shared on Jan. 24 and 25. Following the EP’s release, the K-pop group will perform a special showcase on Jan. 28.
The Name Chapter: Temptation will be the group’s first music release since the arrival of its fourth mini EP, minisode 2: Thursday’s Child. That project was a hit for the K-pop stars. It spent a total of 14 weeks on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, where it peaked at No. 4. Thursday’s Child achieved even more success on the Top Current Album Sales chart, where it spent 20 weeks on the tally and hit No. 1.
See TXT’s tracklist for The Name Chapter: Temptation, and get an early taste of “Sugar Rush Ride”:
BLACKPINK used social media on Wednesday (Jan. 18) to unveil the limited-edition vinyl of their sophomore album Born Pink.
The girl group announced the release on both Weverse and Instagram, revealing the baby pink vinyl will come with a plethora of extras, including a 72-page photo book, a BLACKPINK-branded vinyl protector grip, cork mat, double-sided poster, a set of six large photo cards, a random selfie photo card featuring one of the members, a photo sticker set of four and a pop-up card — all in a pink package box of the album’s artwork.
According to the post, the special vinyl is being released on Thursday (Jan. 19) and BLINKs couldn’t order it fast enough. “ITS NOT A WANT, ITS A NEED,” one wrote on Instagram in all caps, while another added, “All my money’s go-o-o-o-o-oneee~.” A third joked, “Blackpink fr knows how to make my pockets hurt.”
At the start of the year, reports surfaced that Jisoo’s long-awaited solo debut may finally be in the works, which would make her the fourth and final member of the group to branch out with her own music, following Jennie’s “SOLO” in 2018 and both Rosé’s single album -R- and Lisa’s self-titled Lalisa in 2021.
This spring, the idols will continue to make history by becoming the first Asian act to ever headline Coachella, along with Bad Bunny and Frank Ocean. The announcement came just four years after the foursome made their debut at the Indio, Calif.-based festival back in 2019, and less than a week after the music video for their early hit single “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” surpassed an astonishing two billion views on YouTube.
Check out BLACKPINK’s Born Pink vinyl announcement below.
Sadie Sink is used to acting alongside demogorgons and shadow monsters on Stranger Things, but it was working with Taylor Swift that she thought was “bizarre.” During her Wednesday (Jan. 18) appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, the 20-year-old star opened up about how she was scouted for the singer’s All Too Well short film, which Sink explained was one of the most unexpected roles she’s ever been offered.
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“I was a fan of hers before,” she recalled. “Her team reached out and I guess she had me in mind for this video. I said, ‘Yes, of course.’”
When asked by Meyers whether Swift’s invitation had been the “trippiest” offer she’s ever told friends and family about receiving, she immediately said it was. “You would never think that our paths would really cross, someone being in the music industry and then in the film industry,” she explained.
“It was like two different worlds,” she added. “It was kind of a bizarre mashup, but everyone was very excited.”
The Whale actress starred alongside Dylan O’Brien in Swift’s All Too Well: The Short Film, which was released on YouTube in November 2021, and marked the longest motion picture project the “Anti-Hero” singer had yet directed. The short went on to win video of the year at last year’s VMAs, and Swift has since signed a deal with Searchlight Pictures to write and direct her first feature-length film.
The 11-time Grammy winner explained how important it was to her to get Sink onboard the All Too Well project when she made her own appearance on Late Night in 2021. “The only two people I imagined playing the two characters, it was Sadie and Dylan,” she told Meyers.
“If Sadie had said no, I don’t think I would have made it, I don’t think I would have made the film,” she continued. “I think I would’ve just been like, this is a sign.”
Watch Sadie Sink talk about working with Taylor Swift on Late Night With Seth Meyers above.
The Kid Laroi is gearing up to release his debut studio album, The First Time, and to drum up anticipation, the “Stay” singer gave fans a taste of the LP with new single “I Can’t Go Back to the Way It Was (Intro)” on Thursday (Jan. 19).
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The track sees Laroi sharing intimate details about his life, such as his relationship with his mother and father, and the difficulties that life often holds. The 19-year-old also struggles to keep up with the fast pace of his existence, and feels bad for the bridges he’s burned in the process.
“I did things I that knew were wrong/ But time just keeps movin’ on/ And no matter which way I run/ I can’t go back to the way it was/ I broke bones and I shed some blood/ I talked to a few friеnds I love/ No matter which way I run/ I can’t go back to the way it was, no,” the Australian rapper spits over atmospheric instrumentals.
At the end of the song’s accompanying video, The Kid Laroi reveals that the next track will be “Love Again,” which arrives Friday, Jan. 27.
“I Can’t Go Back to the Way It Was (Intro)” arrives after the artist shared a teaser trailer for the album on Jan. 12. In the 30-second visual, Laroi’s voice is heard over a series of vintage-looking clips of everyday life, saying, “You never forget the first time: the first time you fall in love, the first time you get caught, the first time you feel shame, the first real kiss.”
The new single marks the first track that Laroi has released since April’s “Thousand Miles,” which charted at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to “Thousand Miles,” Laroi’s Justin Bieber collaboration “Stay” was a massive hit, and crowned the Hot 100 in August 2021.
Listen to “I Can’t Go Back to the Way It Was (Intro)” in the video above.
Take heart ARMY, Jin says things are going okay. The 30-year-old BTS singer recently became the first member of the septet to begin his mandatory stint in the South Korean army and this week he gave fans a positive update on how things are going so far alongside some photos in uniform.
In one image the singer shared on Weverse on Wednesday, Jin is seen standing at attention in the snow in his military camo, clunky brown boots and beret, hands firmly by his sides, as he stares forward with intent. In a close-up from the singer’s first message since enlisting, Jin flashed a peace sign and in a third look he wore a white face mask while looking directly into the lens.
In an accompanying message (translated from Korean) he wrote, “I’m having a good time. I’ll posting a photo with permission from the military. ARMY, always be happy and stay well.” The oldest member of BTS was the first one to enlist for the nation’s mandatory 18-month military service; able-bodied males from 18-35 are required to perform compulsory military stints, but at press time it had not yet been announced when Jin’s bandmates — Jung Kook, Suga, Jimin, RM, V and J-Hope — will begin their service.
According to CNN, Jin has completed his five weeks of basic training and after entering the Yeoncheon training center on Dec. 13, he’s since been selected to serve as an assistant instructor at the Yeoncheon army base in northern Gyeonggi province. In October, the group’s label, BIGHIT Music, said all seven members would serve in the military; last year the group announced that they would take a hiatus until 2025.
See a tweet with the Jin pics below.
Jennifer Lopez stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday night (Jan. 18) to plug her new rom-com, Shotgun Wedding. And while the movie starring Lopez and Josh Duhamel alongside Golden Globe winner Jennifer Coolidge, rocker Lenny Kravitz and Callie Hernandez looks very cute, let’s be honest, the real wedding Jimmy wanted to talk about was Bennifer’s take two.
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Kimmel congratulated the singer/actress/dancer on the six month anniversary of her Las Vegas wedding to actor Ben Affleck as JLo unfolded the tangled tale of how she and Affleck finally made it to the aisle after months of angst and agita. “We were planning to get married in August in Savannah [Georgia],” she said of the proper nuptials the couple were arranging for friends and family at the actor’s southern estate.
“And it was so stressful,” she said. “And a month before… and I don’t know if you guys know this, but 20 years ago we were supposed to get married and it all kind of fell apart back then and this time we, I absolutely had a little PTSD.” Though they were both happy that their decades-long love affair was finally going to be official, Lopez said the planning was so nerve-wracking that one day Affleck said, “‘f–k it, let’ just go to Vegas and get married tonight.’”
So, of course, they did… but only after Lopez finished her rehearsals that day and Affleck took care of all the details. “It was amazing, it was the best night of our lives,” she said of the Sin City wedding that featured two of their five shared children from previous marriages as witnesses and which found the A-listers waiting in line at the county clerk’s office with some normies just before midnight waiting their turn for the proper paperwork. Most importantly, after two decades, Lopez confirmed that not only was there a new wedding ring, but Affleck had to ask her to marry him all over again to make it official.
Kimmel also wondered if Lopez was okay with the celeb portmanteau Bennifer and JLo said she’s learned to embrace it after initially being meh on it. “Actually it wasn’t a bad thing even years ago but I think it became a thing where people made fun of it,” she said, noting that other couples were subject to the same treatment in the years after as blending celeb couple names became a thing.
Luckily for them, the famed Little White Wedding Chapel agreed to stay open late for them and even offered to have their Elvis impersonator officiant do the deed, which the couple politely declined. And even though Kimmel griped that he was not invited to any of the couple’s weddings, he still got them a very appropriate gift, a pair of sterling silver bride and groom Dunkin’ Donuts cups in keeping with Affleck’s love of the chain.
In addition to talking about the “Dear Ben Pt. 2” song on her upcoming This Is Me… Now album, the singer was also surprised when Kravitz dropped in unexpectedly (via a fake helicopter landing on the roof bit) to invite the entire studio audience to that night’s Shotgun Wedding premiere.
Watch Lopez on Kimmel below.
