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Source: Jeff Kravitz / Getty
This year’s NAACP Image Awards will be hosted by iconic artist Queen Latifah and will feature a sterling list of stars as presenters, including Zendaya and Kerry Washington.

The 54th edition of the NAACP Image Awards will take place this Saturday, Feb. 25 on BET. The multi-hyphenate entertainer Queen Latifah was named as host on-air during the live broadcast of CBS This Morning Tuesday (Feb. 21). Queen Latifah is the star of the hit CBS show The Equalizer, which has recently been renewed for a fourth season.

“It’s an honor to host the 54th NAACP Image Awards, especially in the year we are celebrating 50 years of Hip-Hop,” she said in a press release issued afterward. “This is a night to celebrate Black excellence and Black contribution to our industry and beyond. Celebrating one another, lifting each other up and you know we’ll have fun doing it!”
“Queen Latifah is one of our generation’s most influential and iconic voices. We are excited to collaborate with the groundbreaking megastar as she hosts the 54th NAACP Image Awards,” said Connie Orlando, the Executive Vice President of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET in the press release.
The list of presenters for the event features some of the best and brightest in the entertainment world in addition to NAACP President Derrick Johnson and NAACP Chairman Leon W. Russell. Those presenters include Zendaya, Tracee Ellis Ross, Damson Idris, Taye Diggs, Harold Perrineau, Kerry Washington and Cliff “Method Man” Smith among others.
“This year’s NAACP Image Awards will be an amazing celebration, highlighting the major accomplishments of political leaders, entertainers, activists, and other changemakers,”  said Mr. Johnson in the press release. “It will also be a night that shows how our community can come together and impact each other and the world in a positive way.”
The 2023 NAACP Image Awards will air on BET at 8 p.m. ET and will also be simultaneously broadcast on other Paramount networks including BET Her, CBS, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Paramount Network, Pop TV, Smithsonian, TV Land and VH1.

Photo: Jeff Kravitz / Getty
 

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Source: Robin L Marshall / Getty
Warner Bros. has brought the axe down once again, this time canceling daytime staples Judge Mathis and The People’s Court after over twenty years on television.

According to reports, both syndicated daytime television shows will be done for good at the end of this present season. For Judge Mathis, the show will end after 24 seasons, and The People’s Court will close out at the end of its 26th season. The People’s Court is the longest-running traditional court television show when all of its editions are included (the original series, helmed by Judge Joseph Warner ran from 1981 until 1993) at 39 seasons. It’s the second longest court show overall following behind Divorce Court.

Judge Greg Mathis, formerly of Michigan’s 36th District Court, became the longest-running Black male television host and the second-longest judge presiding over a courtroom television show in continuous production in history. Judith Sheindlin, star of Judge Judy, has the lead with 25 seasons. During that time, the show snagged a 2004 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding News, Talk or Information Series and earned a Daytime Emmy in 2018 for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program. Mathis also delved into reality television with Mathis Family Values, which made its debut last year on the E! Network. The show centered on his life in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Linda Reese, and his children and grandchildren.
The People’s Court has been presided over by former Miami Circuit Court Judge Marilyn Milian since 2001. She stands as the first Latina to ever host a nationally syndicated traditional courtroom show. Milian took over after Judge Jerry Sheindlin (husband of Judge Judy) was let go after he took over in 1999. Prior to that, former New York City mayor Ed Koch helmed the show in its return to television. TMZ head Harvey Levin has served as the show’s legal reporter, and Doug Llewellyn made his return to the show to interview litigants after a judgment has been made.
Sources close to the decision say that Warner Bros. moved to end both shows due to the shrinking landscape of syndicated daytime television programming. The decline in advertising dollars and station groups enlarging their local news broadcasts to save money are also factors in the decision. The news of the cancellations follows other major syndicated television programs taking a final bow, which include The Real, Maury, Dr. Oz, and Dr. Phil within the past year. 

Kya Monée’s 2023 American Idol audition, a heartfelt tribute to late contestant Willie Spence, made everyone in the room emotional on the show’s premiere Sunday night (Feb. 19).

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Spence, the Georgia singer who placed second on the 2021 season of American Idol, died in October 2022. He was only 23 years old.

“We grew a very, very close friendship … Losing Willie was just very, very hard for me,” Monée, a singer from Texas who performed a duet of Rihanna and Mikky Ekko’s “Stay” with Spence during Hollywood Week in 2021, said on Sunday’s Idol episode. “He passed in a tragic car accident and I’m still trying to cope with that.”

Through tears, she said, “Willie, he always told me, ‘No matter what, you’ll always be a singer.’ Three days before he passed, Willie was telling me, ‘You have to go back. You have to chase your dream. I’m gonna go with you to American Idol.’ He made me want to do it and I’d really love to make it further. But most of all, I wanna make Willie proud.”

“He was actually supposed to be here with me today for my audition,” Monée told judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. “It’s just very hard to not have that support anymore. But I know he would want me to be here … The song that I’m singing today is a song that we picked together. I’m singing ‘I’m Here’ from The Color Purple.”

Perry, Richie and Bryan were visibly moved by Monée’s performance of “I’m Here,” and agreed that the singer would be advancing on to the next round in the competition.

“That’s how you sing through crying,” Perry commented, leading the trio of judges in a standing ovation for Monée.

Richie wiped away his own tears, handed Monée a handkerchief and embraced her in a hug. “What you’ve given us was everything we’ve been trying to tell all of these kids,” he said. “That performance was so emotional, so heartfelt, so divinely guided in the glorious name of our dear brother Willie.”

“I’ve lost some people in my life. When you go to sing, you just sing like Willie’s still here,” Bryan noted.

“It was on another level. It was so connected to the pain, and everybody’s feeling this loss but we also feel connected together because you are authentic, just like he was,” Perry added.

Watch the moving performance from Monée below.

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Source: Starz / Starz
Michael Rainey Jr. is back as Tariq—the son of James St. Patrick in Season 3 of the hit Starz series Power Book II: Ghost.
The hit show returns to Starz with new episodes on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day.
Tariq is still running wild in the streets and getting deeper and deeper into the underworld. Working alongside Davis MacLean (Method Man) who has stepped out of the courtroom and into a bigger role in Tariq’s life. 

Now that Tasha and the rest of his family are in witness protection, Tariq is invoking his father’s behavior something that his grandmother, Estelle–played by Debbi Morgan expresses her concern in the trailer. “I’m not like my dad; I’m smarter than him,” Tariq replies as the camera pans to show Ghost’s grave marker.
Mary J. Blige is back as Monet and she has her sights on Tariq. Who now even has his own “Tommy” by his side, Brayden (Gianni Paolo), and they’re looking to make Wall Street-level money.
While Tariq has his threats on-screen, on social media Rainey and BMF star, Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory are engaged in friendly competition to see who sits on the throne of 50 Cent’s Starz universe—sparked by HipHopWired family site CassiusLife.com’s Michael Rainey Jr. cover story no less.

Looks like it’s gonna be a big season, catch up before March 17– Seasons 1 and 2 of Power Book II: Ghost are currently available to stream via Starz. 
Check out the trailer below. 
[embedded content]

Spoiler alert: This story contains information about contestants eliminated on Wednesday’s (Feb. 15) episode of The Masked Singer.
The ninth season of Fox’s The Masked Singer launched with formidable competition, with night one seeing the Mustang—an Academy of Country Music award-winning artist—galloping off into the sunset on the season’s premiere episode.

The evening featured Mustang showing off some serious vocal power on the Whitesnake classic “Here I Go Again,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987. It was an unexpected song choice from this sometimes traditional-leaning country vocalist. Guesses from judges ran the gamut, from P!nk to Suzanne Somers, with only one judge picking up on the hint of twang in Mustang’s voice — and even then, guessing (incorrectly) that Mustang might be Wynonna Judd.

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Guesses for Nancy Wilson and Joan Jett were also tossed into the mix, before it was revealed that hiding under the decadent red-and-black costume was “A Little Bit Stronger” singer Sara Evans.

Before her elimination, Evans spoke with Billboard about singing the Whitesnake classic, her reactions to the judges’ guesses and why she didn’t tell her family members she was competing on The Masked Singer.

What drew you to being part of The Masked Singer?

I thought it would be fun and something different to experience, and of course, being on television is good for anyone’s career. It’s also different from our normal routine of writing and touring, so any chance I get to do something different and exciting, it gives you a new energy.

Had you watched the show before?

I had watched maybe a handful of episodes. I didn’t realize everything that went into it and it’s just incredible and the secrecy is so fun. Some of my good friends, Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black, I saw their time on the show.

Did they give you any advice on the show?

They were just like, “The costume can be claustrophobic, just know that going into it and they’ll do what they can to help you feel comfortable.” But it was great because my costume was, aside from a big horse head, which was heavy, it was really just like leather pants and a leather top. It wasn’t too restrictive.

How did you decide on the Mustang as a costume choice?

Producers and people sometimes help with those decisions. They came to me with that idea and I loved it. It was great because I grew up on a farm and I grew up on a horse and adore horses. There couldn’t have been anything better.

You performed “Here I Go Again” from Whitesnake, and also did the battle round, performing Rihanna’s “Diamonds.” Those were perhaps unexpected choices for you.

I was going to be on a different episode, doing ABBA Night. But then someone had to drop out and the producers asked me if I would fill in for that person and take their songs to be on the first episode of The Masked Singer instead. So I already knew the Whitesnake song; of course, everyone knows it, but I got it at like 11:30 the night before we had to film it, at the last minute. Everyone was really appreciative, though, and I ended up having so much fun singing the Whitesnake song, especially.

The judges had some great guesses—P!nk and Joan Jett among them. Were you surprised by any of their guesses?

I was flattered. Everyone they guessed, I was like, “Oh, my god. I’m a fan of hers, and hers, and she’s a legend.” It was great. I felt like it was a huge compliment.

It sounded like you didn’t tell anyone in your family that you were going to be on the show.

Yeah, ’cause I wanted my kids to be surprised and I didn’t trust my mom not to tell people. [laughs] I’m going to tell my mom and siblings and everyone tonight, like around five or six o’clock and ask them to watch.

What is coming up for you, musically?

I’m gonna make a new album. I’m still writing songs for it, and we will go into the studio probably around April and start recording it. I haven’t had an album out since 2020, so that will be a big part of our year. We’re also on the road. We usually do about 80 shows a year and that starts next week, so we are just always busy working and on the road.

50 Cent and Fox Entertainment have agreed on a non-exclusive multi-project broadcast direct deal.

Announced Tuesday (Feb. 14) by Fox Entertainment’s president of scripted programming Michael Thorn, 50 Cent (born Curtis Jackson) will “develop scripted dramas, live-action comedies and animated series that would air on FOX. Any series created under the deal will be owned by FOX Entertainment and produced by its in-house unit, FOX Entertainment Studios, in collaboration with G-Unit Film & Television.”

“Whether it’s music, film, or television, Curtis always delivers premium entertainment that captivates millions of fans across the globe,” said Thorn in a press release. “He is the rare multi-hyphenate with a deft hand at storytelling, no matter the format or medium, and we’re looking forward to developing new and exciting series for FOX with him and his team.”

Adds 50: “I am excited to formalize a partnership with Michael Thorn and FOX that will allow G-Unit Film & Television to focus on putting multiple series on FOX, a perfect broadcast destination for G-Unit Film & Television content while our premium, streaming, scripted and non-scripted slates continue to grow in all directions.”

Last week, 50 graced Billboard’s digital cover issue that celebrated the 20th anniversary of Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and his formidable multi-media empire.

“My run was so uncomfortable that everyone would like to forget that it happened,” 50 ruminated about his fiery ’00s run. “That’s just the way it is with the artist community. I didn’t come in being friendly because I had to find a way into it — not find a way to be good enough to work in the community. The biggest compliment in the early stages was that artists felt like they’d made it when they got the deal. You had to earn the right to have the deal.”

You can read the story in full here.

When Rihanna took the field at the 2023 Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., the Philadelphia Eagles lead the Kansas City Chiefs with a score of 24-14. But tensions over the NFL showdown were wiped clean the moment the superstar descended from the ceiling, decked out in red and belting the boisterous bars of “B-tch Better Have My Money” as her platform dangled above the field (an interesting choice, given that Super Bowl halftime performers generally aren’t paid for their efforts).

As the first artist to ever perform the Apple Music-sponsored Super Bowl Halftime Show, Rih pulled out all the stops, bringing out damn near every hit song you could imagine in her catalog. The State Farm Stadium roared as she ran through everything from “Rude Boy” to “Umbrella” to “We Found Love” to “Only Girl (In the World)” to “Diamonds.” Not surprising, really — Rihanna has 14 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (as well as an imposing 32 top 10s on that chart), so there was plenty of classics for her to choose from when blessing the State Farm Stadium with her indelible music and fashion.

Admittedly, the Barbadian pop star had a tough act to follow: The 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show – featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, as well as appearances from 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak – became the first halftime show to win the Emmy for outstanding variety special (live). But based on immediate reactions on social media, it seems like this is what people came for when they tuned into a Rihanna halftime show.

Amazon Studios revealed Friday (Feb. 10) that Donald Glover‘s forthcoming TV series Swarm will premiere via Prime Video on March 17.

Swarm follows a young woman named Dre (played by Dominique Fishback) who is obsessed with a fictional pop star, who is reportedly similar to Beyoncé, according to Vanity Fair, and will dig deeper into her unhealthy obsession. And that similarity is evident in the show’s incredibly eerie teaser trailer, which has the pestering, buzzing sound of a bee and Twitter’s chirping sound underscoring the main question repeated throughout the clip: “Who is your favorite artist?”

Fishback, who’s also the show’s producer, stars alongside Damson Idris and Chlöe Bailey, who’s signed to Bey’s label Parkwood Entertainment alongside her sister and Chloe x Halle counterpart Halle Bailey.

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Swarm is also set as the opening-night TV premiere at the SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin, Texas, on March 10.

Glover worked on the series with Janine Nabers, who was a writer and producer on his Emmy-winning FX series Atlanta and is Swarm‘s showrunner. The multihyphenate star directed the pilot episode, while his brother Stephen Glover, Fam Udeorji, Steven Prinz and Michael Schaefer serve as executive producers. Malia Obama, daughter of President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, is also involved in Swarm in the writer’s room. Swarm comes from Amazon Studios and Gilga.

See the official teaser trailer for Swarm above.

Diddy doesn’t do jingles, but he sure knows how to make a hit song.
That’s why Uber One tapped the hip-hop/R&B chart-topper for its 2023 Super Bowl commercial, in which Diddy tries to help the food delivery membership service come up with a song sure to convert customers, with a little assistance from his musician friends.

A trio of executives with Uber One assures the producer that jingles are out of the question. “We’re talking about a hit song,” one of them says. “You want a hit?” Diddy replies, before “This Is How We Do It” singer Montell Jordan appears in the booth, singing a new Uber-fied version of his 1995 seven-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit.

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“Uber One can save you/ On rides and eats/ Yeah it’s kinda sweet,” he sings, before the next artist, Donna Lewis, takes her turn in the studio. “Uber One saves you forever/ Rides and eats, save on whatever,” she peacefully sings into the mic to the tune of her 1996 Hot 100 No. 2 track, “I Love You Always Forever.” Diddy approves, happily exclaiming, “OK, Donna!”

Kelis is the next artist to step into the studio, though she seems unimpressed that Diddy is getting a shape-up to his beard as she provides new lyrics to her 2003 Hot 100 top five hit “Milkshake.” “Your milkshakes cost way less than before/ This membership is better than yours,” she sings, before Diddy asks his barber if he’s a fan of milkshakes.

It isn’t until “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)” singers Ylvis cause chaos in the booth that Diddy brings in the big guns to the studio: “What Is Love” singer Haddaway, who breathes new life into his signature song for Uber One. “Uber One/ Uber One saves me, saves me/ Way more,” he croons, much to Diddy’s delight — but sadly, not the Uber One executives.

Watch Diddy’s Super Bowl commercial for Uber One in the video above.

For the third consecutive year, Trevor Noah (a recent Billboard cover star) hosted the Grammy Awards – but for the first time, Noah is hosting an awards show after wrapping his seven-year run as head honcho on The Daily Show. (Since his final show on Dec. 8, 2022, various celebrity hosts have taken turns in the main chair.)

The South Africa-bred comedian tipped to leaving the Comedy Central institution in his opening monologue at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday (Feb. 5) night. “I was so inspired by the lyrics of ‘Break My Soul’ I actually quit my job,” Noah said, referencing Beyoncé’s Hot 100 No. 1 with the lyric, “I just fell in love / And I just quit my job.” He added, “I just wish Beyonce had also written a song about the importance of having savings before you quit your job.”

He also jested about one of Beyoncé’s fellow album of the year nominees, Harry Styles. “Women throw their panties at him – and he looks better in them than they do,” Noah said, next to a sheepishly laughing Styles. “Easily the world’s sexiest man – the sex symbol of the globe, especially now that they killed off the green M&M.”

When he walked by Taylor Swift (a three-time album of the year champ), Noah switched into Groucho Marx mode for a delightfully silly malapropism: “I love your song ‘Anti-Hero’ – my auntie is also a hero.”

He even gave Adele – a woman who seemingly has everything she could want – a clutch assist. After explaining that he’d read that Adele always wanted to meet Dwayne Johnson, he quipped, “I don’t have a Dwayne Johnson, but I do have someone here named The Rock.” With that, Johnson came out for a quick on-camera meet with the British Grammy favorite, both chuckling awkwardly, as befitting a first-time meeting in front of a live TV audience.

As for the Crypto.com Arena’s um, memorable name, Noah offered this bon mot: “The only arena with escape plans for the Bahamas.”