TV/Film

22 May 2024

Miranda Lambert, Mickey Guyton & Kristin Chenoweth to Appear on NHL ‘Stanley Pup’ Rescue Dog Competition

Animal lovers Miranda Lambert, Mickey Guyton and actor-vocalist Kristin Chenoweth will be in on the four-legged fun when they each make special appearances for the first Stanley Pup program, a one-hour special launched by the National Hockey League (NHL) and nonprofit organization Petco Love. The special will celebrate the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs by holding a friendly competition featuring adoptable rescue dogs.

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Each of the National Hockey League’s 32 teams will be represented by a four-legged friend, with 16 dogs representing teams that qualified for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs facing off in a friendly competition to showcase their canine skills.

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In addition to appearances from Lambert, Guyton and Chenoweth, the program will feature commentary by Akbar Gbajabiamila (American Ninja Warrior and The Talk) and Mark Shunock (Top Rank Boxing) with Alexa Landestoy (NHL Network) reporting rinkside.

The Stanley Pup will broadcast in the United States on the NHL Network and on ESPN+ on Friday, June 7, at 8 p.m. ET and on Sportsnet for fans in Canada on Saturday, June 8, at 6:30 p.m. ET. (Airdates and times are subject to change based on the schedule for the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.)

Producer and animal advocate Michael Levitt, who has worked on rescue-themed projects including American Rescue Dog Show and All-Star Dog Rescue Celebration, will produce the show alongside NHL Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer and NHL Vice President of production and creative development Matt Nicholson for NHL Productions, while Aimee Brillhart and Mark Shunock will executive produce. National nonprofit Petco Love will provide dogs for the competition through their shelter partners around the country.

“At the NHL, we love supporting great causes and the opportunity to produce a program that finds homes for rescue dogs is so fulfilling,” Mayer said in a statement. “The show promises to be great fun and we can’t wait for our participating puppies Nathan McKibble, Joe Pawvelski, Alexander O-fetch-kin and many more to hit our Stanley Pup rink.”

“I’m so proud to launch this canine sporting spectacular with the NHL, and so grateful for their passion in supporting adoption. The show is sure to be the biggest night of the year for dog-loving hockey fans,” Levitt added. “The cuteness overload is going to be off the charts! I can’t wait to show viewers how special rescue dogs are and how profoundly they enhance our lives when we welcome them into our families.”

The canine talent in the game showcases the variety of dogs available for adoption around the country. “We are honored that the NHL will spotlight these all-star pups,” Petco Love President Susanne Kogut added. “Everyone can be a champion in the life of a pet. When you adopt a pet from your local shelter, everyone wins!”

Lambert is well-known for her love and advocacy for animals through her work launching the MuttNation Foundation, which she and her mother, Bev, launched in 2009. The donation-supported 501c(3) nonprofit organization has raised nearly $10 million to support its mission to promote the adoption of shelter pets. Lambert also launched the MuttNation Fueled by Miranda Lambert pet line of toys and supplies, which is available exclusively at Tractor Supply Company and benefits the foundation. Chenoweth has also been an official spokesperson with the organization Remember Me Thursday, which advocates for pet adoption.

22 May 2024

Watch Jelly Roll Debut Vulnerable New Song ‘I Am Not OK’ on ‘The Voice’ Finale

Jelly Roll delivered a powerful message on the season finale of The Voice Tuesday (May 21), debuting a vulnerable new song titled “I Am Not OK” from his upcoming album. 

Shrouded in fog, the country star took center stage to give the unreleased ballad its world premiere on the singing competition series’ final episode of season 25, which also saw performances from Lainey Wilson, Kate Hudson, The Black Keys, Muni Long, Thomas Rhett and more. 

“I am not OK, I’m barely getting by/ I’m losing track of days, I’m losing sleep at night,” he sang over gentle acoustic guitars, an occasional raspiness accenting his voice. “I know I can’t be the only one who’s holding on for dear life/ But I know God knows, when it’s all said and done/ I am not OK, but it’s all gonna be alright.” 

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The new song is set to appear on Jelly’s upcoming album, which will follow 2023’s Whitsitt Chapel. Featuring the hit single “Need a Favor” and Wilson collaboration “Save Me,” the 13-track LP reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 last year. 

The Voice season finale also saw contestant Asher HaVon taking the crown Tuesday night, securing a win for Reba McEntire’s team. The latest installment of the hit singing competition series also featured Chance the Rapper, Dan + Shay and John Legend as coaches. 

Though a new era is imminent for Jelly, the “Son of a Sinner” singer is still fresh off a successful awards season thanks to Whitsitt Chapel. Most recently, he and Wilson won music event of the year at the 2024 ACM Awards, where he also premiered another unreleased song called “Liar.” 

Watch Jelly’s performance on The Voice finale above.

21 May 2024

‘The Voice’ Crowns Season 25 Champion

Asher HaVon is the champion of The Voice 2024.

The Selma, Alabama native emerges at the very top of his class in this 25th season of NBC’s singing contest, winning Tuesday night’s (May 21) all-star finale.

Team Reba’s singer impressed through the season with his powerful, honey-laced vocals, flair and big-game instincts.

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Along the way, he delivered a commanding performance of Sia and David Guetta’s “Titanium” during the Playoffs, which had Shay Mooney of Dan+ Shay enthuse, “this felt like a Grammy moment for you, man.”

John Legend likened that effort to a religious experience. “There are certain things about you that remind me of Whitney Houston. She would take these songs that weren’t written for a soul singer and have that restraint and regal presence on the sound but also throw in a dope run that you would hear in church,” Legend said. “In church, we save a descriptor for certain vessels, we say they’re anointed. I just felt that anointing on you. That was divine.” Legend will be smarting right now; he’s the only coach who didn’t turn during HaVon’s Blind Audition.

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HaVon’s resume includes a spot singing for Barack Obama during one of the former POTUS’ hometown’s Civil Rights commemorations, and now the spoils for The Voice 2024.

21 May 2024

Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, Oscar-Winning ‘Finding Neverland’ Composer, Dies at 71

Polish composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, who won a 2005 Oscar for the musical score of Finding Neverland, died on Tuesday (May 21). He was 71.

Kaczmarek’s death was announced by Poland’s Music Foundation, which had been informed of his passing by the composer’s wife. Kaczmarek had suffered from MSA, a rare degenerative neurological disorder.

He composed music for movies made in Europe and Hollywood, like 1995’s Total Eclipse with Leonardo DiCaprio and 2002’s Unfaithful starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane.

Global fame came when he won the Oscar for best original score with the biographical fantasy Finding Neverland, inspired by the life of author J.M. Barrie, starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.

Born in Poland in 1953, Kaczmarek wanted to be a diplomat and studied law, but a brief association with the avant-garde theater of Jerzy Grotowski set him on the musical career.

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In 1989, he settled in Los Angeles, but toward the end of his life lived in Krakow in southern Poland.

He is survived by his second wife, Aleksandra Twardowska-Kaczmarek, and five children.

21 May 2024

Tyler Hubbard, Riley Green, Flo Rida, Maverick City Music Lead Fox & Friends Summer Concert Series

Tyler Hubbard, Flo Rida, The War And Treaty, Brandon Lake and Maverick City Music are among those slated for the upcoming Fox & Friends All-American Summer Concert Series, which launches May 24 with a performance from Flo Rida.

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The 16th annual installment of the series, which is presented by Lowe’s, will take place each Friday through Aug. 30, with artists giving a free performance on the plaza outside the Fox News Channel’s New York City headquarters. The performance will also stream live on Fox Nation.

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This year’s series will also include performances by The Beach Boys with actor/musician John Stamos, as well as performances from Riley Green, Donny Osmond, Warren Zeiders, and Justin Moore and Randy Houser.

Flo Rida has earned three Billboard Hot 100 hits to date. Hubbard recently released his latest album Strong, and earned his latest Country Airplay chart-topper with “Back Then, Right Now.” The War And Treaty were double nominees at the Grammys earlier this year, when they competed for best new artist and best American roots song (“Blank Page”). Last month, Green released the EP Way Out Here. Lake has earned four No. 1 hits on the Hot Christian Songs chart, while Maverick City Music has earned five No. 1s on the Hot Gospel Songs chart.

See the full artist lineup below:

  • May 24: Flo Rida
  • May 31: The Beach Boys With John Stamos
  • June 7: Brandon Lake
  • June 14: Riley Green
  • June 21: TBA
  • June 28: Tyler Hubbard
  • July 5: Chris Janson
  • July 12: Donny Osmond
  • July 26: TBA
  • Aug. 2: Maverick City Music
  • Aug. 9: TBA
  • Aug. 16: Warren Zeiders
  • Aug. 23: The War And Treaty
  • Aug. 30: Justin Moore & Randy Houser

21 May 2024

August Moon, Fictional Boy Band in Anne Hathaway Film ‘The Idea of You,’ Debuts on Billboard’s Charts

August Moon is a global sensation in the new Prime Video rom-com The Idea of You. And now, the group is officially a Billboard-charting act.

The film centers around Solène Marchand, played by Anne Hathaway, a 40-year-old single mother who has a meet-cute at Coachella with Hayes Campbell, a member of the boy band August Moon portrayed by Nicholas Galitzine. Despite their 16-year age difference, the two begin a whirlwind romance.

The soundtrack to the film is billed to August Moon. As such, and despite being a fictional act, the group scored its first Billboard entry on charts dated May 18 when the soundtrack debuted at No. 7 on Heatseekers Albums, as well as No. 11 on the Soundtracks chart, with 5,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. May 3-9, according to Luminate. On charts dated May 25, the set places at Nos. 10 and No. 18 on the rankings, respectively.

The soundtrack also sparked the group to a No. 35 arrival on the May 18 Emerging Artists chart. The 11-track album includes seven original recordings, plus acoustic versions and remixes. Its breakout song, “Dance Before We Walk,” has raked in 2.6 million on-demand official U.S. streams through May 16.

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Along with Galitzine as Campbell, August Moon is comprised of Dakota Adan as Rory, Jaiden Anthony as Adrian, Raymond Cham as Oliver and Vik White as Simon.

The Idea of You is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Robinne Lee, and the story is based on Harry Styles-inspired fan fiction. It was released on Amazon Prime Video May 2.

21 May 2024

Tems Performs Silky ‘Born in the Wild’ & ‘Love Me JeJe’ Medley on ‘The Tonight Show’

Tems is set to make 2024 her most dominant year in music yet. The Nigerian singer-songwriter pulled up to The Tonight Show on Monday (May 20), where she performed a two-track medley as the musical guest for the night.

Wearing a glossy vanilla-white bodysuit hugging her curves, Tems shined bright in front of the amber sunset backdrop alongside her live band and supporting vocalists in black sports jackets and matching suit pants.

The 28-year-old performed the luscious “Born in the Wild,” which is the as yet unreleased title track to her heavily anticipated debut album slated to arrive on June 7 via Since ’93/RCA Records.

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“Under the sun, struggling to find my focus/ When I was young, younger than my mind, I was always running away,” she sings on the slow-paced track.

With the sunset backdrop taking on more of a violet color, Tems turns the temperature up a few notches for the groovy “Love Me JeJe.” The track serves as a reimagining of Seyi Sodimu’s 1997 hit by the same name.

Earlier in May, Tems made it official that her Born in the Wild debut would be landing in June. “This is my most special moment. Everything I have I put into this. Thank you all so much for believing in me,” she wrote on Instagram.

Shortly after the project arrives, Tems will be hitting the road for the Born in the Wild World Tour with support from OVO singer Naomi Sharon and Lekan. The 31-date trek kicks off in London on June 12 and runs through Europe, North America, Africa and Asia before finishing up in Australia with three November shows in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.

Watch Tems’ performance on The Tonight Show below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y4F2Ui7WX1E&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

21 May 2024

Cam’ron’s CNN Interview Goes Off the Rails When Asked About Diddy: ‘Who Booked Me for This?’

Cam’ron can turn any interview into a viral moment — just ask Bill O’Reilly. The Dipset rapper appeared on CNN on Monday night (May 20), but claimed he didn’t know he was being booked to talk about Sean “Diddy” Combs and the assault allegations made against him.

The interview quickly went left when host Abby Phillip asked Cam about recognizing Diddy in the video of the “I’ll Be Missing You” artist physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 that CNN obtained last week.

“I don’t know him like that. What do you mean did I recognize him? I seen him,” Cam said. “What do you mean my experiences? I seen him and I thought it was disgusting, I didn’t do a zoom in to see if it was really him or nothing, but he admitted it was him so yeah, it was him.”

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Phillip’s facial expression seemingly gave away she knew the interview was headed down a disastrous path, but she continued to attempt to get Cam’ron’s thoughts on Diddy’s apology video, in which Combs called his actions “inexcusable.”

“The apology ain’t for me, it’s for Cassie,” Cam replied. “He ain’t do nothing for me. What I think about it don’t matter. You need to ask Cassie if she accepts the apology. I said what I said.”

While CNN replayed a heartfelt clip from It Is What It Is about Cam’ron asking Ma$e why he had him sign with The Notorious B.I.G. instead of Diddy, Cam took the chance to promote his Pink Horse Power libido supplement.

He slugged back a cup of the intimacy juice. “Sorry, I’m going to get some cheeks after this Horse Power joint,” Cam said, admitting he was headed to see a woman after the interview.

After one final attempt to pry information and give Cam a chance to speak on Diddy, the “Oh Boy” rapper snapped and asked who booked him to appear on CNN before wrapping up the three-minute segment.

“Who’s the talent agent for this joint? You think I be sitting around watching what Diddy do? I didn’t know this was a Diddy joint that y’all invited me to,” he fired back. “Who booked me for this joint?”

Cam’ron addressed the viral interview on Tuesday’s episode of It Is What It Is and explained he wasn’t appreciative of how CNN didn’t ask him about any of the positive things he’s doing in the community and insisted to harp on the allegations of abuse made against Diddy.

“I just felt you tried to use me, pause,” he said. “I don’t know why they ain’t watch 60 Minutes. They ain’t watch Bill O’Reilly? That’s what I do on them joints… You call me on CNN for the bulls–t, I’ma give you the bulls–t.”

Billboard has reached out to CNN for comment.

Watch Cam’ron’s CNN appearance and his response on It Is What It Is below.

20 May 2024

Sabrina Carpenter Says She’s ‘So Not Chill’ About Making Her ‘Saturday Night Live’ Debut

Sabrina Carpenter is amped up after making her Saturday Night Live debut, and it’s not just because of all that “me espresso” she’s been drinking.

Following her first-ever performance on the show Saturday (May 18), the 25-year-old singer shared her excitement the next day on Instagram. “literally working late cuz I’m a singer,” she joked, captioning a clip of her performing her hit single “Espresso” on the SNL stage the night prior.

Carpenter added, “@nbcsnl thank you for having us I’m sooooo not chill about it and never will be.”

In addition to “Espresso” — which recently peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the rising pop star’s first-ever top 10 hit — Carpenter sang a medley of two of her Emails I Can’t Send standouts, “Feather” and “Nonsense.” For the latter, the Work It actress improvised one of her famous NSFW outros, singing, “He is 30 Rock-hard ’cause I said ‘hi’/ My sense of humor is but I am not dry/ SNL I just came for the first time.”

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She also appeared as Daphne alongside the night’s host, Jake Gyllenhaal, in a Scooby Doo-themed skit during the episode. In spite of what some fans predicted, the installment featured no allusions to the two stars’ mutual connection, Taylor Swift, who befriended Carpenter on the Latin America, Asia and Australian legs of her Eras Tour more than a decade after dating the Brokeback Mountain actor.

The May 18 show marked SNL‘s season 49 finale, meaning the series won’t resume until the fall. A week prior, Vampire Weekend performed on the Maya Rudolph-hosted episode, before which Dua Lipa did double duty as musical guest and host.

See Carpenter’s post below.

20 May 2024

National Streaming Day Deal: DirecTV Stream Is $49.99 a Month for a Limited Time

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DirecTV is slashing prices in celebration of National Streaming Day. Starting on Monday (May 20), new subscribers can join DirecTV Stream for just $49.99/month for the first three months – its biggest discount ever.

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The flash deal applies to DirecTV’s Entertainment package, regularly $79.99 per month after a free trial for five days. DirecTV’s most popular streaming plan includes 90+ channels such as ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, CNN, Fox, Bravo, Lifetime, Nickelodeon, TLC, Hallmark Channel, HGTV, HLN, ID Network, IFC, Paramount Network, Syfy, TBS, TNT, E!, BET, MTV, VH1, OWN, WEtv, FX, AMC, Food Network, C-Span, NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox.

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Additionally, new customers can save $30 per month for three months, on any of the streaming packages offered by DirecTV — but there’s one catch: DirecTV’s limited offer ends on Tuesday, May 21.

“There’s no better way for DirecTV Stream to celebrate National Streaming Day than to reward streamers from coast to coast with the lowest ever price for DirecTV Stream,” Vikash Sharma, General Manager, DirecTV Stream said in news release. “We celebrate streamers everywhere and make it our mission to bring them the best of live sports, local news, and thousands of movies and TV shows on DirecTV Stream.”

If you’re a sports fan, DirecTV allows you to stream the WNBA, NBA Playoffs, Stanley Cup Playoffs and other games and major sporting events.

DirecTV is a solid choice for live television, especially when you consider everything the streamers offers and the convenience of watching live TV without cable cords.

DirecTV Stream offers a handful streaming plans, the most affordable being the Entertainment package featuring over 90 channels. The Choice plan is on sale for $69.99 (reg. 108.99) comes with 125+ channels including sports channels like ACC Network, Big Ten Network, MLB Network, NBA TV, SEC Network and regional sports networks. DirecTV’s also has an Óptimo Más streaming plan for Spanish-speakers and it’s on sale for $49.99 (regularly $79.99).

The Ultimate plan, currently $89.99 (regularly $119) adds even more sports and entertainment to the plate offering over 160 channels including NHL Network, CBS Network, Starz, Discovery Family, FX Movie Channel and Encore.

DirecTV’s Premier plan, discounted to $134.99 (regularly $164.99), features 185+ channels and it comes with everything in the cheaper streaming plans, in addition to Max, Paramount with Showtime, Starz and Cinemax.