State Champ Radio TV/Film
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Afrobeats superstar Tiwa Savage is set to make her acting debut in Water & Garri, which was announced Thursday (April 4). The new film will premiere on Prime Video on May 10. Directed by Meji Alabi, Water & Garri tells the story of Aisha (played by Savage), an ambitious fashion designer who has spent the […]
Days after dropping their minisode 3: TOMORROW EP, TOMORROW X TOGETHER performed the project’s lead single “Deja Vu” on The Kelly Clarkson Show. The K-pop boy band — made up of Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai — brought a cinematic performance to the daytime show on Wednesday (April 3), marking the first U.S. TV […]
Spoiler alert: This story contains the identity of the contestant eliminated on Wednesday night’s (April 3) episode of The Masked Singer.
The Lizard’s lifespan has been cut short after getting eliminated from The Masked Singer on the competition show’s “Shower Anthems” episode Wednesday night (April 3).
From the beginning of season 11, which kicked off last month, judges Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Rita Ora accurately guessed the smooth-singing Lacertilia’s real name a few times — with Ora in particular revealing she was quite excited at the possibility of the early 2000s R&B icon being the one under the mask. When host Nick Cannon finally removed his scaly green head, Lizard’s true identity was revealed to be someone who embodies a much larger (and fire-breathing) reptile: Sisqó, the “Thong Song” singer who’s embraced the nickname “The Dragon” ever since his solo albums Unleash the Dragon and Return of the Dragon charted in the Billboard 200 top 10 in 1999 and 2001, respectively.
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Though the Dru Hill alum’s energy was high and his riffs plentiful up until the end of his time on the anonymous contest, he admittedly only made it as far as he did by the skin of his two layers of teeth. He wound up in the bottom twice in a row leading up to his final episode, delivering smackdown performances of Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out” and the Scooby Doo cartoon theme song before he was sent home.
His one regret? Not being able to compare heights with Kevin Hart, who appeared in the Masked season premiere to play a prank on Cannon. “Both of us are short,” Sisqó tells Billboard in a post-elimination interview, laughing. “We was sitting down, so we never got a chance to see who’s taller … I think I got maybe an inch [over him].”
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“Being with The Masked Singer was just an awesome experience,” he adds. “I learned a lot, and I’ve been in the entertainment industry now for about 25 years. You kinda get stuck in your ways and you don’t think you can learn anything else, and I was wrong.”
Below, Billboard catches up with Sisqó about making heads or tails of his physically challenging costume, not knowing the words to Billy Joel’s songs and more.
Where did the idea for a lizard costume come from?
They figured, if I was “The Dragon,” people probably would’ve guessed automatically – even though I think they did guess automatically. I’ve been to Robin’s house before, and Robin and Rita Ora, they’re musicians. They knew my voice immediately.
From what I understood, because my wife is Elizabeth — Liz, Lizard. Also, Busta Rhymes, he was a dragon before.
What was it like to perform in the costume?
When I first put that mask on, man, I think I almost hyperventilated a little bit. The wardrobe people had to put a mini-fan up to the mouth of the costume, just so I could get oxygen in there. Meanwhile, I’m in there pouring sweat, it’s difficult to breathe, I can’t really see.
Whenever we could [rehearse] in the costume, I wanted to so that I could figure out how I could be as mobile as possible. It had this giant tail, so when somebody would call me, “Lizard!” [Mimes whipping around his tail]. BAM, I’d take out the whole craft services.
How did you push through the physical constraints of the costume?
It was a real sink or swim moment. I didn’t want to be the one who gave up at the last minute. I just had to basically face my fear in that moment.
Each show I got a little better. It almost seemed like the lizard was alive, bruh. He had a whole persona of his own, and figuring out how to merge the lizard and The Dragon was the true challenge.
Some of the judges correctly guessed your identity from the very beginning. How’d you react to that?
From day one! I was a little flattered, but at the same time, it was like, “Aw, man, I don’t think I’m going to be able to win this because they already know who I am.”
You were in the bottom two three weeks in a row. What were those smackdown battles like?
I knew not even one word of Billy Joel’s “Moving Out.” I didn’t know the melody, I didn’t know the words to the song. After that, the words were going, I couldn’t see the prompter, so I just threw caution to the wind and started riffing, singing along without singing actual words. That was the nail in the coffin, ‘cause they knew exactly who I was then.
I’m not used to losing things. I was so arrogant. [Laughs.] I heard everybody else sing in rehearsal. I was under the impression that this was only a singing contest, so I was like, ‘Well if it’s a singing contest, I’m about to sing these people under the …”
What were your favorite clues Masked Singer used to hint at your identity in the teaser videos?
What I really enjoyed was how they put things together from my life. Like, when they were talking about my son, I was like, putting an egg to bed and kissing it goodnight. Then there was a female lizard, who I guess was supposed to represent my wife.
They said something about Billboard … but they made it seem like it was an actual billboard instead of the Billboard charts. That was funny, because I hosted the Billboard Awards, I believe it was 2001.
Did you tell your family you were going on the show?
My family are big fans of the show. Ken Jeong, it seems once a season, he asks [a contestant] if they’re me.
Because my family is so tight-knit, they knew I was doing a TV show. But I didn’t tell anybody that I was the Lizard. These kids are smart. After a while they just started going through the DVR and picking shows and asking, “Is this the show?”
[I told them] look, I’m not gonna say anything. What I will say is if you see me and Mommy sitting together watching TV, then just come in there and watch it with us.
What’s next for you?
Be looking out for new music from The Dragon. It’s actually part two in a three-part series I’m doing. The first album is called Genesis. The second one that I’m working on right now is called Exodus and the next one will be Revelations. Look out for a snippet really soon.
It was a family outing at Nicole Richie‘s Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday night (April 2), as the actress and fashion designer was joined by her husband Joel Madden, as well as the couple’s two children on the red carpet. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news […]
Kristen Wiig is making her grand return to host Saturday Night Live this weekend (April 6) for the milestone fifth time, and in a new promo released on Wednesday (April 3), the former cast member visits her former dressing room. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I’m […]
Let’s show some respect for Clock, who busted out her best moves during Wednesday night’s (April 3) episode of The Masked Singer. In a clip shared exclusively with Billboard, Clock belted out a soulful rendition of Aretha Franklin’s 1967 classic, “Respect,” for the series’ first-ever Shower Anthems Night. In the video, Clock begins twerking onstage, […]
We’ve seen a couple of images to date of Lady Gaga‘s turn as Harley Quinn in the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux sequel. But now thanks to a TikTok video posted on Tuesday (April 2) we can finally hear what the Joker’s foil sounds like.
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In a pic post entitled “The world is a stage” — a tease for the first official trailer due out on April 9 — you hear Gaga’s Quinn whisper, “You’re Joker… you can do anything you want,” over trilling, ominous piano as the screen flashes images of Phoenix’s terrifying clown getting a shave, standing in a rainstorm, locked in a prison and dancing with Quinn.
Gaga will suit up as Quinn in the sequel to director Todd Phillips’ billion-dollar 2019’s global hit Joker, which is due out on October 4. Variety recently reported that the eagerly anticipated film leans heavily towards being “mostly a jukebox musical” that integrates at least 15 reinterpretations of “very well-known songs” and could contain one or two original soundtrack songs as well.
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Among the unnamed classics that are said to appear in the film are the 1953 song “That’s Entertainment,” a showstopper tune often associated with Judy Garland. And though music will reportedly play a major part in the film, Variety noted that Joker 2 is expected to “break the mold of traditional musicals.” No plot details have leaked yet about the movie, but it has been described as a drama with elements that take place around the notorious Arkham Asylum.
EW also noted that while previous Quinns have leaned into the character’s Brooklyn accent — including Arleen Sorkin, the voice actress who originated the role in Batman: The Animated Series, and Margot Robbie in the DC Extended Universe’s live-action films — Manhattan native Gaga’s take on Quinn appears to be accentless.
In addition to Gaga and Phoenix, the film stars Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), Catherine Keener (Incredibles 2) and Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin). Variety also reported on Wednesday (April 3) that the film has been rated R for “some strong violence, language throughout, some sexuality and brief full nudity”; the previous film was also rated R for “strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language and brief sexual images.”
Listen to Gaga’s Quinn voice here.
In her upcoming memoir, Rebel Wilson reflects on her public image over the years — as well as how it’s negatively affected her experiences with other stars, such as Adele.
According to an excerpt of Rebel Rising published Wednesday (April 3) by The Independent, the actress claims that the “Easy on Me” vocalist “hates” her. “Some actresses would get offended if I called them plus-size in this book, so I have to be careful with what I say,” Wilson wrote, according to The Independent. “This is why, I think, Adele hates me.”
“There was a moment when she was bigger, and some people would confuse us for one another,” the Bridesmaids star continued in the passage. “I am assuming, because to be fair I’ve never asked her.”
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Wilson claims that Adele would “always quickly” turn away from her at events. “As if my fatness might rub off on her if I were near her for more than thirty seconds … she didn’t like being compared to ‘Fat Amy,’” added Wilson, referencing her self-deprecating Pitch Perfect character.
Billboard has reached out to Adele’s reps for comment.
The 16-time Grammy winner has previously opened up about her body transformation, which found her appearing noticeably slimmer when, after taking a between-albums break, Adele reemerged into the public eye before releasing 30 in 2021. Around that time, she revealed that she’d lost about 100 pounds over the course of two years, telling British Vogue, “the most brutal conversations were being had by other women about my body.”
“People are shocked because I didn’t share my ‘journey,’” she continued in the 2021 interview. “They’re used to people documenting everything on Instagram, and most people in my position would get a big deal with a diet brand. I couldn’t give a flying f–k. I did it for myself and not anyone else. So why would I ever share it? I don’t find it fascinating. It’s my body.”
Similarly, Wilson started her own weight loss journey around 2020 after years of playing what she describes as “fat, funny girl” characters in her book. In a recent interview with People, the author detailed her body transformation — something she also delves into in Rebel Rising, which hits shelves Thursday (April 4) — sharing that she shed 80 pounds by adopting healthier habits.
“It’s literally about working at a healthier way to deal with your emotions, and there is no magic solution,” she told the publication. “Maybe me telling my story might encourage [others] to do the same and make healthy change in their lives.”
Here are our favorite figurines, toys and collectibles inspired by the reality show, from official merch to fan-inspired accessories
Dionne Warwick may have once asked of listeners “Don’t Make Me Over,” but the judges on RuPaul’s Drag Race seem to feel differently.
On last week’s episode (aired March 29), the five remaining contestants of RuPaul’s Drag Race were tasked with giving members of the Pit Crew dancers from RuPaul’s Drag Race Live in Las Vegas full drag makeovers. Transforming hunky men into fellow queens — with a strong family resemblance, of course — the girls also had to teach their new drag daughters how to work the runway with a short choreographed number.
Continuing her winning streak, Plane Jane impressed the judges with her drag daughter Lazi Susan, earing her fourth challenge win of the season. Meanwhile, Sapphira Cristál stumbled in presenting her daughter Shakira Cristál, while Morphine Love Dion’s introduction of her protegé La Tina didn’t thrill the panel, putting both queens in the bottom two.
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Lip synching to guest judge Kelsea Ballerini’s “Miss Me More,” Sapphira’s less-is-more approach to the artform paid off in dividends, earning her a spot in the coveted top four queens of the season. Meanwhile, Morphine’s string of lip sync assassinations finally came to end, with the “BBL queen of Miami” finally leaving the competition.
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Below, Morphine chats with Billboard about her time on the show, making it this far in the competition without a challenge win, her viral lip sync against Dawn and her approach to drag makeup that fans have been fawning over since she entered the work room.
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Congrats on making it to top five, Morphine! How does it feel getting to say that all these months later?
You know, while filming I had such a great time — obviously, not winning any challenges or any mini challenges was tough. I was like, “Oh my god, the fans are going to think I flopped.” But, the love I’ve been receiving has been so immense and intense and amazing that, honestly, I don’t think they even care about my track record, I feel like a lot of people just fell in love with my personality. Honestly, my run was perfect — well, obviously I should have made top four, but otherwise I’m very happy with how everything went down.
We gotta talk about your mug. You have clearly perfected the art of drag makeup — what advice would you give to young queens looking to emulate your look?
So, funny enough, I just posted a photo of myself the first time I was in drag, and girl, it was crunchy. That should inspire everyone that it is possible to go from rough mug to really sickening paint — it does, in fact, get better!
But yeah, it was a lot of practice and watching a lot of YouTube videos of now-cancelled influencers online. I also just grabbed a lot of different inspirations. Like, I will always say that Valentina is my No. 1 mug inspiration, her paint is one of my favorites besides Raven. They both are just … they molded me into my mug. It just took me a while to kind of perfect my own face, and the fact that I’m getting so much love for it is amazing.
Your paint is so good that Trixie Mattel adopted you on sight via The Pit Stop.
I know! I want that Trixie Cosmetics sponsorship, honey. But that’s Mother, so whatever she wants to give me, she can put me on her list — she can make me co-signer for Trixie Motel, whatever she wants I will be there for her. Love you, Mom!
But the other you thing you became very quickly known for on this season was your killer lip syncs. Did you have a favorite lip sync you got to do?
Oh, mine is obviously “Body” against Miss Dawn. I literally felt the spirit of Megan Thee Stallion consuming my body; like, she possessed me. I remember Sapphira telling us that she started crying for Dawn before the song even started.
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Oh, Dawn herself told us that the only thing she could think about during the lip sync was which wig she would put in which suitcase once it was over.
You know, the thing was, it would not have mattered who I lip synced against; that song in particular plays in Miami almost as a national anthem. Every morning, I wake up by paying homage to the Hotties by playing that song. It’s literally built into my nervous system at this point. So, when they told us what song was happening that day, I was like, “Oh, okay. I’m safe another week.”
I mean, I started out doing amateur drag contests competing against other girls, and Miami is known for having some of the best lip sync artists ever. So, coming up getting to watch these queens perfectly execute timing, knowing how and when to do a reveal or a split or punch someone in the face, was crucial. I learned from all of them, and then I ended up using those same tricks on them in my competitions, and won almost every battle contest I competed in in Miami.
On this episode, you and the other girls were tasked with a makeover challenge, which very much seemed like your exact vibe. When you’re not under the pressure of a reality television show, are you the kind of queen who enjoys giving makeovers?
It is one of my favorite things to do, absolutely. I do it often, and I don’t want to be dramatic, but I can change people’s lives — at least makeup-wise! I have done my makeup on other queens before, and they’ve changed their entire approach as a result. Almost every person that I’ve done looks exactly like me, so I was excited for this challenge, because I thought I was absolutely winning the makeover challenge right at the end. I’ve done weddings, I’ve done quinceañeras, I’ve done it all.
It’s helpful that your partner Miguel was simply so hot, and you were very aware of that fact.
Girl! Straight up, I think that’s why I lost this challenge, because I was too busy ogling. I was fully ready to leave set and start a new life with him. What’s so funny is he has truly the manliest face. For some, that would have been the hardest challenge, but I was slowly falling in love with him and saying, “I will do whatever it takes to make this man pretty.” And I don’t know, he really just was … I was so lost the whole episode because he was just so fine.
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Before I have to let you go, I’d love to know — what music have you been listening to lately?
Other than “Body” by Megan Thee Stallion, I have been obsessing over the new Kali Uchis album, ORQUÍDEAS, because it is insanely good. And also, Ariana’s “The Boy Is Mine” is supreme. It’s a bop.
