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No one can sing a Journey number quite like the mighty Steve Perry. Or perhaps Gene Taylor.
Hailing from Vernon, New Jersey, now based in Brooklyn, NY, the 33-year-old Taylor has done the rounds of theater and performed for much of his life. Under the bright lights of NBC’s The Voice on Tuesday night (Feb. 27), he showcased his talents for power and glory.
For Taylor’s blind audition, a cover of Journey’s 1978 song “Lights”. Power, glory.
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John Legend turned first, then Dan +Shay, followed by Reb McEntire and, finally, Chance the Rapper, for a four-chair turn and a standing ovation.
“I always love a tenor who can sing those beautiful big notes,” says Legend, “but also you had finesse. It was just so expertly done as a vocalist.” And with that, Legend launched into his sales pitch. Legend would also identify some classic vocal skills in the mix, a fusion of Nat King Cole with rock.
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“Your voice is unbelievable,” says Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay. “I was just sitting back and enjoying the music for just a second.” Dan Smyers chimed in, “so much power, so much control. You’re a star. We could tell you’re a seasoned pro.”
“I thought it was awesome,” reckons Chance. The reason he was last to turn? “It was because I was really arrested by the performance. Your tone is so different, and I was just really into it. And then I turn and see you and you, like, kind of got this southern vibe to you.” The Chicago rapper is convinced Taylor will “go really far” in the 2024 competition, thanks to his “distinct tone.”
If the The Voice fans and coaches didn’t already love the contestant, he made certain of it when he brought his mom on stage.
A minor hit following its release, “Lights” has enjoyed a second life as inspiration blast for Bay Area sporting franchises. Now, perhaps an unexpected lift after its exposure on The Voice.
“The way you were working the crowd,” notes McEntire following the audition, “that was perfect to go with your beautiful voice.”
So, with any doubts over his talents utterly erased, and all coaches rolling out the welcome mat, it was time for Taylor to make a decision. He chose Legend.
The 25th and latest season of The Voice began Monday. Watch Taylor’s performance below.
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The Voice kicked off its 25th season this week, and in a new blind audition from Tuesday night’s episode (Feb. 27), a pair of 17-year-old twins get a three-chair turn. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news California natives Justin and Jeremy Garcia traded verses on One Direction’s […]
The upcoming Michael Jackson biopic is officially in production, and Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International that eight actors have been cast to play the King of Pop’s brothers in the Jackson 5 – Jermaine, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie – to represent the group as they age in the film. In the early years, Jermaine will […]
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It’s not every year you can experience an extra day in February, and to help you celebrate the special occasion, Amazon Prime Video is discounting the hit 2010 film Leap Year for 67% off.
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If you’re new to Leap Year, it stars Amy Adams as Anna who decides to take matters into her own hands after another anniversary with her boyfriend ends without a proposal. She decides to embrace the Celtic tradition where women are allowed to propose to their significant others on Feb. 29 (a.k.a. Leap Day), leading her to fly to Dublin to execute the perfect proposal. What she doesn’t expect is to end up on Emerald Isle with the handsome Declan (Matthew Goode), who may just teach her what true love really looks like.
Aside from Adams and Goode, other cast members in the hit romantic comedy include Adam Scott, John Lithgow and Kaitlin Olson.
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Keep reading to learn the streaming options available to watch Leap Year online.
How to Watch Leap Year Online
You can watch Leap Year (2010) online right now through Prime Video, which has the option to rent or buy the movie. Right now, you can get a digital download of the movie for 67% off, dropping the price from $14.99 to just $4.99 (which means it’s only $1 less to rent the movie).
The download is yours to keep so you can watch Leap Year on-demand in HD whenever you want. Click here or use the button below to score the deal.
You don’t need a Prime membership in order to stream Leap Year at home — just make your purchase and the movie will automatically download into your video library. If you decide to rent Leap Year, you’ll have the film for 30 days and for 48 hours once you start watching it. Rent Leap Year on Amazon here.
Is the Movie Leap Year Streaming Anywhere?
Leap Year currently isn’t streaming on any platforms for free, but in addition to Prime Video, you can also purchase the movie on Apple TV for $5 or rent it for $4. An Apple TV+ subscription isn’t required to purchase or rent Leap Year online, you just need the Apple TV app or an Apple TV streaming device. The app is free to download and from there, you’ll be able to buy or rent the movie.
After you’ve made your purchase, the movie will automatically be downloaded and added to your video library. You’ll have 48 hours after starting the movie to finish it.
If you’d prefer to own Leap Year on DVD, it’s available to buy on Blu-ray through Amazon and Walmart and for as low as $9 for a limited time.
Amazon
“Leap Year”
$8.99
$14.98
40% off
$13.99
How Does Leap Year Work?
One year usually equates to 365 days, but according to NASA, it actually takes 365.25 days for the earth to complete its orbit around the sun. To help make up the difference, about every four years, a leap year occurs, giving us one extra day. This tends to happen in February, giving us 29 days instead of the usual 28 days.
To help you take advantage of the extra day in the year, author Gay Hendricks has just released a new book titled Your Big Leap Year. Hendricks, who has grown popular for publishing books that offer tips and tools to living your best life writes about how taking a little “leap” can help improve your love life, wealth and creativity. The Leap Year-inspired book was released on Feb. 13 and is available to buy on Amazon now.
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“Your Big Leap Year” by Gay Hendricks
Hendricks is back with another exploratory book that aims to inspire and help you achieve your goals in life. Your Big Leap Year came out on Feb. 13 and presents techniques to expand you happiness ceiling. The hope is that by utilizing the techniques presented in the book alongside the extra day due to Leap Year, you may be able to find yourself living your best, happiest life.
As for the movie, watch the trailer for Leap Year below and stream Leap Year online on Amazon.
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A controversial line uttered by Megan Thee Stallion in this year’s musical reboot of Mean Girls has reportedly been cut from the video-on-demand version of the movie.Variety reported on Monday (Feb. 26) that it had viewed the updated version of the film on Amazon Prime Video and that the rapper’s reference to “fire crotch” was […]
Harvey Mason jr. is having a very good month. On Feb. 4, as Recording Academy CEO, Mason oversaw the 66th annual Grammy Awards, which were well-received by critics and saw an uptick in ratings.
Ten days later, wearing his other hat, as a long-time music supervisor for film and TV, Mason saw the release of the film Bob Marley: One Love, on which he is credited as executive music producer, and for which he recorded and mixed the songs. The film has been No. 1 at the box office in its first two weeks, and is already one of the top 10 highest-grossing music biopics in history.
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Bob Marley, who died in 1981, has long been one of Mason’s favorites. “I grew up listening to his music,” Mason says. “When I was in college, he was probably one of my top five most played CDs. I loved his music, so the chance to work on this project, even though it was a big one, was something I talked a lot about, thought a lot about and ultimately decided it was something I couldn’t pass up.”
The film includes a generous amount of Marley music as well as other music from the period, such as punk and disco (the Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancing”). “It was a fruitful time in music, for sure,” Mason says. “The filmmakers [led by director Reinaldo Marcus Green] did an excellent job of showcasing everything that was happening around different genres and the music and the culture at that period.”
When Mason signed on as Recording Academy CEO, he insisted on being able to continue his outside music projects on his own time. He believes it makes him a better CEO. “Being involved in music and getting a chance to create and have that outlet is a huge value to me as an executive,” he says. “That’s my life – making things and creating, collaborating.
“Each feeds the other,” he continues. “I really think there’s a value in doing both.”
Mason, who became interim president and CEO on Jan. 16, 2020 and assumed the role of permanent CEO on May 13, 2021, is a master at compartmentalizing. “I do Academy business 18 hours a day and then I get a meal and get back to the studio at night and create until I fall asleep. … I’m giving a ton of focus to the Academy, but fortunately I’m able to still be creative. For me, that was really part of being able to do this role at the Academy – could I stay creative? Could I remain connected to music and working with artists, songwriters and producers? I thought it was very important for me to continue doing that.”
Mason quickly adds, “It’s also something that the search committee and the executive committee felt was a good thing. It wasn’t something that I had to negotiate. They said, ‘We love that you’re a creator; that you do this work and you’re still involved in creating music. We’ve never had a CEO like that.’”
Mason doesn’t have to clear each outside music project with the trustees, but stresses, “I think there’s a mutual understanding that I wouldn’t want to do something that takes away from my job at the Academy. But also, the Academy understands the value in having a creator in this position. So, there’s not a formalized process, but I’m very respectful of my role and my obligations that I’ve made to not just the board but also the music community.”
Before he became CEO, Mason received five Grammy nominations – three of them for his work in film and TV, on the soundtracks to Dreamgirls, Pitch Perfect 2 and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.
But he has taken himself out of Grammy contention as long as he is CEO. “I’ve committed to not putting my name on the ballot because I wouldn’t want my job at the Academy to influence how somebody viewed a project or voted for a project.”
But other people who work on those projects can submit their own names. “I don’t want to punish people that do great work. So, others can submit, I won’t submit and I will not be getting a nomination or win while I’m in this role.”
Mason has a different view about Recording Academy trustees competing for Grammys. This year, three current trustees won Grammys. Michael Romanowski won best immersive audio album for a deluxe edition of Alicia Keys’ 2004 album The Diary of Alicia Keys. J. Ivy won best spoken word poetry album for The Light Inside. P.J. Morton won best traditional R&B performance for “Good Morning” (featuring Susan Carol). All three had won previously in those categories. Some have questioned whether their high-profile involvement in the Academy gives them an unfair advantage in the voting.
“I think as long as all the processes are sacrosanct and pristine, which they are, it’s great to have relevant music makers being celebrated,” Mason says. “Having members of board being people at the top of their craft says a lot about who our board is.”
Asked if he can see a sensitivity to having current board members competing for Grammys, he replies, “I can understand people wanting to make sure that it’s fair, which I do believe that it is. I don’t think people are just voting for people because they’re on the board, or because they’re friends. Our voters listen and go through the ballot and vote for people they think are doing great work. Some of these people are going to be on our board. I would love to have as many people on our board as possible that are relevant and contemporary and doing work at the top of their game. I’d hate to see us become an Academy where we didn’t want people who were thriving and winning and succeeding in the music industry on our board.”
Mason’s current, three-year contract with the Academy runs through July 31. Mason won’t say what’s going to happen after that. “I don’t think either side has made a commitment yet or firm decision as to what’s going to take place after July,” he says.
Jay-Z criticized the Academy’s voting processes in accepting the Global Impact Award from the Black Music Collective on this year’s telecast. Billboard’s headline, typical of the way the speech was characterized in the media, read: “Jay-Z Calls Out Grammys Over Beyoncé’s Album of the Year Snubs During Acceptance Speech.”
What did Mason think of the speech? “I’ll just say that when someone that we respect speaks out you always are going to listen,” he said. “Jay is one of the most prolific, most talented and most influential people in our industry. We respect his art and we respect his opinion … We listen and we try to take it in as constructive criticism and get better from it.”
The Kid Laroi gets vulnerable in his upcoming Prime Video documentary Kids Are Growing Up: A Story About A Kid Named Laroi, and in a new clip shared exclusively with Billboard, the 20-year-old Australian star opens up about his current mental health state as he navigates the beginning of adulthood. “Maybe I’m just feeling lost. Maybe […]
With the ball challenge, a design challenge, an acting challenge and the Rusical under its belt, RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 still had a major staple to give fans — the Snatch Game.
On Friday’s episode (aired Feb. 23), the nine remaining queens were put through the classic Drag Race gauntlet, as Ru charged them with crafting their best celebrity impressions in a Match Game-inspried show with one very simple rule at its center: “Make me laugh.”
Taking to the Snatch Game stage, Sapphira Cristál impressed Ru with their gut-busting take on the Godfather of Soul James Brown, while Plane Jane took off with her second challenge win for an uproarious impersonation of Serbian pop phenomenon Jelena Karleuša. Meanwhile, Morphine Love Dion couldn’t steal a laugh as fraudster Anna Delvey, while Xunami Muse’s original character the Gold Tooth Fairy found nothing but crickets under Ru’s pillow.
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Lip synching to Whitney Houston’s perennial classic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” Morphine and Xunami worked together to make a memorable moment of reality television. Dancing with (rather than against) one another, the pair made good on the promise of Houston’s hit song. But when the song was over, only one could remain — Ru relieved Morphine’s pain by keeping her for one more week, while Xunami’s wave crashed into the shore for the final time.
Below, Billboard chats with Xunami about her Snatch Game performance, her collaborative lip sync, and why she refused to be bothered about constant “safe” placements.
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What has your experience been watching yourself on television for the last few weeks?
It’s kind of like an out of body experience, to be honest — I’ve only watched each episode once because I cannot deal, otherwise. It’s interesting to see myself in that world, and living here now with all of the opportunities and all the things I have to do now, and getting to see the fans in all of their different states. It’s really cool!
Throughout this season, you have become the unofficial hostess of Untucked, now and forever known to all of us as Xunami’s Afters.
[Laughs.] Girl, that was my favorite thing on the show, no lie. It felt iconic.
I love that you took your safe placements in stride and let yourself have fun when it came time for Untucked — why do you think you reacted that way, where others got very stressed about it?
It’s definitely a combination of things. Even though it didn’t show, deep down, I was giving the Arthur fist meme, you know what I mean? You always want to excel, and if it was up to any of the girls, they would win every episode, obviously. But, I couldn’t be upset about being safe every time for a few reasons; it didn’t mean I did bad, and it meant that I lived another week to show another look. No matter the situation, I will always focus on the positive side of it. It came from that, and just being genuinely happy to be there.
Was there any challenge in particular where you felt you should have placed higher?
Oh, girl. I felt like I could have been high for the ball, and maybe for the SNL challenge. But really, it was the girl group challenge. I had a genuinely great week that week, and had it been critiqued individually instead of by groups, I feel like I could have been high. So that’s part of it — going through this experience, being safe didn’t mean you did bad. It’s a big cast, and a lot of these girls are crazy talented. As long as I felt like I was showcasing my drag to the best of my abilities and it was being enjoyed, then it was a success. Getting to watch it now, I’m happy with what I gave, completely.
Fans know that you are the adopted drag daughter of season 13 and All Stars 8 contestant Kandy Muse. Did Kandy offer you any advice before you left for filming?
The main thing she told me was to have fun and to make it my own. Obviously, in your mind, you’re going to win that crown and $200,000. But she really said, “Remember to have fun and leave your stamp.” And you know what, I had so much fun on this show. There was a lot that wasn’t shown, but watching what they did show, you can tell I was having a ball the whole time. Every moment, you could not tell me I wasn’t it on Drag Race.
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In this episode, we arrive and the long-awaited — and for some queens, dreaded — Snatch Game. You chose to perform an original character, the Gold Tooth Fairy. What made you decide to go for something original rather than a classic impression?
Let’s get into it. Snatch Game is my least favorite challenge on the show because it is so hard. I cannot stress enough how hard doing Snatch Game is — being quick and in the moment as a completely different character is a tough skill, and that’s why the ones who do well in the game go on to be so successful. But, I wanted to approach it the best way I could. For years, I auditioned for this show and would show Naomi Campbell and Cardi B and people like that, and it never felt like it was giving!
So when I was cast, I was like, “What if I do an original character? That way I’ll stand out.” I was thinking about how Trinity [the Tuck] and Yvie [Oddly] did their versions of fictional characters like the Boogeyman or the Devil [on All Stars 7] and made them completely their own. But it turns out I bit off way more than I could chew, girl!
Did you have any backup characters ready to go in case the Gold Tooth Fairy wasn’t working?
I would have done Celia Cruz — and you know what, I should have done Celia Cruz. For me it would’ve been all about the “azúcar,” girl! Screaming “azúcar” alone would have kept me safe this week!
You and Morphine winding up in the bottom resulted in one of the season’s best lip syncs. When I was done being shocked that Drag Race has never had “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” as a lip sync song, I couldn’t stop watching the two of you turning the performance into a collaborative dance. What was going through your mind when you decided to dance with Morphine instead of against her?
I think it was the familiarity, being in that moment with someone who is actually my friend. Like, we’d done shows together, we were friends, and there’s just something about performing with your girl where you just want to bounce off of each other. There was this really natural thing between us, and it felt right in the moment. Like, I didn’t want to lip sync against my girl — I didn’t want to lip sync period! But, once I was in the bottom with her, it became, “Oh, okay. We’re going to make this a moment.”
Last thing before you go — what music have you been listening to lately?
To be honest, the song I’ve had on repeat is my new track with Kandy Muse, which I will be premiering live at the Love Ball with Shea Couleé, Luxx Noir London, Tayce, Monét X Change and LaLa Ri, hello! It’s called “It’s Giving C–t,” and I believe it should be up for streaming by March 1, and we’re gonna perform it live first. I’m really excited for it, I’ve just really been bumping along to it all day.
Pres. Joe Biden gets it. The commander-in-chief stopped by Late Night With Seth Meyers on Monday night (Feb. 26) to help the show’s host celebrate his show’s 10th anniversary, and to keep stoking the fires of right-wingnut conspiracy theories about his alleged devious plot to secure the most important endorsement in this year’s presidential campaign.
“Can you confirm or deny that there is an active conspiracy between you and Miss Swift?,” Meyers asked Biden about the allegations from conservatives that the President is working behind the scenes with Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce to boost his campaign against expected challenger Donald Trump by locking in the power couple’s endorsement.
“Where are you getting this information? It’s classified. That’s classified information,” Biden said with a smile in a rare late night appearance. “But I will tell you, she did endorse me in 2020.”
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Meyers was as relentless as a White House pool reporter in his questioning, wondering if the Swift thumbs up might “come around again.” Biden still wouldn’t bite, joking, “I told you it’s classified.”
Before this month’s Super Bowl, conservatives got spun up about a made-up theory that Swift and Kelce had cooked up a plot with the White House to have the pair officially endorse Biden after Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII. The visit by Biden — his first as a sitting president — marked the 10th anniversary of the launch of Late Night. Biden, then Vice President, and the night’s other guest, Amy Poehler, were the inaugural guests on Meyers’ first broadcast on Feb. 24, 2014.
Biden, 81, also had jokes, noting that Trump, 77, is “about as old as I am but he can’t even remember his wife’s name,” in response to a question about concerns related to his age; Biden is the oldest sitting president and would be the oldest president to ever serve if he wins a second term. “It’s about how old your ideas are,” he added about Trump, the twice-indicted, one-term president who is facing 91 felony counts in four different cases as he mounts his third run for the White House. “This about a guy who wants to take us back, he wants to take us back on Roe V. Wade, he wants to take us back on a whole range of issues that for 50-60 years they have been solid American positions.”
The president — who was sporting a flag pin on his lapel featuring the American and Ukrainian flags in the midst of a fight in Congress over further funding for the war in Ukraine — also sat on the couch with Poehler to reminisce about his guest spot on Parks and Recreation. Meyers asked Biden about his seemingly playful adoption of the “Dark Brandon” right-wing meme, to which Biden responded, “no, I resent the hell out of it,” as he slipped on DB’s signature dark aviator shades to wild applause from the studio audience.
Check out Biden on Late Night below.
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One Direction is gone, split up into five healthy parts. But certainly not forgotten.
The Garcia twins played their part in keeping the flame burning for 1D with a performance Monday night (Feb. 26) as The Voice returned to our screens.
For their blind audition, the teenage lads performed “Story of My Life,” lifted from 1D’s 2013 album Midnight Memories, one of their four No. 1s on the Billboard 200 chart.
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There were wet eyes in the room as the 17-year-old brothers sprung the nostalgic number, on pitch, and with a solid hug at the end.
Hailing from Millbrae, CA, the bros, Justin and Jeremy, managed a three-chair turn. Only John Legend kept his back to the boys.
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“You’ve got the duo thing down,” remarked coach Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay, stating the obvious. “Man, that was a fantastic performance. From the first time I heard you harmonizing and I found out it was two people, I was like, we’ve got to turn around. That sounds amazing.”
That was the cue for a sales pitch. Brothers, come team up with the “brothers”.
There’s still room for improvement. “When you guys first started, it was super, super tight,” Chance the Rapper noted. “There were some parts where one of you guys got pitchy. And you guys gained control by the end.” He added, “as long as you guys are focused on how you interact with each other, you guys will have great performances and keep having success like this.”
The harmonies “could have been a little tighter,” remarked Legend, explaining his reasons for not turning. But hey, what an experience.
Reba McEntire felt a connection. The country star recounted her youth growing up in a “singing family.” Hearing the twins belt it out, “it takes me back to my childhood. I absolutely love your enthusiasm.” And, as she started her own sales pitch, confessed she was “really moved by it.”
In the end, it boiled down to a decision. The Garcias chose coaches Dan + Shay, who served as mentors in season 20 and made their coaching debut tonight, becoming the first artists to join the country duo’s team.
For the record, 1D was created through the vehicle of another reality TV format, the 2010 season of The X Factor, setting charts and hearts ablaze until 2016, when the group went on indefinite hiatus.
NBC’s The Voice is now in its 25th season.
Watch the audition below.
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