TV/Film
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Both Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Nettles are creatives in every sense of the word. They are deeply passionate about their music and acting careers — with Grammy-winning Nettles balancing her solo and Sugarland music success with leading roles on Broadway’s Chicago and Waitress, as well as starring in films including Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors. Meanwhile, Golden Globe and SAG Award-winner Bacon has starred in classic films including Footloose, Taking Chance and many more, all while releasing 12 albums via his band, The Bacon Brothers, alongside his sibling Michael.
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That’s why, when the opportunity came for the duo to blend their talents, they were immediately on board. Bacon and Nettles star in the Grainger David-helmed Prime Video series, The Bondsman, which follows the story of murdered bounty hunter Hub Halloran (Bacon), who is resurrected by the devil to send back demons who escaped from the prison of Hell. Nettles stars as Hub’s musician ex-wife.
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Together, the two teamed up for The Bondsman: Hell And Back, a collection of eight songs written fromthe point of view of their characters, with several of the tracks appearing on the show. “Long before I ever did something like this, I’ve made playlists for my roles. I’ll say to the writer or the director, ‘Do you have songs that you think my character would like?’” Bacon recalls. “But this situation is something that I don’t do really that much. Yes, I love to write songs and, yes, I’m an actor, but I’ve always had a certain purity about both of them. I didn’t want to somehow shoehorn some music into a movie, you know, on the off-chance that I would get to play in it.”
However, The Bondsman felt different, given that Bacon loved the story and Halloran was also a musician in his life. As a seasoned actor and musician, the challenge of writing the songs from the bounty hunter’s perspective, instead of his own, allowed him to create a deeper bond with his role. “It’s really interesting form of songwriting, because I tend to write from my point of view,” Bacon says. “Even if I’m writing off of a hook, it’s probably going to be related to my experience and my feelings around things. Whereas, in this case, I’m writing as the character. And now, you’re going, OK, who was Hub Halloran when he first met this woman that he’s in love with? Or when they were breaking up? What was his point of view, not only about the world or about love or about her, but also musically? What was the kind of country music that he liked and didn’t like?”
Nettles agrees, adding that the “storytelling” aspect of making the music alongside filming the TV show was something she particularly enjoyed. “Whenever I’m writing a song, it’s both story building and character building. You take on a persona in those times,” she explains. “In that way, it wasn’t anything new or different [to my usual songwriting style]. What was new and different, is getting to do it specifically for this world and for television. This specific character, and this specific world where demons are concerned and all the supernatural and horror — that made it really, really fun.”
Nettles also revealed that the show’s “authentic” portrayal of the South drew her to the role, and her immediate bond with Bacon allowed the music to “flow easily.” And, of course, working with superstar actor in general was a plus. “Working with someone with that level of talent, that icon status, was super thrilling,” she says.
“I just love the performing arts so much, and I love music so much and I love getting to tell stories, and to be able to do this in this show is so fun and campy,” she concludes. “It checks so many boxes.”
The Bondsman is available to watch on Prime Video here, and the corresponding Hell and Back album can be enjoyed on Amazon Music here.
Like gladiators entering the arena, 62 aspiring American Idol contestants survived the first round of Hollywood Week only to run into the buzzsaw of Sunday night’s (April 6) Showstopper rounds. Performing live for the first time in front of an audience at the Orpheum Theatre, as judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie worked to trim 38 aspiring stars from the roster, the singers had to turn things up a notch to make the cut.
In the end four made the first cut.
Gabby Samone wowed the room with her passionate, jazzy cover of Nina Simone’s “Four Women,” which showed off her towering range and emotional maturity on the powerful 1966 anthem that tracks four Black women’s journey from slavery to the present. “My skin is black/ My arms are long/ My hair is wooly/ My back is strong,” Samone sang over subtle piano accompaniment before climbing into a crystal-clear high note that had Richie up on his feet in amazement.
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The youngest singer in the competition, Eagleville, TN’s Mattie Pruitt, has rolled through the competition so far despite saying in her opening package that she sometimes has had trouble finding her place in a family with 12 siblings. Though feelings of self-doubt continue to creep in — “I’m not pretty enough, I’m not good at singing” — the high schooler said the Idol stage is the first time she’s felt truly comfortable in her skin.
She proved she belongs in the mix with a cover of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World,” making the 1966 soul classic her own by slowing it down to a funky stroll and luxuriating in the notes like a seasoned pro used to having crowds in the palm of her hand.
Another early favorite, 17-year-old aspiring preacher Canaan James Hill, also proved that age ain’t nothin’ but a number with his roof-raising cover of Marvin Sapp’s “Never Would Have Made It.” The teen poured some Al Green grit on the gospel great’s 2007 ballad, again inspiring Richie to hop up and testify to some powerful vocals. “Go on man, go on do what you gotta do!” Richie said, shaking his head in wonder, with Bryan saying “he is one of the best singers I have ever seen!”
The last of the four to make it through was Zaylie Windsor, who squeaked by in an earlier round, only to prove that she’d definitely earned her spot with a mesmerizing cover of Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever.” The Radiohead-like acoustic take featured Windsor’s emotional vocals, climbing from a near whisper to a roar, filling the theater with ecstatic joy as she wailed the final notes. “Welcome to the Zaylie show!” Underwood said afterwards.
While those four made the cut and will go to the top 24, Jmarie, Will Carter, Santina Madden, Isaiah Moore, Samantha Ray and Jazzy Mae were sent home and the remaining 42 singers will have to fight it out on Monday night (April 7) in head-to-head rounds; that round airs at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Check out the four performances below.
A couple is ready to “take it the next level” after a nice date in the “Making Love” sketch that aired on SNL Saturday night (April 5). Silk pajama-clad lovers-to-be (Jack Black and Sarah Sherman) turn the night into a musical performance, with a little help from Bowen Yang and Brandi Carlile — and with all four of them flying.
Black, the host of Saturday Night Live‘s latest episode, and Sherman are lifted up as they sing (and making swimming motions in the air).
“First we do things to me for a while,” Black sings, “and then we do things to you for not that long.”
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They try to incorporate some dirty talk, and get the champagne flowing — right into Sherman’s eyeballs.
“That was so romantic,” Sherman musters, to which Black agrees: “For me as well.” Together, they harmonize: “Because we’re making love.“
“Then without even saying a word, we both know it’s time to bring in a third,” they sing.
“Hello, I’m here to fix your problems,” croons Yang, who appears out of nowhere. “And this will definitely end well.”
Spoiler: Black panics, feels weird for inviting a guy from work to join them, and decides the way to make things all right and “dandy” is “to bring in a fourth … and the fourth is Brandi.”
Watch the “Making Love” sketch below to hear the always-cool Carlile croon her words of wisdom while mid-air.
Elsewhere on Saturday night’s show, the singer-songwriter fulfilled her duties as musical guest with Elton John, performing “Little Richard’s Bible” and “Who Believes in Angels?” from their new album released this week. Carlile and John’s collaborative project, Who Believes in Angels?, was released on Friday (April 4).
Jack Black reimagined a classic My Chemical Romance track in a hilarious sketch on Saturday Night Live.
While hosting the iconic sketch comedy show on April 5, the actor and comedian channeled MCR frontman Gerard Way by performing a reggae parody of the band’s 2006 hit “Welcome to the Black Parade.”
The nearly three-minute sketch, titled “Goth Kid on Vacation,” features SNL cast members Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim as members of a Jamaican reggae band who cope with their own pain by laughing at goth kids vacationing on their island.
“When there is war and struggle and pain/ How do we fill our souls with joy again?” the duo sings before adding, “We look and we laugh at goth kid on vacation.”
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The camera then cuts to a stereotypical goth teenager (played by Michael Longfellow) dressed in all black with a classic emo hairstyle. He’s shown playing Magic: The Gathering from his hotel balcony, walking the beach in a heavy black leather jacket and combat boots, and belting in frustration after getting hit with a beach ball while painting his nails black.
Halfway through the pre-recorded skit, a long-haired Black joins the scene with a backing band, adding a reggae twist and reimagining the lyrics to My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade,” which reached reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2007.
“When I was a young boy, my parents took me down to Jamaica for my high school spring break,” Black sings, wearing an outfit reminiscent of Way’s goth-inspired look from the music video. “They said come to the pool, but I stayed in the room with my graphic novels so I could mastur—-.”
Saturday’s episode also featured musical guests Elton John and Brandi Carlile, who performed a pair of songs from their new collaborative album, Who Believes in Angels? Check out their performances of “Little Richard’s Bible” and the project’s title track here.
Watch SNL‘s “God Kid on Vacation” sketch below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
Saturday Night Live took aim at Morgan Wallen following the country star’s abrupt exit during the show’s end credits in late March.
During the NBC sketch comedy show’s cold open on April 5, just a week after Wallen’s headline-making appearance as musical guest, President Donald Trump — portrayed by James Austin Johnson — made a jab at Wallen while discussing his “Liberation Day” tariffs.
“I even put tariffs on an island uninhabited by humans. It’s called Heard and McDonald Island,” Johnson’s Trump said, holding a poster featuring a hamburger in a hula skirt. “I would love to visit there. Can you imagine that? Big Mac and a hula skirt. Get me to God’s country, right? Remember that?”
The “Get me to God’s country” line was a direct nod to Wallen’s comment on his Instagram Story after his much-discussed exit from the show on March 29, when he abruptly walked off stage at Studio 8H during the end credits after whispering something to host Mikey Madison.
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Later in the April 5 episode, SNL‘s Colin Jost poked fun at Wallen during Weekend Update, cracking jokes about the financial state of the country.
“This was the worst week for the stock market since the summer of 2020. But you have to remember — back then, the president was also Trump,” Jost said. “Just in the past two days, investors have lost over $6 trillion. Money is leaving the stock market faster than Morgan Wallen at goodnights.”
During his musical guest appearance on SNL, Wallen performed the title track from his upcoming album, I’m the Problem, along with his song “Just in Case.”
Just days after his controversial appearance, the country singer capitalized on the highly publicized moment by launching a new line of “Get Me to God’s Country” merchandise. Wallen had not publicly commented on the incident or explained the meaning behind the phrase at press time.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly following Wallen’s walk-off, longtime SNL cast member Kenan Thompson called the incident “definitely a spike in the norm.”
“We’re so used to everybody just turning around and high-fiving us, everybody’s saying, ‘Good job, good job, good job.’ So when there’s a departure from that, it’s like, hmm, I wonder what that’s about?” Thompson said, adding that Prince had done the same thing during his appearance on the show years ago.
“I’m not saying Morgan Wallen is Prince, but we weren’t surprised because Prince was notoriously kind of standoffish. It’s just how he was. So we just thought like, ‘Okay, now he’s gone back into fantasyland.’”
Wallen’s forthcoming album, I’m the Problem, is set to be released on May 16 and features 37 tracks, although only a few song titles have been revealed so far.
Watch SNL‘s cold open and Weekend Update sketches below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
Elton John and Brandi Carlile paid a visit to Studio 8H to perform a pair of songs from their new collaborative album.
The longtime friends appeared as the musical guests on Saturday Night Live on April 5, with Jack Black taking on hosting duties.
Set against a starry, neon-lit backdrop with their names emblazoned on the walls, the duo opened with the rocking, 1950s-inspired “Little Richard’s Bible,” with John on piano and Carlile on guitar. Later in the episode, they returned for an inspiring performance of the title track from their new album, Who Believes in Angels?
John and Carlile wrote and created the album alongside John’s long-time co-writer Bernie Taupin and producer Andrew Watt. Who Believes in Angels?, which dropped on April 4, features previously released singles “Swing for the Fences,” “Never Too Late” and the title track.
“As my Farewell tour came to an end, I knew I wanted to make a new album with Brandi, I wanted to shift gears and do something different from anything I’d done before,” John previously told Billboard of the project. “I have always found Brandi so inspiring, our friendship was so close, and I just had the instinct that we could produce something really amazing.”
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The iconic musician added, “Creating Who Believes in Angels? was challenging, and I had a lot of self-doubt, but alongside Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt, we ended up writing 10 songs in 20 days and it was one of the most joyous and exhilarating experiences I’ve ever had in my life.”
This marked John’s first time back on SNL in more than a decade. He last appeared on the sketch comedy show in 2011, when he pulled double duty as both host and musical guest. Prior to that, he made his SNL debut in 1982. Meanwhile, Saturday marked Carlile’s third appearance on the late-night show.
It’s a busy weekend for both musicians. In addition to their SNL appearance, they will also host a one-hour concert special celebrating the new album. An Evening with Elton John and Brandi Carlile will air on CBS on Sunday (April 6), featuring live performances, stories about the duo’s friendship, and an intimate look at the making of their new album.
Watch John and Carlile’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
Tron is back. On Saturday (April 5), Disney unveiled the first trailer for Tron: Ares, the third installment in the Tron franchise, following the original 1982 film and its 2010 sequel Tron: Legacy. The new trailer offers a glimpse of a dark, brooding landscape where reality and the virtual world collide. The minute-and-a-half-long clip opens […]
Comedian John Mulaney won’t be seeing Bone Thugs-N-Harmony at the crossroads — at least for the time being.
During his monologue of a recent episode of his Netlfix talk show Everybody’s Live, Mulaney told the audience a ridiculous story about how the show tried to get the legendary group out of Cleveland to make a surprise guest appearance and ran into a scammer in the process. “Before we get to the rest of the show, motherf—ker, let me tell you about the week I had,” he began. “We had something very special planned for you this evening that we had to scrap very recently.”
He then explained that they planned to do a bit about actor Richard Kind’s fictional recently deceased tortoise and wanted to figure out how to give the little guy a proper send off. “Then we were gonna be like, ‘How can we possibly pay tribute to dead tortoise here on our show? Then, ding-dong, the doorbell would ring, I’d walk up there, I would open the door, and it’s Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and they were gonna say, ‘Our tour bus broke down and we heard you guys were sad.’”
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Adding, “The setup didn’t even make sense at all. But then, in honor of the tortoise, they were gonna perform ‘[The] Crossroads.’ If you’re not familiar with ‘Crossroads,’ it was an enormous hit that Bone Thugs-N-Harmony had in 1996 about their friend’s tragic death and I cannot overstate how hugely popular it was with horned-up junior high kids at Catholic schools to grind with each other during the Clinton administration.”
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The show then tracked down what they thought to be the group’s management and started the process of pitching them the idea. However, they quickly realized that they were being scammed.
They setup a Zoom call with the so-called manager where the individual told Mulaney and his writers that Bone loved the idea, but that Bizzy Bone would be too busy to be involved. Nothing out the ordinary, right? Well, they then tell the manager that the guys need to wear pants with back pockets so that they can pull out their wireless microphones after they ring the doorbell to which the fake manager responded: “The pants we bought don’t have pockets. If you want pants with pockets, you should get some yourself.”
And when the group hadn’t signed the contract to appear on the show, the manager requested $2,800 in cash for “running around money” because they were currently on tour — which was true — and their appearance would essentially constitute as a side mission. But once Mulaney talked his wife Olivia Munn into giving him the cash because he’s not allowed to have more than $300 in cash due to his past issues with substance abuse, the manager then requested $100,000 and finally the Everybody’s Live crew began to notice the red flags.
“I’m genuinely worried,” Mulaney admitted. “After a little investigating, I have come to believe that the man I was talking to was not the manager of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.”
Stereogum managed to get in touch with one of the members in Bizzy Bone, but when the outlet mentioned if he had came across the story, he asked: “Whose that?”
You can watch the clip below.
Sphere Entertainment Co. will launch The Wizard of Oz at Sphere this August, marking the $2 billion arena’s first foray into licensed content. The show will be based around the original 1939 film, in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery as well as technology partners Google and technology and experience firm Magnopus. Besides bringing technological upgrades to enhance […]
It’s always a bold move to perform one of the coaches’ songs on The Voice, but Divighn was up for the challenge — and he excelled.
For the Knockout rounds, the 33-year-old California native opted to perform Maroon 5’s “Harder to Breathe” in front of Adam Levine himself. He added choreography and amplified emotion to the Songs About Jane breakout hit, all while maintaining impressive vocal control.
His competitor, Kaiya Hamilton, followed up with a performance of Alessia Cara’s “Here,” an objectively difficult song to sing due to its pace. Hamilton had no issue, though, displaying flawless vocal ability and range as she delivered the track.
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Both performances were met with standing ovations by the judges, and Levine voiced his support for Divighn’s choice to perform a Maroon 5 song. “Divighn, you got great taste in music, man,” he joked, before adding more seriously, “I always secretly dread when people are going to do our songs, because it makes me nervous. I’m so close to it. I love what you did with it. You took it and did something that I actually liked, and that it wasn’t what I normally do. The way that you can get up there and move the way you were moving, and still just deliver a rock solid big vocal, that’s big.”
He also praised Hamilton, noting, “I love how you sing. You kind of gave the opposite clinic. Your’s was like, ‘I’m not going to worry about anything except singing my butt off.’”
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Though, as perhaps expected, he ultimately gave his pick to Divighn. “I would maybe go with Divighn, because he has all these other things that were really impressive but it’s no disrespect to you Kaiya because you did an amazing job as well,” he said.
However, the choice on who stays in the competition comes down to the duo’s coach, Michael Bublé, who revealed that he “made a mistake” putting Divighn and Hamilton against each other. “Divighn, your performance, your choreography was beautiful and so smooth and so fun to watch. You’re an overall entertainer,” he told his team member. “Kaiya, your voice is undeniable. You sang the heck out of this and I feel like you know who are as an artist.”
Watch the Knockout round performance below, and find out who Bublé chooses when the full episode airs on Monday (April 7) at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, before it streams the next day on Peacock.