TV/Film
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Kendrick Lamar‘s 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show is in the books, and it definitely didn’t strike a minor chord with audiences. In fact, the 13-minute showcase between halves of the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs game kept fans — both in the stadium and at home watching on TV — riled up from start […]
After a triumphant Grammys night on Feb. 2 during which he clinched five awards — including the coveted record and song of the year for “Not Like Us” — hip-hop powerhouse Kendrick Lamar made his way to the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday (Feb. 9) to bask in his well-deserved victory lap at the Super Bowl 2025 Halftime Show.
As the Philadelphia Eagles unexpectedly surged ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs with a resounding 24-0 halftime lead, the stage was set for Lamar to electrify. With a birds-eye view of the stage, a massive tic-tac-toe board awaited viewers as they were greeted by Uncle Sam — well, Samuel L. Jackson. Dressed in a patriotic ensemble, the actor welcomed fans to “The Great American Game.”
Lamar began his lyrical exhibition by rapping to “Bodies” on top of a GNX. A frenetic Lamar is swarmed by an army of dancers dressed in red and white before segueing into his Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Squabble Up.” Flanked by his dancers, Lamar’s surgical precision and breath control remained on par until he reached the hook and is interrupted by Jackson. “No, no, no. Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto,” declared Jackson. “Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up.”
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Lamar took heed of Jackson’s words of wisdom and entered a quick medley of 2015’s DAMN, during which he dishes out “Humble” and “DNA.” Lamar continued to blitz fans with surprises, mainly when he performed “Euphoria,” his searing diss track against Drake, which also doubles as a subtle sign that maybe he’d detonate “Not Like Us.” Shortly after, Lamar veered to a pseudo-street corner, where he rapped “Man in the Garden” in front of his homies to the disdain of Jackson.
“I see you brought your homeboys with you,” sneered the actor. “The old culture cheat code. Scorekeeper, deduct one life.”
Lamar kept the GNX buzz intact as the stage shapeshifted again, this time into the form of an X, where he performed “peekaboo.” “Ladies, I wanna make a move,” Lamar rapped to his female dancers before tantalizing them with “their favorite song.” The instrumental for “Not Like Us” hummed through the speakers. Instead of succumbing to the pressure, Lamar slowed things down and brought out his one-time TDE compatriot SZA for “Luther” and “All the Stars.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. That’s what America wants,” cheered Jackson. You’re almost there. Don’t mess this up.”
Jackson’s cautionary warning came on the heels of “Not Like Us,” as Lamar gave an impromptu freestyle, positioning his reasoning for ultimately performing the song. “You really ’bout to do it?/ Yeah, they tried to fake the game, but you can’t fake influence,” said Lamar before pressing go on “Not Like Us.” With the cameras focused on Lamar’s face, he didn’t lose eye contact and delivered the controversial verse with fury, name-dropping Drake and having the crowd rap back the now popular “a minor” line with fervor.
After “Not Like Us,” Lamar seamlessly pivoted to “TV Off,” with the song’s producer, Mustard, alongside him. The now-classic yell of “Mustard” reverberated through Caesars Superdome, allowing the rapper to cap off a monumental set with a lit-up sign reading “Game Over” set up in the crowd, punctuating his efforts.
The impact of Lamar’s performance is indisputable, leaving hip-hop and pop culture awestruck once again.
Jon Batiste helped kick off the Super Bowl 2025 festivities with a jazzy rendition of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” on Sunday (Feb. 9) in New Orleans. Wearing a black suit by Paul Smith, the Louisiana native sat in front of a white piano painted by his wife, Suleika Jaouad, as part of the local art […]
The Dunkin’ Super Bowl commercial starring Ben Affleck that aired during the game on Sunday (Feb. 9) is a 60-second cut, but there’s much more to see: The hilarious 7-minute version titled DunKings 2: The Movie expands on the battle of the bands story. Joining Ben is his brother Casey, plus Jeremy Strong, Bill Belichick […]
R&B star Ledisi performed on one of the biggest stages in her Grammy-winning career with a compelling live rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” during the pre-game festivities for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. The occasion marked the fifth time that the song — also known as the Black national anthem — has been performed at the Super Bowl.
Dressed in a white pantsuit complemented by a floor-length long-sleeved coat, Ledisi was accompanied by a yellow-robed choir of 121 students from schools in the greater New Orleans area. Starting off slow and measured, the singer-songwriter-actress built up to a soaring crescendo that ended in her full-bodied voice sustaining the note on the last word in the song’s final verse: “Let us march on till victory is won.”
Earning hearty applause, her moving performance underscored the song’s message of hope, faith, resilience and unity amid the recent Los Angeles wildfires, last month’s act of terrorism on Bourbon Street in New Orleans and current challenges to such initiatives as DEI.
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While not a household name for some, New Orleans native Ledisi is heralded among fans for her potent vocals and colorful riffs integrated within a spirited fusion of R&B, soul, gospel and jazz. She counts legendary artist and civil rights activist Nina Simone as one of her major influences. Ledisi Sings Nina, released in 2021, was nominated for a Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album and an NAACP Image Award for outstanding jazz vocal album. Ledisi also portrayed another civil rights advocate, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, in two projects: the 2022 biopic Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story and in 2014’s Ava DuVernay-directed film Selma.
Ledisi recently released a new single “Love You Too.” A 2021 Grammy winner for best traditional R&B performance for “Anything for You,” Ledisi released 11th studio album, Good Life, last March.
In a statement prior to her pregame performance, Ledisi commented, “Performing at the Super Bowl is one of the most significant moments of my career. I’m honored to bring my voice and my story to such a monumental event, and I hope to inspire unity and pride with this performance.”
After partnering with Roc Nation in 2019, the NFL inaugurated its Super Bowl pre-game tradition of including “Lift Every Voice” in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Alicia Keys first performed the song in a video that premiered for the NFL in September 2020 that was later re-aired ahead of Super Bowl LV in 2021. Since then, gospel duo Mary Mary, Sheryl Lee Ralph and, last year, Andra Day have delivered their own interpretations on the global sports stage.
The hymn originated as a poem written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900, with its verses paired with music composed by Johnson’s brother, John Rosamond Johnson. The song was later adopted by the NAACP as a clarion call during the civil rights movement of the ‘50s and ‘60s.
Preceding Kendrick Lamar’s highly anticipated Super Bowl LIX halftime performance, the pregame lineup also included performances by Lady Gaga (“Hold My Hand”), Lauren Daigle and Trombone Shortly (“America the Beautiful”) and Jon Batiste (“The Star-Spangled Banner”).
Lady Gaga cast a spell at the 2025 Grammys with “Abracadabra,” and for the 2025 Super Bowl, she showed up to bring audiences together with another rousing performance.
In a special segment ahead of Super Bowl LIX, Gaga appeared alongside sports legends Tom Brady, Michael Strahan, Terry Bradshaw and others in a pre-filmed segment on New Orleans’ iconic Bourbon Street to pay tribute to the victims of multiple disasters over the last year, including the New Orleans terror attack, Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles wildfires.
“Here on Bourbon Street, always the heart and soul of New Orleans, this year began with a terror attack that tried to shatter its spirit,” Strahan said while walking down the iconic thoroughfare sporting a “NOLA Strong” shirt. Brady, wearing an L.A. Fire Department T-shirt, joined in, adding that New Orleans’ resilience is “matched by the resolve of our country. When tragedy strikes, we don’t break — we come together, we rise above and we never let evil win.”
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The camera then cut to Gaga — sporting a wide-brimmed white hat and long white lace dress — seated at a piano and surrounded by a crowd in the middle of Bourbon Street. The singer launched into a stripped down performance of her Top Gun: Maverick single “Hold My Hand.” With various police officers and firefighters looking on, Gaga drove home the song’s inspirational message: “So cry tonight/ But don’t you let go of my hand,” she sang. “You can cry every last tear/ I won’t leave ’til I understand/ Promise you’ll just hold my hand.”
The segment aired just before the Philadelphia Eagles squared off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2025 Super Bowl. Music fans around the world will be tuning into the program to watch as Kendrick Lamar takes center stage at Caesars Superdome for the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, featuring special guest SZA.
In the pre-show, meanwhile, in addition to Gaga, performers included Ledisi, Harry Connick Jr., Lauren Daigle and Jon Batiste to deliver annual renditions of the national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “America the Beautiful.”
Watch Gaga’s performance of “Hold My Hand” above.
David Schwimmer is calling for Ye’s removal from X after the rapper posted a series of controversial and antisemitic remarks.
On Saturday (Feb. 8), the Friends star took to social media to address Elon Musk, urging the X owner to ban Ye — formerly known as Kanye West –from the platform.
“This is so 2022. We can’t stop a deranged bigot from spewing hate filled, ignorant bile… but we CAN stop giving him a megaphone, Mr. Musk,” the Jewish actor, 58, wrote on Instagram. “Kanye West has 32.7 million followers on your platform, X. That’s twice as many people than the number of Jews in existence. His sick hate speech results in REAL LIFE violence against Jews.”
In recent days, Ye has gone on a tweet spree filled with hate, once again praising Nazis and Adolf Hitler while targeting the LGBTQ+ community and people with disabilities. In addition to embracing antisemitic stereotypes and hate speech, the 47-year-old rapper also tweeted support for Diddy, who is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Schwimmer continued, “I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that he identifies as a Nazi (which implies he wants to exterminate ALL marginalized communities including his own) or the fact that there is not sufficient OUTRAGE to remove and ban him from all social media at this point. Silence is complicity.”
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In his posts, Ye also referenced Musk’s repeated use of a Nazi-like salute at a Donald Trump inauguration event in January, which was widely criticized. Musk responded to the backlash, telling critics they “need better dirty tricks.” “Elon stole my Nazi swag at the inauguration… yooo my guy get your own third rale,” Ye wrote, adding, “I can say Jew as much as I want. I can say Hitler as much as I want.”
Ye was initially banned from X (formerly Twitter) in October 2022 for antisemitic posts, briefly reinstated in November, then re-suspended later that month after he posted an image of a swastika intertwined with a Star of David. Eight months later, Musk reinstated West’s account once again.
Claiming he has no interest in “adjusting nothing I do or say for anybody,” West promised to “normalize talking about Hitler they [sic] way talking about killing ni–as has been normalized,” followed by “Hitler was sooooo fresh” and “call me Yaydolf Yitler.”
Amid Ye’s earlier embrace of Hitler and Nazi propaganda, experts spoke to Billboard about the dangers of someone with such a vast social media following promoting antisemitic tropes, especially at a time when hate crimes against Jews and Jewish institutions had reached alarming levels.
“At a time when the community is dealing with this level of hatred to have one of the most well-known entertainers in our culture making statements like ‘I like Hitler’ and showing up on [Jones’] InfoWars is not just vile and offensive, but it’s also endangering Jews by giving people permission to express that kind of prejudice,” Jonathan A. Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said at the time. “People in the mainstream did not make such overtly awful, inflammatory comments before like this.”
A Complete Unknown, the James Mangold film about Bob Dylan in the 1960s, won best picture/best movie for grownups at AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards, which were held on Saturday (Feb. 8) at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. The event had originally been scheduled for Jan. 11, but was postponed due to the wildfires that spread across multiple neighborhoods of the Los Angeles area beginning on Jan. 7.
Alan Cumming, the Tony- and Primetime Emmy Award-winning host of the competition show The Traitors, returned as host of the show, which is in its 24th year. The awards are set to be broadcast by Great Performances on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on PBS, its website and the PBS app.
AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards was established to encourage films and TV shows that resonate with older viewers. On itssite, AARP adds that there is an age requirement for individual honors: “AARP honors 2024’s finest film and TV achievements by talents 50+.” (They go so far as to list ages in the winners list on their site.)
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That 50+ requirement explains why Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) and Zoë Saldaña (Emilia Pérez), who are winning most awards for best supporting actor and actress, respectively, weren’t nominated here. Culkin is 42. Saldaña is 46. It also explains why Timothée Chalamet wasn’t nominated for best actor for playing Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Chalamet is just 29 — a whippersnapper in AARP terms.
A Complete Unknown competed in the best picture category with Conclave, Emilia Pérez, Gladiator II and September 5. The Dylan biopic won a second award for best time capsule. It was the only double winner at the show.
The awards for best actor and best actress went to Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) and Demi Moore (The Substance), who seem to be the front-runners to win Academy Awards in those categories.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story won best documentary. The film, directed by Peter Ettedgui, tracks actor Christopher Reeve’s pivot from film star to activist for disability rights following a 1995 horse-riding accident. It triumphed in a tough category that had a greater than usual music emphasis. The other nominees were I Am: Celine Dion, directed by Irene Taylor, which focuses on the singer’s struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome; Luther Vandross: Never Too Much — directed by Dawn Porter, which traces the late R&B star’s life and career; Piece by Piece, directed by Morgan Neville, a journey through the life of Pharrell Williams, told through the lens of LEGO animation; and Will & Harper, directed by Josh Greenbaum, an intimate portrayal of friendship starring Will Ferrell and Harper Steele, friends of 30 years who go on a cross-country road trip.
Glenn Close was the Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Winner, their version of a lifetime achievement award.
Here’s the complete list of nominees for the 2025 Movies for Grownups Awards, with winners marked.
FILM AWARDS
Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups
WINNER: A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Gladiator II
September 5
Best Actress
Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths)
Nicole Kidman (Babygirl)
WINNER: Demi Moore (The Substance)
June Squibb (Thelma)
Best Actor
WINNER: Adrian Brody (The Brutalist)
Daniel Craig (Queer)
Colman Domingo (Sing Sing)
Ralph Fiennes (Conclave)
Jude Law (The Order)
Best Supporting Actress
WINNER: Joan Chen (Didi)
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Nickel Boys)
Lesley Manville (Queer)
Connie Nielsen (Gladiator II)
Isabella Rossellini (Conclave)
Best Supporting Actor
Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing)
Guy Pearce (The Brutalist)
WINNER: Peter Sarsgaard (September 5)
Stanley Tucci (Conclave)
Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)
Best Director
Pedro Almodóvar (The Room Next Door)
WINNER: Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez)
Edward Berger (Conclave)
James Mangold (A Complete Unknown)
Ridley Scott (Gladiator II)
Best Screenwriter
Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Nicolas Livecchi (Emilia Pérez)
Jay Cocks and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown)
WINNER: Winnie Holzman (Wicked)
Peter Straughan (Conclave)
Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts (Dune: Part Two)
Best Ensemble
A Complete Unknown
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice
His Three Daughters
September 5
WINNER: Sing Sing
Best Intergenerational Film
Didi
Here
His Three Daughters
The Piano Lesson
WINNER: Thelma
Best Time Capsule
WINNER: A Complete Unknown
The Brutalist
Here
Maria
September 5
Best Documentary
I Am: Celine Dion
Luther: Never Too Much
Piece by Piece
WINNER: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper
TV AWARDS
Best TV Series or Limited Series
The Crown
Hacks
Palm Royale
WINNER: Shōgun
Slow Horses
Best Actress (TV)
Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show)
WINNER: Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country)
Jean Smart (Hacks)
Meryl Streep (Only Murders in the Building)
Sofia Vergara (Griselda)
Best Actor (TV)
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
Idris Elba (Hijack)
WINNER: Jon Hamm (Fargo)
Gary Oldman (Slow Horses)
Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun)
Chelsea Handler made a Wicked joke about Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater that didn’t quite land with the audience at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards. Grande and Slater were seated side-by-side and posed for photos together at the event Friday night (Feb. 7).
Handler, who hosted the awards ceremony for the third year in a row, directed her attention toward the couple during Friday’s speech at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.
“It is so nice to see some of our beloved child stars all grown up and thriving. Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande are all nominated tonight,” Handler said, leading up to the joke.
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“And now, Ariana has even found love with a Munchkin,” she quipped, to a quiet response in comparison to the laughs she’d gotten elsewhere in her comedic speech. Grande’s been linked to Slater since 2023, when they met on the set of Wicked.
Handler attempted to quell the seemingly awkward reaction from the crowd, insisting, “That’s good news, everybody.”
Slater portrayed Boq, a character from Munchkinland, in the film.
The pop star and actor have mostly kept their relationship private. Grande was previously married to luxury realtor Dalton Gomez; the pair finalized their divorce in March 2024. Slater was previously married to therapist Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a young child; they settled their divorce in September 2024.
When it came time to mention Wicked star Cynthia Erivo in her speech, Handler heaped praise on her performance.
“My god,” the host said. “The most radical hero of any movie this year, or maybe even this decade. And not because you were green — because you were, and you are, epic, and it’s an honor to be in the same room as you.”
Then came a punchline involving Erivo and Grande: “I loved the Wicked press tour,” said Handler. “The two of them all over each other. I remember the first time I did molly.”
The Wicked team took home three honors at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards: Jon M. Chu won best director, Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales won for best production design and Paul Tazewell won for best costume design. The film was nominated for a total of 11 awards, including for best picture, which Wicked lost to Anora. Best actress went to Demi Moore (The Substance) rather than Erivo, while best supporting actress went to Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez) rather than Grande.
See Handler’s bit about Grande and Slater in the clip from her Critics Choice Awards speech below.
The Billboard Family Hits of the Week compiles what’s new and worth your family’s time in music, movies, TV, books, games and more. Forget the mind-numbing scrolling and searching “what to watch for family movie night” … again. The best in family entertainment each week is all in one place, in this handy guide. Isn’t it satisfying to […]