TV/Film

24 May 2023

Blake Shelton Reflects on ‘Bittersweet’ 23 Seasons on ‘The Voice’ After His Final Show

Blake Shelton is officially retired from The Voice following Tuesday night’s (May 23) finale. And after he wrapped his impressive run as a coach for 23 seasons over 12 years, the country star is reflecting on his “bittersweet” journey with the show he helped start back in 2011.

“Can’t believe it’s been 23 seasons of @nbcthevoice… and especially can’t believe today is my final episode,” he wrote in an Instagram post hours before the live final episode aired. “It’s bittersweet. When we signed up for season 1, I don’t think any of us knew what this was going to be.”

Shelton was one of four OG coaches on The Voice‘s very first season, alongside Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and CeeLo Green. Over the years, he remained a fixture on the panel, which also saw Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Pharrell Williams, Shakira, Usher, Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus and Shelton’s now wife, Gwen Stefani, take one of the red chairs. He spent his final season coaching with Clarkson and newcomers Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper.

“These past 12 years I have made lifelong friends and memories,” the “God’s Country” singer continued in his post, sharing photos with some of his mentees and co-coaches from seasons past. “I’ve had the great opportunity to coach some really talented artists, 9 who have taken home #TeamBlake wins (let’s make that 10 tonight?), and watch these artists grow so much from the show. Thank you to everyone… the crew, the coaches, the contestants, the fans, and my wife who have made these some really great years. Love y’all!!!!!!”

Unfortunately for #TeamBlake, it was Gina Miles on Horan’s team who took home the prize. Still, Shelton remains The Voice‘s winningest coach of all time with nine victories total. Next season will mark the show’s first season without him as a coach, though Stefani, Horan and Legend will return, with Reba McEntire making her debut in Shelton’s place.

See Blake’s post below:

24 May 2023

Gina Miles Seized the Moment and Won ‘The Voice’ With This Performance

If you had one shot, or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, just one moment…

Gina Miles can identify her moment, and no, she didn’t let it slip.

Miles, the teen from Paxton, IL won the 2023 season of The Voice on Tuesday night (May 23), but she unofficially stole the nation’s hearts the previous night.

She had her moment and met it head-on Monday night, for the first half-of the two-night grand finale.

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Under the bright lights, nerves tingling, Miles came up big with her live performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” the heart-breaking composition created by Prince and turned into a 1990 mega-smash by Sinead O’Connor.

It’s unlikely that Eminem’s stirring words were rattling through her head in the NBC greenroom. But with the benefit of hindsight, she delivered an early knockout blow. With that moment safely tucked away, Miles had an advantage leading into the final night. The word from her mentor and coach Niall Horan was probably along the lines, “you got this.”

Her inner voice was probably, “don’t mess this up.”

When Miles and Horan joined forces on Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” victory was assured.

Miles, who now calls Sacramento, CA home, collects a six-figure sum and a recording contract with Universal Music Group.

Re-live those winning performances below.

23 May 2023

The Voice Crowns 2023 Champion

It was the end of an era Tuesday night (May 23) as The Voice crowned its 2023 winner, and coach Blake Shelton hung up his cowboy hat for the very last time.

After months of blind auditions, tears, cheers, battles, and a few baffling moments, five contestants duked it out in second night of the two-part grand final.

On night one, which beamed out Monday on NBC, Gina Miles, Grace West, D.Smooth, Sorelle and Noivas respectively graced the stage for solo performances.

Tonight, each of the finalists teamed up with their coaches for a duet. And faced the final countdown.

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One theme that bubbled away through the season had focused on Shelton, and whether the outgoing nine-time winning coach would leave the reality TV show on a high note.

For this swansong, Shelton had twice the opportunity of his rival coaches. On Tuesday, he performed with Noivas on Michael Buble’s “Home,” and with Grace West on Blake’s own hit “Lonely Tonight.” Would he, could he do it again? Flat answer, no.

As the 23rd season wrapped, it was Niall Horan’s teammate Gina Miles who took the glory.

The 19-year-old resident of Nashville, TN, broke hearts with a rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” Prince’s classic 90s number made popular by Sinead O’Connor, and a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Style.”

When she dueted with Horan on Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” The Voice viewers had seen enough.

Horan, the debutant, enjoys the rub of the green. Blake, who had a near miss in his quest to crack double figures, might call it the luck of the Irish.

“I’ve been wrestling with this for a while, and I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from The Voice after Season 23,” Shelton said in a statement. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better, and it will always feel like home to me. It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns, and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people; you are the best.”

Shelton’s teammate Grace West finished second and Kelly Clarkson’s singer D.Smooth completed the podium.

The victorious Miles collects a six-figure cash prize and a recording contract with Universal Republic Records.

23 May 2023

Cord Cutting? Here Are the Most Affordable Streaming Options for Live TV

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Thinking about switching from cable to a streaming platform? Cutting the cord is a lot easier than you might think and can save you more on your monthly bill than certain basic cable plans.

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For TV lovers who want to make the leap to streaming, we’re breaking down some of the best platforms for live TV. Check below for a roundup of streaming options that range from $25 a month up to $150 a month. The services recommended below offer month-to-month subscription plans that can be canceled at any time.

From Fubo to Peacock: Best Streaming Services for Live TV

Though major league streamers like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Paramount+ produce mostly on-demand content, YouTube TV, Sling TV and Philo, and DirectTV Stream are some of the more affordable options for live content.

If you’re on a tight budget, Philo TV is the cheapest among the plans on our list at $25/month after a one-week free trial. Stream 70+ channels including MTV, BET, A&E, Food Network, Discovery, Hallmark, ID, Nickelodeon, OWN, AMC, IFC, Lifetime, WeTV, HGTV, Comedy Central, Hallmark, TLC, TV One, OWN and the Paramount Network. Philo also comes with unlimited DVR and like all other streamers, you can watch content from any compatible device.

Philo TV

$25/month after 7-day free trial

When it comes to sports, it can be tricky finding an affordable streamer that offers your favorite games and other sporting events along with other channels. Thankfully, Fubo has a bit of everything.

Sports fans can stream NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL games along with NASCAR, MLS, MMA, tennis, soccer, boxing, golf, college sports and more on Fubo. Plans start at $76 a month (after the free trial) to access over 156 channels and 100+ sporting events. Watch ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS, along with MLB Network, Golf TV, NBA League Pass and other sports-only channels in addition to MTV, ESPN, VH1, E!, FX, MSNBC, TLC, MGM+, Paramount Network, TV Land, TRVL channel, USA, Bravo, Telemundo and more.

The subscription includes 1,000 hours of DVR space and family share to simultaneously stream on up to 10 screens at home and two outside of your home internet network.

Want more channels? Subscribe to Fubo Elite and stream 224 channels for $84.99/month or join Fubo Premier to access 233 channels for $94.99/month (and free Showtime). Fubo’s Spanish Only plan is $24.99/month to stream 52 channels, 250 hours of cloud DVD and up to two screens.

Fubo TV

$74.99

On the scale of affordability, Sling TV rivals Philo as streaming plans start at $30 for your first month ($40 after). Sling’s Orange plan includes 31 channels — Bravo, ID, AMC, BET, ESPN, TLC, A&E, BET, TNT, TCM, FX, E!, Freeform, HLN, HGTV, etc. — 50 hours of DVR storage and one device stream. The Blue plan unlocks access to 42 channels, three device streams and 50 hours of DVR. The Orange and Blue plan comes with 48 channels for $50 a month.

Sling TV

$30 $40 25% off% OFF

Hulu is one of the oldest platforms in the streaming realm (subscribe for $2/month for three months) and one of the more affordable. Hulu + Live TV is $69.99 a month for 75+ channels and Hulu’s on-demand streaming library where you’ll find exclusives like The Kardashians, ‘Til Death Do Us Part: Kourtney & Travis, White Men Can’t Jump, How I Met Your Father, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Clearing and Only Murders in the Building. Hulu + Live TV also includes ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, NTVM BETM ESPN, ID, HGTV, Own, USA, TRVL channel, Oxygen, FX, Freeform and more; along with access to Disney+ and ESPN+.

DirectTV Stream plans start at $64.99/month to stream 75+ live channels and DVR recordings. Subscribe to the Premier plan and stream 150+ live channels, plus free Max, Showtime and Starz. The Choice and Ultimate plans range from $85-$110 per month for up to 140+ channels.

Streamers That Offer Live Channels

One of the perks of Peacock is that you’ll get a good mixture of live and on-demand content for $4.99/ month for ad-supported streaming but Peacock Premium subscribers can enjoy live access to NBC and commercial-free streaming for $9.99/month. Peacock gives you next-day access to current NBC programs; Premier League, WWE, Sunday Night Football, Indy 500 and other sporting events; plus movies, beloved TV shows (including Yellowstone) and original series such as Bel-Air, Poker Face, Bupkis, Ms. Davis and episode of Bravo shows like Vandperpump Rules and Below Deck.

Peacock Premium

$9.99/month

Prime Video has live CBS stations, depending on your streaming plan. Add Paramount+ to your Prime channels (or subscribe separately) to access your local CBS channel along with hit shows, movies, soccer and other sports.

Paramount+ Premium

$9.99/month after free 7-day trial

Some of the shows and movies currently streaming on Paramount+ include Fatal Attraction, The Family Stone, Rabbit Hole, School Spirits, Star Trek: Picard, 1923, 1883, Mayor of Kingstown, Seal Team, Star Trek Discovery, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Why Women Kill, Scream VI, Dungeons & Dragons and 80 for Brady.

23 May 2023

Musicians Who Attended Cannes Film Festival 2023: The Weeknd, Dua Lipa & More

The 76th edition of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival took over the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès from May 16 to 27, where some of the most captivating TV shows and films made their international premieres.

Beyond the actors, directors, producers and more at the event, a number of musical stars also made appearances at the festival’s iconic red carpet. The Weeknd, BLACKPINK‘s Jennie and Troye Sivan all attended The Idol premiere on May 22, as all three star in the HBO show co-created by The Weeknd himself alongside Sam Levinson and Reza Fahim.

Another BLACKPINK member to take on Cannes was Rosé, who attended the premiere of Monster, a drama by Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda that reportedly received a six-minute-long standing ovation from the audience.

Dua Lipa, meanwhile, made her red carpet debut with boyfriend Romain Gavras at the premiere for the film Omar La Fraise (The King of Algiers). “Last night in Cannes with my sweetheart,” Lipa wrote on Instagram alongside snapshots of herself cozying up to Gavras.

See below for our full gallery of musicians at 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

23 May 2023

Blake Shelton Plans to ‘Say Yes’ to Having a Personal Life After Leaving ‘The Voice’

Blake Shelton‘s exit from The Voice is imminent, and the country star is looking forward to taking time off once he leaves his spinning red chair for the last time.

“I want to finally have the opportunity to say yes to more stuff in my personal life and not say, ‘Let me check,’ or just flat-out no,” the singer told Entertainment Tonight on Monday during part one of The Voice‘s season 23 finale.

Part of that plan will certainly entail spending time with wife Gwen Stefani and her three sons — Kingston, Zuma and Apollo — at Ten Point Ranch, his rural estate outside Tishomingo, Okla. However, one-on-one time with his pop-star wife could be brief considering she’s set to return to The Voice as a coach for season 24, alongside Niall Horan, John Legend and newcomer Reba McEntire.

There’s been plenty for the family to celebrate lately, including Shelton receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier this month. “I’ve had enough parties thrown for me in the last few weeks,” he quipped. “[Gwen] goes, ‘We’re just celebrating you. You’re good, right?’ Yeah, I’m good. Please, no more parties for me.”

Heading into Tuesday night’s (May 23) finale, Team Blake’s NOIVAS and Grace West will face off for the season 23 trophy against Team Kelly’s D. Smooth, Team Niall’s Gina Miles, and Team Chance’s sibling trio Sorelle. Adam Levine is also set to return for the results show to perform Maroon 5’s new single “Middle Ground” and help send off his old buddy.

23 May 2023

BLACKPINK’s Jennie On Making Her Acting Debut on ‘The Idol’: ‘It Was Like Breaking a Wall’

BLACKPINK‘s Jennie opened up in a new profile on Tuesday (May 23) about making her acting debut on the forthcoming HBO series The Idol.

“It’s overwhelming, but I’m grateful and thankful. All of those things at the same time,” the K-pop idol told WWD for their latest cover story. “Especially as it’s the first step in my acting career, I was honored to be able to come.”

Speaking to the outlet while attending her first Cannes Film Festival, Jennie said that she’s “been admiring” Idol co-creator Sam Levinson “for a very long time.” The BLACKPINK singer added that the Euphoria creator took the subject matter seriously.

“I trusted Sam to be collaborative with all the scenes that we would be working on together, because it was about the industry. The fact that it was about the music industry fascinated me, and I thought I could bring something to the role,” she said. “It was an opportunity to just be myself and be brave. I didn’t really train for it, or prep anything. Sam wanted me to just be myself.”

Jennie added that being in front of the camera in the music industry drama was a completely different experience than starring in BLACKPINK’s magnetic music videos for hits like “Ddu-Du, Ddu-Du,” “Pink Venom” and more. “It definitely was a challenge, because I’ve never experienced anything like that before,” she said. “It was like, breaking a wall for me.”

Along with Jennie, The Idol also stars Lily-Rose Depp, The Weeknd, Troye Sivan, Rachel Sennott, Dan Levy and more. Following its star-studded premiere at Cannes, the show will hit MAX (formerly HBOMax) starting June 4.

See more from Jennie’s WWD cover story below.

23 May 2023

Who Do You Think Should Win Season 23 of ‘The Voice’? Vote!

Another year, another season of The Voice in the books. The NBC singing competition’s 23rd season will wrap on Tuesday night (May 23), as five contestants compete to be crowned as the winner.

The final five in the show are Gina Miles (Team Niall), Grace West and NOIVAS (Team Blake), Sorelle (Team Chance) and D.Smooth (Team Kelly).

On Monday night, the finalists were tasked with performing an uptempo song and a ballad for the audience. Miles went with Taylor Swift’s “Style” and Sinéas O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”; West performed Vicki Lawrence’s “The Lights Went Out in Georgia” and Patsy Cline’s “She’s Got You”; NOIVAS opted for Lenny Kravitz’s “Fly Away” and Chris Stapleton’s “Cold”; Sorelle gave her unique rendition of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High” and Lady Gaga’s “Million Reasons”; D.Smooth chose Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do for Love” and Johnny Gill’s “My, My, My.”

Following Monday’s set of solo, live finale performances, each contestant will perform a duet with their respective coaches — Niall Horan, Kelly Clarkson, Chance the Rapper and Blake Shelton.

Tuesday’s finale will also double as a celebration of Shelton’s final episode on the show. The program will feature special appearances and performances from Dolly Parton, Usher, Pharrell, John Legend, Nick Jonas, Camila Cabello, Cee Lo Green, Jennifer Hudson, Maroon 5, and Diplo with Lily Rose.

Who do you think should win season 23 of The Voice? Vote in our poll below.

23 May 2023

The Weeknd Says ‘The Idol’ Was Created to Be ‘Fun, To Make People Laugh, Piss Some People Off’

If Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson aimed to stir the pot with their upcoming HBO series The Idol, consider it mission accomplished. The creative duo made a splash at the Cannes Film Festival this week with their buzzed-about series chronicling the price of pop stardom thanks to what Variety described as the copious amounts of “on-screen nudity, bodily fluids and Hollywood sycophants” in the first two (out of five) episodes that screened at the event typically focused on movies.

At a Cannes press conference on Tuesday (May 23) after the premiere, The Weeknd (who now goes by his birth name) said he and Levinson had a goal of stirring the pot and creating “something special, something fun, to make people laugh, piss some people off.” Star Lily-Rose Depp also defended the long shoot and pushed back on rumors of mayhem on the set, saying, “It’s always a little sad and disheartening to see mean, false things said about someone you care about. It wasn’t reflective of my experience.”

Before anyone got their eyes on the show, Rolling Stone posted an explosive story in March based on 13 unnamed sources who described an allegedly chaotic set drowning in ballooning budgets and endless script re-writes that contributed to a project the magazine described as “torture porn.”

Levinson took on those reports dead-on during the presser, saying, “When my wife read me the article, I looked at her and I said, ‘I think we’re about to have the biggest show of the summer.’” The showrunner readily copped to making a project that is “provocative. It’s not lost on us.” As for the claims in the article, Levinson said, “It felt completely foreign to me. My only slight grievance is they intentionally omitted anything that didn’t fit their narrative. We’ve seen a lot of that recently.”

The show focuses on Rose Depp’s Jocelyn, a pop star dealing with a psychotic break following the death of her mother, who is struggling to get a new album and tour going when she visits a sleazy Hollywood club and meets Tesfaye’s character, Tedros, a cult leader who has lascivious ideas about rebooting the singer’s career.

Borrowing a page from Kanye West’s phrase book, Tesfaye said he wanted to make a “dark, twisted fantasy” about the music industry… to take everything I know about it and heighten it.” As for the reportedly generous amounts of nudity, Levinson said “we live in a very sexualized world… the influence of pornography is strong in the psyche of young people. We see this in pop music.”

Depp appeared to agree, calling her character a “born and bred performer” whose frequent nudity is an important part of Jocelyn’s origin story. That extends to every aspect of her life, not just her professional life,” she said. “The way she dresses is trying to tell you something all the time. The occasional bareness of the character physically mirrors the bareness we get to see emotionally.”

And while the pilot episode reportedly references the white-hot spotlight often shined on young, female music stars such as Britney Spears, Levinson was adamant that Jocelyn was not directly inspired by the troubled real-life pop idol. “We’re not trying to tell a story about any particular pop star,” he said. “We’re looking more at how the world perceives pop stars and the pressure it puts on that individual.”

In a review, The Hollywood Reporter said the series is “more regressive than transgressive,” with a pointed bottom line takeaway that The Idol comes off as an “older, even more stylized version of Euphoria‘s second season,” and simply “tries too hard.” The site also noted, however, that, as is often the case among enthusiastic Cannes audiences, Monday’s premiere elicited a “standard-measure 5-minute standing ovation” and what it described as “polite applause.”

23 May 2023

Nick Jonas Set to Headline ‘Salute to Summer’ Concert for U.S. Army

NBCUniversal announced “Salute to Summer,” its new concert special to honor members of the U.S. Army, on Tuesday (May 23) with headliner Nick Jonas.

Hosted by Erin Lim Rhodes of E! News’ The Rundown, the event will air on the NBC’s streaming platform Peacock on July 7 from Universal CityWalk — adjacent to Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles — and feature a solo performance by the Jonas Brothers singer.

“I am so honored to be headlining the upcoming ‘Salute to Summer’ concert on Peacock this July to celebrate the active U.S. Army soldiers and V=veterans that have served our country and made us all so proud,” the pop star said in a statement.

“Salute to Summer” will also include a number of activations and “special augmented reality experience through WebAR” with Jonas as the star, according to the press release. Additionally, fans and attendees who visit Universal CityWalk will have the opportunity to unlock a three-dimensional bonus performance by the “This Is Heaven” crooner on their phones, and take part in NBCUniversal’s growing NFT collection.

Though Nick’s been busy as of late releasing the Jonas Brothers’ new studio set The Album with his older siblings, he recently collaborated solo with British-Indian singer King on the bilingual “Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife),” which finds the Disney Channel alum trading verses with the fellow artist in Hindi and English.

Earlier this week, Jonas looked back on his disastrous performance with Kelsea Ballerini at the 2016 Academy of Country Music Awards, revealing on Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard that his off-key guitar solo during the moment ultimately sent him to therapy after it went briefly viral across the internet.