TV/Film

23 May 2023

Watch ‘The Voice’ Finalist Gina Miles Take on Taylor Swift & Sinead O’Connor Hits for the Live Finale

The Voice entered its live finale on Monday night (May 22), and contestant Gina Miles gave her last pair of performances, dazzling the crowd with two very different song selections — Taylor Swift‘s “Style” and Sinéad O’Connor‘s “Nothing Compares 2 U.”

For her first performance, Miles rendition of Swift’s “Style” was full of color. She appeared on the stage in a bright orange dress and matching platform heels, and was assisted by background singers and instrumentalists to flesh out the technicolor showcase.

“You got that James Dean daydream look in your eye/ And I got that red lip classic thing that you like/ And when we go crashing down, we come back every time/ ‘Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style,” the Team Niall member sang with ease on the chorus.

In Miles’ performance of O’Connor’s hit single, she wore a purple gown and was in dim lighting on the stage as television screens behind her featured video of her singing the slow burning track. “I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant/ But nothing/ I said nothing can take away these blues/ ‘Cause nothing compares/ Nothing compares to you,” she emotively sang, finishing the song to full applause from the crowd.

Miles is up against four other finalists: Grace West and NOIVAS (Team Blake), Sorelle (Team Chance) and D. Smooth (Team Kelly). On the Tuesday night finale, Miles will perform a duet with her coach, Niall Horan.

Watch Miles’ performances of “Style” and “Nothing Compares 2 U” below.

23 May 2023

LL Cool J Headed to ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Next Season

LL Cool J is hanging up his badge on the mainland, but come next season, the veteran rapper/actor will be investigating crimes in an equally sunny, surfy locale. In a tweet on Monday night (May 22), LL wrote “Let’s do this!!!,” along with an arm flex, lightning bolt and fire emoji after NCIS: Hawai’i star Vanessa Lachey tweeted, “Cat’s out of the bag. Welcome @LLCOOLJ to our #NCISHawaii ohana!” along with a photo of her smiling next to LL.

In a second tweet, LL explained his long-running NCIS: Los Angeles character Sam Hanna’s jump from the City of Angels after a 14-year run with the NCIS franchise to his new island home. “Couldn’t keep Sam Hanna off the case for too long!!,” he wrote. “Starting tonight, Sam Hanna will join forces with @NCISHawaiiCBS team as a recurring guest star in the upcoming third season.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Monday night’s season two finale of NCIS: Hawai’i found Lachey’s Jane Tennant and Tori Anderson’s Kate Whistler under attack in Venezuela until an offscreen ally comes to their aid when Jane’s phone rings and LL’s Hanna is on the other end. The rapper’s character was last seen in the Moroccan desert in Sunday night’s series finale of NCIS: Los Angeles.

Tennant thanks Hanna for the hand, with Hanna noting that he was “in the neighborhood… Morocco, actually, but hey — what’s a few borders and an ocean, anyway?” The long-distance cameo is a preview of LL’s upcoming recurring role in the upcoming 2023-24 NCIS: Hawai’i season, where he will reprise his role as Hanna; LL previously appeared on the show in a cameo crossover earlier this season.

“One of the most beautiful things about working on NCIS: Hawai’i is the show’s ability to bring the franchise together. We have had so much fun spreading the aloha to NCIS and NCIS: LA with the triple crossover,” Lachey said of LL’s previous cameo. “Now, we have the amazing opportunity to bring Sam Hanna to Hawai’i to help the island solve some cases and maybe have a few laughs in the process. Welcome to the ohana, Todd! It’s going to be a fun ride!”

Check out LL’s tweets below.

23 May 2023

Lil Nas X Has Absolutely No Idea What Is Going On During Bizarre Preview of ‘Eric Andre Show’ Season 6

By now you should know what you’re getting into if your agent greenlights an appearance on The Eric André Show. The Adult Swim series is gearing up for its sixth season and in a preview that dropped on Monday (May 22) Lil Nas X is the gonzo comedian’s latest victim.

André — who delights in making his guests squirm as much as possible by filling the studio with carny sideshow-like characters, unpredictable, viscous liquids and all manner of shocking and upsetting surprises — does his best to throw Lil Nas off his game in a two-minute preview of the new season that launches on June 4.

The clip opens with the rapper taking the stage in one of his signature fashion-forward outfits, a black and white spacesuit with clunky boots that gives him a futuristic vibe. After the house band plays him on, André makes his way to the host’s desk and compliments Lil Nas, saying, “you look like you’re gonna f—in’ motorcycle through a Tron remake.”

Thinking he might pull one over on the stand-up comedian and star of Bad Trip, Nas X wonders, “hey, do you believe in the illuminati?” But, before André can even answer in the affirmative, a monster below his desk screeches and tries to push its way through the wood paneling in a horrifying manner.

Like so many things on the show, it is never explained or even acknowledged, leading to a shocked look on Lil Nas’ face. “What the f–k is going on in here?” the host wonders, quipping that he’s returning whatever is living at his feet to the store. “Okay,” Lil Nas says nervously while looking around as the hiss of vapor fills the air, with a microphone spraying an unknown mist into André’s face.

As Eric seems increasingly narcotized, Nas covers his mouth in worry while André appears to be drugged, slurring, “when you got videos when you got in trouble?” Trying to salvage things, Lil Nas sweetly asks, “what?” as André continues to ramble incoherently. “What the f–k is wrong with you?” the rapper laughs nervously as co-host Felipe punches his way through the set a la Jack Nicholson in The Shining.

Not to worry, as usual, Montero will have plenty of company in André’s bizarroland, with other guests this season slated to include Diplo, Jon Hamm, Natasha Lyonne, Blac Chyna, Rico Nasty, Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Yachty, Cypress Hill and more.

Watch Lil Nas in the preview below.

22 May 2023

Michael Gudinski’s Career to Be Immortalized In ‘Ego’ Doc: Watch the Trailer

The incredible career of the late Australian impresario Michael Gudinski will be retold in a major new documentary.

Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story will roll out at theaters across Australia from Aug. 31, following its premiere Aug. 10 at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) — the music man’s beloved home city.

MIFF pitches the film as “a uniquely Australian tribute to a much-loved industry legend.”

Helmed by Paul Goldman (Such is Life: The Troubled Times of Ben Cousins), Ego will tell MG’s tale with never-before-seen archive footage, and interviews with the likes of Jimmy Barnes, Vika & Linda Bull, Garbage, Dave Grohl, Vance Joy, Paul Kelly, Kylie Minogue, Mark Seymour, Ed Sheeran, Bruce Springsteen and Sting.

“Famed for his eccentricities and boldness,” reads a statement (May 23) unveiling the new project, Ego “dives into the psyche and unorthodox tactics of Michael as he became the frontman of a cultural movement and built a music empire whose artists created the soundtrack for a nation.”

The project is timed to drop as Gudinski’s Mushroom Group celebrates its 50 year anniversary, a party that will include a “major live event.”

Now led by MG’s son, Matt Gudinski, the independent music powerhouse is home to some two-dozen companies, active in every conceivable area of the music industry, including Mushroom Music Publishing, the country’s leading independent publisher; labels I Oh You, Liberation and Bloodlines; and the concert promotion juggernaut Frontier Touring.

The larger than life entrepreneur passed March 2, 2021, aged 68, a shock that triggered a wave of tributes from across the music world. Many of those starry friends and extended “Mushroom family” appear in the film, the trailer for which can be seen below.

“He had the energy of a rock drummer,” recounts Sting. Adds Foo Fighter Grohl, “I imagine being a rock promoter as the biggest fucking nightmare. There has to be a reason why he did it.”

Following his death, Gudinski was feted with the No. 1 spot in Billboard’s International Power Players list, and a statue of the great man was erected outside Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, depicting MG with his familiar No. 1 hand gesture.

Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story is a Mushroom Studios production, with principal production funding from Screen Australia in association with VicScreen. It’s financed with support from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA). Local distribution and international sales are handled by Mushroom Studios.

22 May 2023

‘The Idol’ Receives Standing Ovation at Cannes Film Festival

HBO’s controversial drama series The Idol made its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival on Monday night (May 22), where it received a standard-measure five-minute standing ovation, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Additionally, the publication reported that co-creator and director Sam Levinson became teary eyed as he expressed that he’s “proud of this show, proud of how we made this show.”

He also praised the cast members of The Idol cast, adding, “I feel like I gained a family. I know that’s a little culty, but that’s how it feels.”

The Weeknd, who originally pitched the concept of The Idol to HBO, makes his acting debut in the seedy musical drama, starring alongside Lily-Rose Depp, who plays a pop star in crisis and on the brink of a nervous breakdown. The “Blinding Lights” singer plays Tedros, the leader of a cult who seduces Depp’s Jocelyn.

Suzanna Son, Rachel Sennott, Troye Sivan, Dan Levy, Mike Dean, Moses Sumney, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Hank Azaria, BLACKPINK’s Jennie and more are all also set to appear in the pop star-themed series. Along with Levinson and The Weeknd, Reza Fahim is also a co-creator of the upcoming show.

The Weeknd recently defended The Idol with after Rolling Stone reported that production had been marred with controversy. “I thought the article was ridiculous. I wanted to give a ridiculous response to it,” he told Vanity Fair, pointing to his tweet responding to the story with a clip from The Idol in which his character says, “Rolling Stone? Aren’t they a little…irrelevant?”

The Idol hits HBO and MAX on June 4.

22 May 2023

Halle Bailey, H.E.R. & Fantasia Star in ‘The Color Purple’ Trailer

Warner Bros. unveiled the trailer for the big-screen musical adaptation of The Color Purple on Monday (May 22), starring Halle Bailey, H.E.R., Fantasia and more.

“Today, our teacher taught us about a place called Africa,” Bailey says as young Nettie Harris tells her older sister Celie to open the preview. “She say our mamas come from queens over there. That means that we? Royalty.”

As Fantasia’s voice echoes over the clip as a grown-up Celie singing “I’m Here,” the two sisters are cruelly separated by Celie’s much-older husband, leaving Celie without her only support system in life. The trailer then progresses to reveal Danielle Brooks as Sofia and Taraji P. Henson as the fabulous Shug Avery, who introduces Celie to a brighter, more musical life, declaring, “Let’s see this smile in color,” as she applies lipstick to the latter’s face for the very first time.

Produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones, the new rendition of The Color Purple will be the first time the Broadway musical is brought to the screen — itself an adaptation of the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. Spielberg also directed the original, non-musical version of the story in 1985, which starred Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Winfrey, Laurence Fishburne and more, and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards at the time of its release.

For her part, Fantasia has previously stepped into Celie’s shoes multiple times, both in the 2007 Broadway revival and its subsequent national tour. The big-screen musical will also serve as Bailey’s follow-up to her heralded role as Ariel in the new live-action retelling of The Little Mermaid, which premieres this Friday (May 26).

The Color Purple is scheduled to hit theaters on Christmas Day (Dec. 25). Watch the trailer below.

22 May 2023

Katy Perry Wants Lizzo to Be an ‘American Idol’ Judge

Time for some more girl power on the American Idol judges panel.

Katy Perry took part in Buzzfeed Celeb‘s popular Puppy Interview segment, where she answered a bunch of questions all while playing with the cutest puppies you’ve ever seen.

In response to what the most challenging part of being an American Idol judge is, the “Roar” singer said, “Probably being a woman and having a strong opinion,” before winking at the camera.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

She continued, “I also think that what’s really challenging is only one person wins this contest. I would say that the top 20 are all superstars and I would never want to sing after them because they can sing better than all of us.”

However, Perry had a great idea to fix that “being a woman” challenge she mentioned earlier — having Lizzo join the judges panel. “I’d like Lizzo to come and join American Idol. This is an invitation from me, Katy Perry,” she said. “Lizzo, I’m asking you to join the panel. I’m feeling a little outnumbered on the testosterone. I could really use some bold, honest, hot takes.”

The “California Girls” singer has been a judge on American Idol alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie since season 16, which aired back in 2018.

Watch her full puppy interview below.

22 May 2023

Dua Lipa Teases ‘Barbie’ Single ‘Dance the Night’: Here’s When It Arrives

This Barbie is a mermaid … AND a singer! Dua Lipa announced the release date for her new song “Dance the Night” off the Barbie: The Album on Monday (May 22).

“This Barbie has a song coming this week… FRIDAY MIDNIGHT BST,” the pop star wrote on Instagram. In the accompanying video, she steps out of her fluffy heels, mimicking the instantly iconic shot of Margot Robbie’s arched foot in the Barbie trailer, before blowing a kiss at the camera over a gleaming disco groove that offers just a single tantalizing lyric: “Just come along for the ride!”

British Standard Time is a full five hours ahead of the East Coast, which means the Barbie track will arrive on our shores ahead of the New Music Friday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

The recent 2023 Met Gala co-chair’s announcement got plenty of love on social media, with the official Barbie Instagram account writing, “Can’t wait” with three heart-eyes emojis, and Donatella Versace adding, “She’s a Versace Barbie” with a wink and a butterfly. Mark Ronson also left a series of alternating pink heart and fire emojis in the comments — possibly hinting at his involvement behind the boards on the track.

Dua will also be featured onscreen in the upcoming live-action Barbie film, which stars Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, Issa Rae and a plethora of other famous faces as Barbies and Kens and is set to premiere in theaters nationwide on July 21.

Check out Lipa’s flirty tease for “Dance The Night” below.

22 May 2023

Jelly Roll & Lainey Wilson Bring Dramatic ‘Save Me’ Collab to ‘American Idol’ Finale

Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll reprised their recent performance of the latter’s “Save Me” at the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards, bringing their soulful duet to the stage of the season 21 American Idol finale on Sunday (May 21). Jelly Roll began the song solo, standing center stage under dim lights, before being joined shortly by Wilson. The gospel-tinged collab made the most of each artist’s sturdy vocals and engaging stage presence.

After Wilson exited the stage, Jelly Roll transitioned into a performance of his new single “Need a Favor,” welcoming recently eliminated Idol contestant Oliver Steele to join him.

Steele and Jelly Roll share a hometown. The country star grew up in the Nashville suburb of Antioch, while the hopeful was raised in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., less than 25 miles away.

After the performance, Steele posted a photo of himself with Jelly Roll on Instagram, captioning the pic, “That has to be one of the funnest, most bad@ss feeling performances I’ve ever done!!! @jellyroll615 thank you so much for being so welcoming and offering so much wisdom, guidance, and brotherly love. Looking forward to hanging with you some more back home in the 615!! Let’s make some music, brother!!!”

“Need a Favor” is currently at No. 19 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and follows Jelly Roll’s first Country Airplay chart-topper, “Son of a Sinner,” which crested on the tally in January. In February, the country singer broke the record for the most weeks spent atop the Emerging Artists chart, staying atop the chart for 28 weeks.

See Jelly Roll’s full American Idol performance with Wilson and Steele above, and the Idol hopeful’s Instagram post below..

21 May 2023

Benedict Cumberbatch to Portray Pete Seeger in Bob Dylan Biopic ‘A Complete Unknown’

Benedict Cumberbatch has reportedly been cast as folk icon Pete Seeger in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.

Director James Mangold revealed the news to Deadline at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival following a screening of his latest movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Seeger, who died in 2014 at age 94, played a significant role in Dylan’s early musical career in the 1960s, helping facilitate his record label contract and inviting him to perform perform at the Newport Folk Festival.

A Complete Unknown stars Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, and Elle Fanning in an unspecified role. Woody Guthrie will also be portrayed in the movie, though the actor cast for the role has not yet been announced. The biopic is scheduled to begin production in August.

The project is based on Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric and a script from Jay Cocks.

As previously reported, Mangold confirmed that Chalamet will do his own singing in the forthcoming Searchlight Pictures film. During an interview with Collider at London’s Star Wars Celebration in early April, the director was asked whether the actor would do his own crooning in the biopic, instead of dubbing in Dylan’s voice. Mangold replied, “Of course!”

“It’s such an amazing time in American culture,” Mangold said when asked what drew him to the Dylan film. “The story of a young, 19-year-old Bob Dylan coming to New York with like two dollars in his pocket and becoming a worldwide sensation within three years — first being embraced into the family of folk music in New York and then, of course, kind of outrunning them at a certain point as his star rises so beyond belief. It’s such an interesting true story and about such an interesting moment in the American scene.”