TV/Film

17 May 2023

Medusa Talks Winning ‘Masked Singer’ & How Her Snakes Felt Like ‘Good Luck Charms’

Spoiler alert: This story contains the identity of the winner of season 9, revealed on Wednesday night’s (May 17) episode of The Masked Singer.

Like something straight out of Greek mythology, Medusa’s journey to the Masked Singer crown was a heroic one.

It was a star-studded season, which featured iconic actors Dick Van Dyke, Malin Akerman, George Wendt and Lou Diamond Phillips; impressive singers like Sara Evans, Debbie Gibson, Michael Bolton, Dee Snider and Pentatonix; and every type of celebrity in between. It all led up to The Masked Singer‘s final battle of season 9 on Wednesday night, in which two of the season’s favorites, Macaw and Medusa, went head-to-snake-filled-head.

Throughout the season, Medusa wowed judges with mystical, powerful renditions of Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever,” Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” Shawn Mendes’ “Mercy,” My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade” and more. However, it almost came tumbling down during New York Night, when Medusa and California Roll competed in the Battle Royale, singing “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel. The panel of judges chose California Roll to go on to the next round, but used their first-ever save on Medusa when judge Nicole Scherzinger rang the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell.

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Before getting crowned the winner of The Masked Singer on Wednesday night, the judges were perplexed when it came to her identity. Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg initially thought she might be Ellie Goulding or Halsey, while Ken Jeong thought Medusa might be the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, and Robin Thicke guessed Kesha. Scherzinger predicted Tove Lo or Lorde, before accurately guessing the woman behind the myth: British-American singer-songwriter, Bishop Briggs.

The star — known for her passionate vocals in hits like “River” — spoke to Billboard before Wednesday night’s finale, sharing her emotion-filled journey to the crown, the inspiration behind her upcoming EP When Everything Went Dark and how Medusa helped turn her weaknesses to stone.

Congratulations on your big win! How does it feel?

Thank you! It is the coolest thing ever. I can’t believe that I can even share that this is happening.

Did anyone in your personal life suspect that Medusa was you?

I definitely got a lot of text messages and I tried my best to keep it a secret. I just can’t wait to text them all back tonight and tell them they were right.

You had the judges pretty stumped throughout the season. Was it exciting to be the secret but incredible talent on the show?

I wasn’t super surprised that I didn’t get guessed just because I’m still an up-and-coming artist. I will say though, when Nicole eventually guessed me, all of a sudden you feel very exposed [laughs]. I felt very aware of my body and mannerisms. It was nice to fly under the radar, though.

On the other hand, you got compared to some amazing artists. The judges thought you might be Ellie Goulding, Halsey or Kesha. How did that feel?

Never forget, they also said Lorde at one point. I’m definitely holding on to those and never forgetting that it’s the coolest thing ever.

Nicole Scherzinger also saved you earlier in the season. Do you know her personally and how did it feel to be championed by her throughout the show?

I do not know her personally, but I am obviously obsessed with her. Coming into the show, she was vocalist that I really, really admire and I feel like she’s really underrated for what an incredible vocal talent she has. I mean, she sings like Whitney Houston. So the fact that she had any response to my voice, it meant so much to me. And with the bell, that moment, I cannot even explain how everything turned into slow motion. They were all yelling ‘Take it off!’ I really thought that I was going to be going home. You really learn in those moments how much you want to be there.

We have to talk about your amazing costume. Why Medusa?

I feel that she is someone who was really misunderstood and I was balancing a lot when I was on the show. I was six months postpartum. I was a new mom and I was pumping in between performing. I feel like the idea that women can be so many different things all at once really is Medusa to me. To be able to use Medusa strength when I really needed it, meant so much.

Balancing your postpartum journey with this show sounds tough.

I barely balanced it at all. I was writing notes to my son even if I was away only for a few hours and I was bombarding him and my husband with FaceTime. There is no such thing as balance, but we can find that space where we get to do what we love, and also be present as a parent. I think finding those moments means everything and it’s not talked about enough. I’m still on the journey of postpartum and it’s crazy how much your mind and body completely evolves and changes.

With the physical struggles of postpartum and choosing such difficult songs to perform, how did you manage it all while in a costume?

I love performing so much, and my favorite thing about performing is really losing myself in whatever song I’m singing. I feel like I got to use the fact that I really lean into the emotion of every song to my advantage. I also feel like the snakes were good luck charms and they whispered to me. The company kept me warm at night, so I think there was a side of it where I wasn’t alone on stage.

It’s an exciting year for you. You released a new single, “Baggage,” and your EP, When Everything Went Dark, is out June 23. What’s the story behind your new music?

It’s about these past few years, the past, present and future. I lost my sister really unexpectedly. The journey of grief is an ever evolving one and, with that and becoming a mom, I felt like exploring the topics of love, loss, grief and, hopefully, by the end of it, feeling empowered to keep going. That really is the main thing that I really am trying to work on, not only as an artist and through the EP but as a human being. Then I have a tour coming up, that I’ll be bringing the baby on, of course. I’m really excited to be able to perform the songs.

Is it strange to have grief co-exist with the joy of bringing a new life into the world?

Yes, and it’s so hard. You can’t help but feel like perhaps the new life was a gift left behind from that loved one. The amount of times that you hear about these things happening in such close proximity, I always wonder that because my son is someone that really helped me continue. Even when I was pregnant, I made sure to work on my mental health just to make sure that I was going to be a grounded mom that could talk about what has happened.

What do you hope viewers take away from your Masked Singer journey?

Everything we’re talking about, which is you can be multiple things all at once. Don’t be afraid to lean into those different sides of your personality and your spirit, and I hope that people feel empowered to do so.

17 May 2023

Fans Can Finally Hear NewJeans’ Danielle in the Korean Dub of ‘Little Mermaid’s ‘Part of Your World’

With less than two weeks to go until the release of The Little Mermaid, the Korean dub of the movie’s iconic song “Part of Your World” by NewJeans‘ Danielle arrived on Wednesday (May 17).

The video features the NewJeans member wearing an all-blue ensemble consisting of a light blue ruffled top and a sequined blue skirt, fitting in with the movie’s under-the-sea theme. Scenes from the live-action movie — which stars Halle Bailey as Ariel and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric — play as she delivers her passionate rendition of the track while she’s looking directly into the camera.

“Flippin’ your fins, you don’t get too far/ Legs are required for jumping, dancing/ Strolling along down a—/ What’s that word again? Street/ Up where they walk, up where they run/ Up where they stay all day in the sun/ Wanderin’ free/ Wish I could be part of that world,” the K-pop star sings in Korean.

Danielle’s version of “Part of Your World” comes amid several recent achievements for NewJeans. Earlier this month, Guinness World Records confirmed that the quintet — which also consists of members Minji, Hanni, Hyein and Haerin — became the K-pop act (solo male, solo female or group) to hit 1 billion streams the fastest on Spotify, after just 219 days of being a group.

NewJeans will also make its debut in the United States when it performs at Lollapalooza come August, and will release new music sometime this summer.

Listen to Danielle’s “Part of Your World” in the video above. The Little Mermaid arrives in theaters May 26.

17 May 2023

Selena Gomez Is Joining Food Network for 2 New Cooking Shows

Food Network announced its upcoming slate of new programming on Wednesday (May 17), including two new series starring Selena Gomez.

Later this year, the pop star will launch her first as-yet-untitled show, which will center around celebrations in the kitchen during the holidays. Then, in 2024, she’ll head out across America to visit some of the country’s most celebrated chefs “in a quest to cook their most popular dishes when she visits their kitchens.”

“The holidays are always huge for Food Network,” said Kathleen Finch, Warner Bros. Discovery’s chairman and CCO of US networks, in a statement. “And having Selena kicking off the nearly 100 hours of new and returning holiday programming will certainly make this coming season one to celebrate.”

Gomez’s foray into Food Network territory follows the success of her HBO Max series Selena + Chef, which has run for four seasons and featured episodes with culinary stars from Ludo Lefebvre and Padma Lakshmi to Kwame Onwuachi, Ayesha Curry, Gordon Ramsay and more. In late April, the show nabbed its first Daytime Emmy Award nomination in the outstanding culinary series category.

Earlier this month, “Calm Down,” the singer’s recent collab with Rema, reached new heights on its slow-burning journey up the charts by landing at No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart — becoming the first to top both that tally and the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart — as well as at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Meanwhile, Gomez is also headed back to Hulu later this summer when the third season of Only Murders in the Building premieres on Aug. 8.

17 May 2023

Macaw Confesses They Were ‘Afraid to Show Myself’ on ‘The Masked Singer’ Finale: Exclusive

The Masked Singer season 9 finale is upon us, and Billboard has an exclusive first look at Macaw reflecting on their emotional journey throughout the competition.

“Tonight, honey, you showed us what you are made of,” judge Nicole Scherzinger raves following one of the masked contestant’s finale performances. “You always pull at our heartstrings, you give us the feels, but tonight you hunkered down and you said, ‘Naw, it ain’t over with yet, baby! I’m comin’ for you!’”

With their speaking voice modulated to hide their identity, the Macaw replied, “I had a lot of anxiety before coming onto the show because I was afraid to show myself,” before their voice broke on the verge of tears.

“Take your time, take your time,” host Nick Cannon said, offering the singer a consoling arm while Macaw continued, “It’s been a difficult last couple of years and I’m truly humbled, so thank you.”

Throughout the season, Macaw has absolutely crushed covers of everything from Elton John’s “Your Song” and “Live Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw to Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph” and One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful.” In the finale, the colorful songbird faces off against Medusa for the season 9 crown after beating out the likes of California Roll (Pentatonix), UFO (Olivia Culpo), Fairy (Holly Robinson Peete) and Axolotl (professional wrestler Alexa Bliss).

Other celebs who’ve rounded out the latest season of the hit reality show include Lou Diamond Phillips as Mantis, Melissa Joan Hart as Lamp, Dee Snider as Doll, former Selling Sunset villain Christine Quinn, Lele Pons as Jackalope, Grandmaster Flash as Polar Bear, Debbie Gibson as Night Owl and more.

Watch Macaw’s emotional confession during The Masked Singer finale below.

16 May 2023

The Weeknd Defends ‘The Idol’ Following Backlash: ‘I Wanted to Give a Ridiculous Response to It’

The Weeknd opened up about his upcoming HBO musical drama The Idol in a new profile on Tuesday (May 16).

Sitting down with Vanity Fair, the “Blinding Lights” singer otherwise known as Abel Tesfaye defended the forthcoming series after Rolling Stone reported production had been marred with controversy, the ousting of original director Amy Seimetz and a complete overhaul of the first season requiring extensive reshoots.

“I thought the article was ridiculous. I wanted to give a ridiculous response to it,” he said in the interview, pointing to his tweet responding to the story with a clip from The Idol in which his character, Tedros, questions, “Rolling Stone? Aren’t they a little…irrelevant?” To punctuate the dig, The Weeknd cheekily captioned his tweet with a direct message to the magazine, tweeting, “.@RollingStone did we upset you?”

Further, Tesfaye insisted there was no scandal when it came to replacing Seimetz with his co-creator Sam Levinson as director. “I actually really loved working with Amy,” he said, “and I’m sure she’s reading all this being like, ‘Why am I being thrown into this?’” Instead, he chalked up the behind-the-scenes switch to scheduling conflicts and production timelines, nonchalantly adding, “Shows get reshot every day … What are you gonna do? These are the trials and tribulations of it, and that’s what the show is about.”

The Idol, which stars Lily-Rose Depp as a mononymous pop star named Jocelyn and Tesfaye as her egotistical producer and mentor Tedros, is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival later this month before its wide premiere on HBO and MAX June 4. The show will also feature the likes of Suzanna Son, Rachel Sennott, Dan Levy, Troye Sivan, Moses Sumney, Jennie of BLACKPINK and more.

Read more from The Weeknd’s Vanity Fair interview about The Idol here and check out his cover shot below.

16 May 2023

Niall Horan, Chance The Rapper Perform as ‘The Voice’ Top 5 Revealed

Season 23 of NBC’s The Voice is entering the final straight, the finishing line in view. Glory awaits.

On Monday night (May 15), the final eight performed live in the semi-finals. And for the first time this season, the power shifted from coaches Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan, and into the hands of America.

When the votes were tallied, those eight survivors became five — and the dreams of three contestants were crushed.

Before the cut, two of the star coaches stepped out of their seats and up to the mic. Horan performed “Meltdown,” the second single lifted from his forthcoming third studio album The Show, due out June 9.

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Meanwhile, Chance hit his Coloring Book number “Same Drugs,” with support from his former teammates Jamar Langley, Manasseh Samone and Kala Banham.

As the episode reached its climax, the five finalists were revealed: Grace West (Team Blake), D.Smooth (Team Kelly), Gina Miles (Team Niall), Sorelle (Team Chance), and Noivas (Team Blake).

And with that, Ryley Tate Wilson, Ray Uriel and Holly Brand are eliminated.

Shelton will like his chances. The country star hangs up his Voice hat at the end of the season, with a record nine wins as a coach. As the field shrinks to five, he’s the only coach with two singers still in the game.

Watch the final 5 below.

15 May 2023

Ludacris Says Fans Can Expect New Music Soon: ‘I Would Say an Album Probably Next Year’

With Fast X looming, one of the franchise’s heralded stars, Ludacris, sat down with Tamron Hall to discuss his upcoming 10th studio album and what fans can expect, and Billboard has an exclusive first look. 

“We’re definitely gonna get some music before the end of this year,” revealed the “Southern Hospitality” star on the Tuesday (May 16) episode of the Tamron Hall Show. “I would say an album, probably next year.”

Luda’s last studio album came in 2015, titled Ludaversal. It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and included features from Usher, Miguel, Monica and Big K.R.I.T. 

Luda quipped with Hall about the project’s delay, blaming the Fast & Furious franchise’s hectic shooting schedule on the wait. “They keep shooting more movies. What am I supposed to do?” he joked. 

Despite his busy schedule, Luda has found time to crank out freestyles on social media. Last year, he caught the attention of his 15 million Instagram followers when he delivered a blistering verse over Armani White’s viral Billboard Hot 100 hit “Billie Eilish.” The post not only sits at a whopping 858,000 views on Instagram, but earned him an invitation to the burgeoning rapper’s “Legends Mix” of the song featuring Busta Rhymes and N.O.R.E. Months later, on April 20, Luda dropped another freestyle, accrued staggering numbers, and neared the 800,000 mark. 

“When I was young, I feel like some of my favorite rappers, once they get to a certain point, it’s almost like you wish that they were still kind of hungry and you feel like they don’t have it necessarily like they used to. I never wanted to be that,” he shared. “So it’s extremely important for me to prove to people that even though I’m doing all this other stuff, make no mistake, I still got it, and I’m still as hungry.”

Watch Luda’s interview clip with Tamron Hall above. Check your local listings for airtime.

15 May 2023

Jamie Foxx & Daughter Corinne Are Hosting New Game Show ‘We Are Family’

Jamie Foxx and his daughter Corinne Foxx are coming to a television screen near you. On Monday (May 15), Fox announced that the father-daughter duo will team up to host a new game show called We Are Family.

“We are thrilled to be developing We Are Family with Jeff Apploff and our friends at FOX Entertainment after so much success with six seasons of Beat Shazam,” said Jamie and Corinne Foxx in a statement. “We hope this show brings as much fun to audiences at home as we’ve had creating it when it premieres next year.”

The program — which is slated for a 2024 premiere — will feature non-famous relatives of celebrities performing duets with their star family members. The audience will be compromised of 100 contestants who will play through rounds of clues, guessing who the celebrity performer is for a chance to win up to $100,000. The more correct guesses the audience and its contestant make, the closer they get to the identity of the celebrity being revealed.

Foxx will executive produce We Are Family alongside Apploff and Matilda Zoltowski, who will also serve as the series’ showrunner.) The singer-actor and his daughter previously worked together on Beat Shazam, which Nick Cannon took over as a guest host as Foxx recovered from a health issue; Kelly Osbourne filled in for Corinne as the show’s DJ.

The news of Foxx and his daughter Corinne’s new hosting gig comes amid the singer-comedian’s hospitalization in April. The star gave his first statement on the matter on May 3, thanking his supporters for “all the love” amid his health scare.

Corinna also spoke out weeks later to share an update. “My Dad has been out of the hospital for weeks, recuperating. In fact, he was playing pickleball yesterday!” she wrote on Instagram. “Thanks for everyone’s prayers and support!”

15 May 2023

Lizzo Jams Out With Lisa & Bart in ‘Dream Come True’ ‘Simpsons’ Cameo: Watch

Lizzo is feeling good as h-ll about her Simpsons debut. The 35-year-old hitmaker teased her first ever cameo on the iconic TV cartoon Sunday (May 14), sharing a preview video of the jam session she enjoys with Lisa and Bart Simpson in the upcoming episode.

In the clip, a Simpson-ified Lizzo — wearing one of her trademark Yitty athleisure sets — appears to record voiceovers with Homer Simpson for an animated project directed by Lisa and Bart. When instructed to slap Homer for a sound effect, she tells Bart, “Seems a bit excessive to me, but hey, you’re the kid.”

To make her feel more comfortable, Bart takes on the task of repeatedly slapping his dad himself. “This beat is fire,” Lizzo then declares, dancing along to the rhythm of Bart’s smacks. “Yo, Lisa. How ’bout I get Sasha Flute, you get your saxo-mo-phone, and we jam!”

“Every Icon has been on @thesimpsons — now I can add my name to the list!” the “About Damn Time” singer captioned the scene that she posted to her Instagram account. “Thank you to the whole team for making this a dream come true ? (yes I’m wearing @yitty and playing @sashabefluting ) !!!!”

According to IMDB, the episode is titled “Homer’s Adventure Through the Windshield Glass” and will air Sunday (May 21). She’s also set to voice a “happy little elf doll” in the episode that will mark the finale of The Simpsons season 34.

Lizzo also shared part of the sneak peek to her other Instagram account, which she runs on behalf of her flute — named Sasha Flute after Beyoncé’s alter ego, Sasha Fierce. “IM OFFICIALLY THE MOST FAMOUS FLUTE IN D WORLD,” wrote “Sasha” of the moment Lizzo and Lisa hammer out a funky melody on their flute and saxophone.

See Lizzo’s sneak peek at her upcoming Simpsons cameo below:

15 May 2023

Reba McEntire Joining Upcoming Season 24 of ‘The Voice’

NBC announced the cast for the upcoming fall season of The Voice on Monday morning (May 15), revealing that former judge John Legend will be back in the mix in addition to returning castmate Gwen Stefani.

The two will be joined by Niall Horan in his second season, with one-time Voice hold-out country icon Reba McEntire filling the final slot for season 24. The quartet will take over for the current season’s team leaders, which include Chance the Rapper and the lone original remaining seat-filler, Blake Shelton, who is hanging it up after 12 years during season 23’s two-night finale on May 22-23.

Earlier this year, McEntire was asked if she thought she’d make a good replacement for Shelton, revealing that she was almost one of the OG Voice judges. She told ET that she was originally offered a role on the show before it debuted in 2011 before producers pivoted to Shelton.

“I got [a look at] the Holland version of The Voice. They sent it to me and I said, ‘I can’t see me doing that,’” she said in Feb. of her feelings after seeing the original version of the show that has spawned a global franchise. “Because, you know, I’m a gypsy at heart,” said McEntire, 68 of her desire not to be tied down to one project for so long at the time.

McEntire did not end up completely abandoning the show, though, serving as a mentor to Team Blake in 2011 and then returning again in 2015. Stefani is also no stranger, serving as a coach during six different seasons (7, 9, 17, 19 and 22), while Legend was a coach during seasons 16-22.

Check out NBC’s announcement below.