State Champ Radio TV/Film
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Jennifer Lopez strikes a fierce stance in the new posters for her upcoming Netflix drama The Mother. In the two images for the film slated to premiere on May 12 — the trailer drops on Tuesday (April 11) — Lopez stares into the distance with icy eyes while wearing a fur coat in a snowstorm, a cache of weapons slung over her left shoulder.
The intense images were shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz to promote the film in which Lopez plays an assassin who comes out of retirement to protect the daughter she’s never met from murderous criminal bent on revenge. The action adventure is the follow-up to last year’s Super Bowl halftime doc Halftime, as well as the singer’s return to rom-coms, Shotgun Wedding.
The film’s trailer finds a jacked Lopez doing pull-ups in a frigid climate in a sports bra and beanie cap and toting a long gun around while hunting. “She needs protection right now,” a steely-eyed JLo says amid a montage in which she speaks to her teary daughter in a diner, rips through town in a high-speed chase and pulls off a variety of action sequences on motorcycles and snowmobiles.
“If there’s trouble… come find me,” she says ominously. The rest of the cast for the film directed by Niki Caro (live-action Mulan) includes Joseph Finnes, Lucy Paez, Omari Hardwick, Paul Raci and Gael Garcia Bernal.
Not much else is known about the movie, but if Lopez’s husband, Oscar-winner Ben Affleck, is to be believed it is likely to be another one of her signature hits. “Here’s this incredible actress and this incredible performer. And then we’re sitting in the car, you know, and I’m humming along, like I will, you know, to the radio. And then a professional singer goes ahead and sings along and you kind of feel like, ‘Well that’s embarrassing,’” he told the hosts of the Smartless podcast last week about his awe about his wife’s talents and the songs she’s written about him over the years.
That high praise came a week after the couple walked the red carpet for the premiere of the dramatic origin story of Nike’s Air Jordan sneakers, Air, which Affleck stars in and also directed. At the time, he had more kind words for J.Lo for standing by his side during the film’s production, saying, “I love you. You mean the world to me. You’re fabulous, you’re amazing, you’re wonderful, good, kind, magnificent and I love you.”
Check out the poster and trailer for The Mother below.
After the drama, Nutsa Buzaladze brought some action to the American Idol stage as Hollywood Week rumbled on.
The 26-year-old native of Georgia, in Eastern Europe, turned it around with her performance on Idol, which aired Sunday night (April 9), after an incident during the previous duets round in which she was accused of sleeping on the job.
“We had a couple of issues last night,” Buzaladze’s duet partner Carina DeAngelo told the judges last time. “Some people wanted to sleep instead of working.” No prizes for guessing who those “people” are.
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“It was really hurtful for me,” says Buzaladze in a package at the top of her latest performance. “I never do bad to people, I am not this person,” she told the cameras.
Katy Perry had a stinging comment after the duet, “Don’t forget about grace, more grace.”
Whatever, Buzaladze sailed through in the contest. DeAngelo did not. “Duet round was the hardest emotional experience I’ve had in my life, ever,” she says in a behind-the-scenes clip.
Later, Buzaladze apologized to the judges, and specifically Perry, and gave her “side of the story.” She didn’t speak out for fear of “bringing negative energy” and maybe crying on stage, she told the “Teenage Dream” singer.
With the drama to one side, Buzaladze got on with the action. Wearing a lime skin-tight one-piece outfit, Buzaladze went full-diva as she slammed a performance of Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary.”
“All the tears I had in the last round,” she enthused afterwards, “now I’m happy.”
The judges were too, as Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan all got to their feet. In a sit-down, Perry delivered the lines. “We have really appreciated you in this competition. Thank you for everything that you’ve brought. And we did not put you in the top 24. You put yourself in that top 24…with your spectacular talent.”
After an agonizingly long moment of confusion, some clarity. Nutsa is through to the top 24. Watch below.
The Jonas Brothers previewed new songs from their upcoming release, The Album, during Saturday Night Live on April 8.
The trio opened with their catchy new single “Waffle House” and followed with the debut live performance of “Walls,” featuring Jon Bellion. Both performances were backed by a choir and featured Joe Jonas center stage, flanked by his brothers Nick and Kevin.
“Waffle House” is the second single off the Jonas Brothers’ forthcoming ’70s-inspired studio set, The Album. It follows the soaring lead single “Wings.” The project is scheduled for release on May 12 through Republic Records.
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“‘Waffle House’ was born from a simple but powerful idea: When you sit down with the people that matter most, anything is possible. This song isn’t about a restaurant, it’s about coming together with the people you love and making your dreams come true,” the siblings said in a statement about the track.
Molly Shannon, who reprised her character Sally O’Malley for a sketch featuring the JoBros, served as host during the April 8 episode of SNL.
Earlier in the week, the Jonas Brothers announced that they’re headed to Yankee Stadium in New York for a special, one-night-only concert on Aug. 12. The three-piece will perform their five albums during the show, including their upcoming sixth studio set.
Watch Jonas Brothers’ 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.
BLACKPINK is set to be one of the final three acts for The Late Late Show With James Corden‘s popular “Carpool Karaoke” segment ahead of the end of the show’s run, CBS announced on Friday (April 7).
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The piece will air in one of the late-night show’s final 12 episodes, which will conclude April 27. The other two musical guests rounding out the trio of “Carpool Karaoke” farewells have not yet been announced, but other confirmed segments include a “Take a Break” segment featuring the Kardashian family and a “Crosswalk the Musical” performance.
The K-pop girl group has previously appeared on Corden’s show over the course of its eight years on CBS. In 2019, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé performed their 2019 single “Kill This Love” and partook in a game of “Flinch,” all four of them good sports as the late-night host shot exploding fruit at their faces.
Also booked to make appearances on The Late Late Show‘s remaining episodes are Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Tom Cruise, Josh Gad, Jennifer Garner, Brett Goldstein, Kate Hudson, Mila Kunis, Seth Meyers, Billy Porter and Sharon Stone. Plus, Allison Janney will celebrate having the most guest appearances on the program, with 15 prior visits.
Corden first announced his plans to leave the show last year, admitting in a monologue that it was the “hardest decision” he’d ever had to make.
“When I started this journey, it was always going to be just that. It was going to be a journey, an adventure,” he said at the time. “I never saw it as my final destination, you know? And I never want this show to overstay its welcome in any way. I always want to love making it. And I really think in a year from now that will be a good time to move on and see what else might be out there.”
The Late Late Show With James Corden airs weeknights at 12:37 a.m. ET/PT on CBS.
Don’t let her last name deceive you. Courtney Love definitely didn’t “love” Molly Shannon’s impression of her on Saturday Night Live, according to the comedian.
Shannon reminisced on The Tonight Show Thursday (April 6) about the time the rocker tracked her down within minutes of a sketch airing live on Saturday Night Live, during which the former cast member stumbled around onstage and chain-smoked cigarettes to portray the Hole frontwoman. “The real Courtney Love showed up live, and she was mad,” Shannon said.
“She was like, ‘Where’s Molly?’” the A Good Person star snarled, sharing that she was still dressed up like Love when the real deal stormed in. “She was going around the studio hunting me down, ready to maybe punch me or something. I was like, ‘I’m scared.’ Maybe not punching, but definitely looking for me.”
Luckily, the situation ended without either star getting under the other’s “Celebrity Skin.” “She smelled like witchy oils and she was tall, she was tough,” continued Shannon, who is returning to host SNL on April 8. “She gave me a cigarette and then we smoked together. I told her why it’s such a compliment, you know when somebody does an impression of you, that’s, like, cool. She was really nice, we bonded. I’m a big fan of hers. She’s Courtney Love.”
Shannon’s story comes just two days shy of the 29th anniversary of when the outspoken singer’s husband, Kurt Cobain, was found dead. Love married the Nirvana rocker in 1992, and the two share daughter Frances Bean.
Now 30 years old, Frances posted a moving tribute to her father on Instagram Stories on April 5, the anniversary of his death. “Life is like a wave crashing upon the shore & death is like the wave returning back to the ocean, back to its most natural state,’” she wrote. “I forget exactly where I heard this quote but hearing it makes loss seem less scary and more like a return to the collective consciousness of loving awareness. Free from pain or human worry. Death serves a purpose. It is what makes life so precious, in the same way pain is purposeful because we wouldn’t know joy without it.”
Watch Molly Shannon recall the time Courtney Love confronted her above, and the comedian as the rocker on SNL below.
Molly Shannon is a Saturday Night Live veteran. The beloved former cast member (1995-2001) who gave the world such gloriously weird characters as 50-and-proud high kicker Sally O’Malley, Catholic school student Mary Katherine Gallagher and super mellow NPR “Delicious Dish” host Terry Rialto is firmly in her element in the promo videos for this weekend’s SNL.
Hanging with musical guests the Jonas Brothers and cast member Ego Nwodim, the bubbly The Other Two star excitedly introduces the sibling trio in the first clip, with Nwodim asking Joe, Nick and Kevin if they’re psyched for the SNL Easter egg hunt.
Sadly, a leather jacket-wearing Nick informs her, “we can’t participate in that,” with Joe explaining that their mom said they’re not allowed to have chocolate. “It makes us too hyper,” adds father of two Kevin, 35.
In a second bit, Nwodim notes that spring has sprung outside, suggesting they take the show outdoors to take advantage of the nice weather. The whole gang leaves, with Shannon and Nwodim quickly returning after having second thoughts and realizing the boys are gone. “Oh shoot,” Molly says. “I think we lost the Jonas Brothers!” But then Nwodim reminds Shannon that she can sing and they seem fine with the Bros being no-shows.
In the final promo, Ego admits to Shannon that she’s a huge fan, a compliment Molly seems touched by. “Honestly, I’m a little nervous to be performing with you,” Nwodim tells her comedy hero. “Yeah, same,” the JoBros second. So Shannon offers them the best tip to beat those nerves: stick your hands in your armpits, duh!
Watch the SNL promo below.
As soon as Billboard‘s Zoom call with Dave star Lil Dicky was over, you better believe the first Google search that followed was for “ScroGuard.”
Just as advertised in the call and in the premiere episode of the FXX sitcom’s third season — which debuts Wednesday night (April 5) with two new chapters — there used to be a male sexual safety device by that name, and he has a real-life story about it. He’s turned that personal embarrassment into another hilariously cringe-inducing scene for his series about a painfully honest, endearing rapper trying to make it in a game that values grittiness, bravado and ruthless climbing over being a good guy.
“That came from reality,” Lil Dicky (real name: Dave Burd) tells Billboard about the gag gift a friend bought for him years ago on the eve of an anticipated date with a woman the “Earth” rapper met on tour. After an intimate shaving incident, Burd says he realized his nick couldn’t be covered by a standard-issue condom, so he had to break the news that there would be no backstage bump-and-grind that night unless he wore the cumbersome device that looks like a pair of latex grandpa undies.
That look-away moment is replayed in the first episode after a show-opening sex rap that manages to incorporate lyrics about delicious soup, General Custer and “leakage,” that Burd — chilling on a couch in a pink sweatsuit — says was part of making this season more musical, and even more relatable.
“I wanted to start the season off with something interesting,” he says of the desire to set the table for his search for true love and romance while on tour. “For a long time, I found having sexual opportunities were more stressful than gratifying. My life as a single guy was less like the great sex I had in Albuquerque than some awkward incident.”
And man does Burd love, and lean all the way into, awkward. The first episode opens with Dave meeting a potential love interest in Texas for a possible hookup that involves the aforementioned ScroGuard. It winds up at a house party where the rapper explains to a room full of drunk fans that life on the road is weird and confusing and mostly includes people looking at him like he’s a C-list alien.
“It is therapeutic and liberating to have things you’re super insecure about and that you kept to yourself for 27 years… and not only am I going to release it, but I’m going to release it in such a public way,” he says about his self-identified inability to understand the parameters of modern celebrity cool.
“Everyone has their own things they struggle with in life, and what I want this show to do is if someone sees me dealing with insecurities about my penis in a proactive way, then maybe it will inspire them to look at their insecurities and not be so affected by them,” Burd says about the I-see-you-and-sometimes-I-am-you message bubbling under the surface at all times. “I want the show to inspire people to live their best lives.”
Dave certainly tries to do that this season, whether it’s taking a few moments to drop trou on the side of the road for some fresh vitamin D rays on his nether regions, or re-creating his first love. The latter comes via the hectic, drum-thumping, Birdman-style series of action shots in the second episode, which is set on a video shoot that reunites the rapper with his 8th-grade crush. In true Dicky style, though, the maniacal shoot takes place at his parents’ house, where his mom complains about the gaffer tape tearing up her freshly painted walls just before she walks in on what is the most embarrassing sex scene involving a geyser-like stunt device ever committed to film.
“I think that’s always been my biggest strength, how unabashedly honest I am,” Burd says about always leaning into his awkward small-D energy.
Dave airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET on FXX and streams on Hulu the next day.
Alan Menken opened up about bringing The Little Mermaid back to the screen for the live-action adaptation and some of the changes he made to the show’s iconic music.
“There are some lyric changes in ‘Kiss the Girl,’” the legendary composer told Vanity Fair on March 31, “because people have gotten very sensitive about the idea that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, force himself on [Ariel]. We have some revisions in ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ regarding lines that might make young girls somehow feel that they shouldn’t speak out of turn, even though Ursula is clearly manipulating Ariel to give up her voice.”
While diehard fans of the original 1989 animated classic may have mixed feelings to updating some of the show’s most beloved songs, Menken also teased that viewers will get to experience a few entirely new songs he wrote for the movie in collaboration with Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“One was the Prince Eric song, called ‘Wild Unchartered Waters,’” he revealed. “Then, there was the song for Ariel when she has her legs (doesn’t have a voice), and she’s singing her thoughts about all the firsts she is noticing for the first time. Then, there was a number called “Scuttlebutt” for Scuttle and Sebastian. It’s this harebrained [song for them] trying to figure out what’s going on because they hear rumors that the prince has decided to marry. They think it must be Ariel but of course it’s Ursula in the form of Vanessa. It’s all this delicious imagination. Lin’s lyrics are to die for.”
“We wrote a fourth song called ‘Impossible Child’ for King Triton,” the Broadway legend continued. “It didn’t remain in the film only because dramaturgically we didn’t really need it. It was so great to work with Javier Bardem on that song and people will hear it as a DVD outtake, I guess.”
Starring Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Jonah Hauer-King and more, The Little Mermaid is set to hit theaters on May 26 while the film’s official soundtrack will be released one week earlier on May 19.
Halsey is making their horror film debut. The pop star was announced Wednesday (April 5) as one of several stars in an A-list cast for MaXXXine, A24’s latest addition to its mega popular X franchise.
Joining Halsey on the project are actresses Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Monaghan and Lily Collins, along with actors Moses Sumney, Bobby Cannavale, Giancarlo Esposito and Kevin Bacon. And of course, the X franchise’s recurring leading lady Mia Goth will return for the newest installment, reprising her role as Maxine Minx.
The other actors’ characters have not yet been unveiled. However, the film will take place after the events of X and follow Goth’s character as she continues chasing fame in 1980s Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The plot will reportedly be centered around the perils of underground filmmaking, with Esposito playing an agent in the adult-film industry, Debicki portraying a film director, Monaghan and Canavale serving as LAPD detectives, and Bacon playing a private detective.
MaXXXine will be written and directed by Ti West, the filmmaker behind the original X and its sequel, Pearl. West and Goth will produce the upcoming sequel along with Jacob Jaffke, Kevin Turen and Harrison Kreiss.
Though MaXXXine is technically Halsey’s first foray into the horror-film industry, she did previously write and star in an hourlong, R-rated concept film If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power released in 2021 to accompany the singer’s album of the same name. Released in IMAX theaters before finding a streaming home on HBO Max, the film featured songs from Halsey’s coinciding record and featured elements of body horror, sexuality and birth.
“This film is about the lifelong social labyrinth of sexuality and birth,” opens the film’s trailer. “The greatest horror stories never told were buried with the bodies of those who died in that labyrinth.”
The musician also stars in the Tony Tost-directed Western film Americana, which premiered at SXSW in March.
See A24’s video announcement of the MaXXXine cast below:
Talk about turning an L into a W. After Team Niall’s Jerome Goodwin III and Talia Smith dueled it out on stage during the final night of Battle Rounds on The Voice on Tuesday night (April 5), the newbie coach had to make a very hard decision about who did Sam Smith’s “Like I Can” justice, with Smith shocked the world with her breaking news.
Kelly Clarkson was impressed with Godwin’s control, as well as Smith’s range and capability. “I could not take my eyes off of you,” she said. And though it wasn’t her tough choice to make, Clarkson said she was going to be “bummed to see either one of you go.” Coach Horan admitted there were “some pitch issues across the board” before saying Godwin won the day with his “composure.”
Smith took the elimination in stride, though, because she had her own wild card to reveal. “This whole journey started with a sad story and now I’m standing here and my whole life has changed, so I’m just grateful,” she said. “Thank you for the opportunity, I’m just happy to be here.”
Then, patting her belly, she added, “I want my future baby to look onstage and be like, ‘That was my mommy!’”
Mother of two Clarkson was gobsmacked by the Beyoncé-like baby bump reveal . “Did she just say baby?” she asked Horan, who jumped up to hug Smith. “Oh my God, that’s incredible!” Speaking to camera after the elimination, Horan called Smith “such a lovely lady, and an amazing singer,” adding, “I’m sad to see her go.”
Season 23’s next episode, “Best of the Blinds, Battles and Blake,” will air on Monday (April 10).
Check out the video of the blessed moment below.
