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When Cam Amen recounts his childhood as a “bit rough,” he’s underplaying it.
The 27-year-old American Idol contestant is originally from the country’s heartland, Indianapolis, Indiana, a place where his heart was torn from him as a child.
Stepping into the room for his Idol audition, which aired Sunday night (March 26), Amen shared the gutwrenching story of a youth “in and out of foster care.” Holding back tears, he told of how “we all got taken away from our mom,” and remembered the life-changing moment when police came to his class.
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He left foster care at age 18, and took in his brother and sister for five years, with a plan to “raise them right” and get them through high school.
Now it’s his time to shine.
The singer, now living with his girlfriend in Omaha, Nebraska, tackled Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” a gem which found new fans in the mid-90s when Jeff Buckley covered it on his debut LP Grace.
Amen let it pour out, turning on the waterworks with his soulful rendition.
The three judges gave a standing ovation, and Lionel Richie walked on over to give the man a hug. “Welcome home,” Richie said. Luke Bryan was in there next, followed by Katy Perry.
“You’ve been through a lot, but the rest of your life is waiting,” the Commodores frontman explained.
“I can hardly breathe,” Bryan noted. “Your style is so beautiful, unique…every time I wanted you to do something amazing, you did it.” Bryan later told his fellow judges, “he might be the best soul singer we ever had.”
Richie pointed to an otherworldly source. “Divine guidance brought you to us. And my friend you’re going to have one heck of a ride.”
That ride will take him to LaLa Land and beyond. Amen was awarded a “Platinum” ticket, which will enable him to sit out the first round of Hollywood Week.
Watch below.
Jimin stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday (March 24) to promote his debut solo album, FACE.
To celebrate the new release, which dropped the same day through HYBE LABELS, the BTS member gave the U.S. solo debut performance of his ’80s-inspired song “Like Crazy.” Sporting a sparkly black jacket and white undershirt, the K-pop superstar showed off his impressive dance moves amid bright neon lights while surrounded by a group of dancers.
On Thursday night (March 23), Jimin sat down with Fallon to discuss a range of topics, including meeting President Joe Biden and keeping in touch with his BTS bandmates.
Though the band is on hiatus, a break to allow its seven members to fulfill South Korea’s mandatory military commitments, “we keep in touch,” Jimin explained, “with J-Hope, Suga, everyone.”
The artists also test out their solo material on one another. When a new song is “completed to some extent,” presumably including numbers from FACE, “that’s when we let one another listen to it,” he added.
Darting between Korean and English, Jimin discussed the “positive impact” of BTS meeting with president Joe Biden at the White House, and their talks with POTUS “about how more people should have keen interests in current issues.”
FACE was preceded by pre-release single “Set Me Free, Pt.2” and its dance-heavy music video. The six-song project also contains “Like Crazy,” album opener “Face-Off,” and more. In addition to production from the likes of Pdogg, Ghstloop and Evan, Jimin’s BTS bandmate RM also has songwriting credits on three songs on the tracklist.
Watch Jimin perform “Like Crazy” on the Tonight Show below.
Lady Gaga was spotted rocking a Harley Quinn outfit while filming scenes for the upcoming Joker sequel.
On Saturday (March 26), the 36-year-old actress and pop star was photographed in full costume and makeup while filming scenes in New York City for filmmaker Tod Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux, the follow-up to his Oscar-winning 2019 movie starring Joaquin Phoenix.
In the set photos, Gaga is surrounded by a large crowd while being escorted down court building steps by Gotham City police officers. Her outfit included a red coat, white blouse with black diamonds, and a short black skirt. Onlookers are seen holding signs with messages like “Free Joker” and “Joker Marry Me.”
Although it has not yet been confirmed, Gaga is widely believed to be portraying DC character Harley Quinn in the Joker sequel.
On Feb. 14, Phillips shared a close-up photo on his Instagram of Phoenix face-to-face with Gaga‘s character. In the snapshot, Gaga holds Phoenix’s face in her hands, her eyes open wildly, with evidence on both of their red-paint-smeared faces that they’ve just kissed.
The pop star and actress confirmed her starring role in the Joker sequel in August 2022 by posting a teaser clip on her Instagram, featuring Phoenix and Gaga’s silhouettes dancing together to the song “Cheek to Cheek,” which Gaga famously covered alongside Tony Bennett.
Folie à Deux, which is currently in production, will also star Zazie Beetz, who returns as Sophie, as well as new castmembers Catherine Keener and Brendan Gleeson in yet-unknown roles.
Joker: Folie à Deux is slated to open Oct. 4, 2024.
Jon Hamm is heading to North Shore High. The actor will be joining the cast of the upcoming Mean Girls movie musical as Coach Carr, the gym teacher and bungling sex-ed teacher, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Hamm will star alongside Tina Fey and Tim Meadows, who will reprise their respective roles as Ms. Nordbury and Principal Duvall in the musical adaptation of the beloved 2004 film. In a recent Late Night with Seth Meyers appearance, Fey said filming for the Lorne Michaels-produced movie began earlier this month with a cast that also includes Angourie Rice (Cady Heron), Auli’i Cravalho (Janis Ian), Renée Rapp (who originated the role of Regina George on Broadway) and Jaquel Spivey (Damian).
The musical based on the teen comedy that starred Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried was turned into a hit coming-of-age Broadway musical in 2018 with a book by Fey after making its premiere at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. in Oct. 2017.
The musical with music from Fey’s husband, composer Jeff Richmond, and lyrics by Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), features the songs “Where Do You Belong?,” “Meet the Plastics,” “Apex Predator,” “Stupid With Love,” “More Is Better” and “I’d Rather Be Me,” among others. Fey said the original compositions from the show will be adjusted for the film, with the actor/writer/producer promising that they will be more “pop.”
A-ha’s “Take on Me” gives The Last of Us its first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind, reigning on the February 2023 ranking.
Rankings for the Top TV Songs chart are based on song and show data provided by Tunefind, and ranked using a formula blending that data with sales and streaming information tracked by Luminate during the corresponding period of February 2023.
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“Take on Me” was heard in the seventh episode of the HBO series’ first season, which aired Feb. 26.
It follows a pair of bows for the freshman show on the January 2023 survey: Linda Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time” at No. 5 and Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again” (No. 7).
In February 2023, “Take on Me” earned 15.1 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 3,000 downloads, according to Luminate.
The song was a-ha’s top charter in the U.S., reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1985.
It’s one of four songs from The Last of Us to reach the February 2023 tally. Agnes Obel’s “Fuel to Fire,” from episode five (Feb. 12), leads the group, hitting No. 5 (378,000 streams, 1,000 downloads).
The highest non-The Last of Us entry is TALK’s “Run Away to Mars,” which appears at No. 2. It was heard in the seventh episode of the 19th season of ABC’s long-running Grey’s Anatomy, which premiered Feb. 23.
In February 2023, “Mars” earned 5.3 million streams and 4,000 downloads. Concurrently, it could be heard on a variety of U.S. radio formats; it peaked at No. 1 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart for three weeks beginning Jan. 28 and also reached No. 6 on Alternative Airplay.
See the full top 10, also featuring music from YOU and Shrinking, below.
Rank, Song, Artist, Show (Network)
“Take on Me,” a-ha, The Last of Us (HBO)
“Run Away To Mars,” TALK, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
“Heads Will Roll,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs, YOU (Netflix)
“I Would Die 4 U,” Holly Humberstone, Shrinking (Apple TV+)
“Fuel to Fire,” Agnes Obel, The Last of Us (HBO)
“True Faith,” Lotte Kestner, The Last of Us (HBO)
“Alone and Forsaken,” Hank Williams, The Last of Us (HBO)
“Killer,” Valerie Broussard, YOU (Netflix)
“I Know the End,” Phoebe Bridgers, Shrinking (Apple TV+)
“Dangerous,” Big Data feat. Joywave, YOU (Netflix)
The claws came out between Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez‘s fictional characters in Monster-in-Law, but apparently, one left a real-life scratch on the other.
In an interview with Drew Barrymore on her eponymous talk show Thursday (March 23), Fonda reflected on the time she was accidentally cut by J. Lo while filming a fight scene — something she says the “Let’s Get Loud” singer hasn’t apologized for.
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Both Fonda and her Grace and Frankie costar Lily Tomlin were present on the talk show to reminisce on their respective past projects. When Barrymore asked Fonda about Monster-in-Law, which came out in 2005, the actress shared that “the thing that comes to mind right away is we have a slapping scene.”
“Jennifer, as per Jennifer, she had this enormous diamond ring,” Fonda recalled. “When she slapped me one of the times, it cut open across my eye, my eyebrow.”
“And, she’s never apologized,” she added slyly, at which point Barrymore covered her mouth with both hands in shock.
Billboard has reached out to Lopez’s rep for comment.
The scene in question takes place on Lopez’s character’s wedding day, during which every bride’s worst mother-in-law nightmare comes true: Fonda’s character shows up wearing a long, white gown to upstage her son’s future wife on her big day. When the Marry Me star’s character confronts Fonda’s, the two break out into a hilarious but vicious slapping match.
Watch Jane Fonda recall filming the Monster-in-Law scene below:
Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni & Tupac Shakur is set to arrive on FX in April, and ahead of its release, the television company dropped a second trailer for the docuseries on Wednesday (March 22), which further details late hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur and the relationship he had with his activist mother, Afeni Shakur, who died in 2016.
Early footage of a teenage Shakur plays in the trailer, and highlights him talking about his mother’s teachings. “My mother taught me to analyze society and not be quiet. My mother was a Black Panther and she was really involved in the movement,” he said.
Baby photos of the rap great and black-and-white shots of Afeni sharing knowledge of the Black Panther’s message to crowds, being escorted by police and sitting in for hearings are also included. “It was very difficult for me to be a mom, but I knew very well how to protect my children,” she explains, adding that she did not want him to know what it was like to go to jail, as she’d been many times herself. “I think my mother knew that freedom wouldn’t come in her lifetime, just like I know that it won’t come in mine,” Tupac says, shortly after.
Afeni’s Black Panther work resulted in her and Tupac having an awkward relationship at times, the rapper shared as a teen: “We never spent time together because she was always speaking and going to colleges. And then after that was over, it was more time spent with me. And we were both just like ‘You’re my mother,’ and she was like, ‘You’re my son, and what do we do?’”
Ultimately, Afeni moved her family out to Baltimore in 1984, where Tupac’s life took a rough turn. “My mama was a crack addict. I ended up in Baltimore on welfare with no lights on,” adult Tupac angrily tells a crowd of people.
Dear Mama is “told through the eyes of the people who knew them best,” a previous news release from FX stated. “An intimate wide-angle portrait of the most inspiring and dangerous mother-son duo in American history, whose unified message of freedom, equality, persecution and justice are more relevant today than ever.”
The documentary series, which was announced in 2019, is scheduled to arrive on April 21 on FX, and will later stream on Hulu.
Watch the new trailer for Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni & Tupac Shakur above.
An ‘80s TV star had to jump as The Masked Singer went country on Wednesday night (March 22).
Holly Robinson Peete, the author, singer and actress who made her name on 21 Jump Street, alongside a young Johnny Depp, was one of two celebrities unmasked on “Country Night”.
Dressed to impress as Fairy, the multi-hyphenate performed “Angel of Montgomery” by Bonnie Raitt, then engaged in a head-to-head “Battle Royale” with Macaw on Shania Twain’s hit “That Don’t Impress Me Much.”
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Sadly, for Robinson Peete, one had to go home.
“How did you not know it was me,” she questioned Nick Cannon and the four panelists. No hard feelings.
“I’ve so enjoyed this,” she enthused. “This was a lot of fun.”
So why do the show? “I’ve always been sort of a closet singer.” It turns out, she sang the theme for 21 Jump Street, and gave an impromptu example for the cameras.
This isn’t her first rodeo. Robinson Peete won “Sesame Street Night,” and her dad, we learned, is Matt Robinson, the original Gordon from the beloved kids show. Dad used to talk to Oscar the Grouch, daughter got to sing to the trash dude. “Talk about a full circle moment,” she remarked.
Earlier, Axolotl performed Leann Rimes’ “Can’t Fight the Moonlight”.
She couldn’t fight the unmasking, though. Under the helmet was five-time WWE women’s champion Alexa Bliss.
Despite crunching rivals on the canvas for a living, singing for an audience is well-outside her comfort zone. “This was something that was personal for me because I have actually crippling stage-fright when it comes to singing,” she explained.
“I actually cried backstage before coming out here because I was just so nervous. But I am just so proud of myself because I conquered my fears. And y’all were so great.”
Bliss added, “I deal with anxiety and this was something that I wanted to show I can make myself proud.” And for those of us with fears, some advice: “Do something every day that scares you because I did that today and it was so fun.”
Robinson Peete and Bliss join a growing group of unmasked celebrities in this season nine of Fox’s wacky hit. Others include Malin Akerman (Squirrel), Lele Pons (Jackalope), Michael Bolton (Wolf), Grandmaster Flash (Polar Bear), Debbie Gibson (Night Owl), Howie Mandel (Rock Lobster), Sara Evans (Mustang) and Dick Van Dyke (Gnome).
Fans were seeing double while watching the Jennifer Hudson Show on Wednesday (March 22), when Coco Jones joined the American Idol alum on the couch as a guest.
“Do we look alike to y’all?” Hudson asked the audience, who broke out in cheers in agreement.
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When asked if she gets mistaken for Hudson a lot, Jones replied, “I get that so often that honestly at this point I just play into it.” She then began jokingly singing the opening lines to Hudson’s incredible rendition of the Dreamgirls track “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”
The talk show host then agreed that she too gets the resemblance comments. “People say, ‘Who would you want to play you?’ And I see your name keep popping up,” she said, before the “ICU” singer replied, “Stop playing with me. I’m ready at this point.”
Jones continued, “I take it as such a compliment, because you know you have been so impactful in my life. Just watching you, another beautiful dark-skinned woman, killing it. That’s my motivation.”
Before her inevitable role in a Hudson biopic, Jones is currently starring in the Peacock original series, Bel-Air, which was recently renewed for a season three. Watch the full Jennifer Hudson Show interview below.
Back in her own little corner… or make that kingdom! Brandy revisited her role as Cinderella in a new teaser for Descendants: The Rise of Red released on Wednesday (March 22).
The clip features the R&B legend — who originally graced the screen as the iconic princess in the 1997 TV movie Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella — wearing a regal, voluminous gown of baby blue and matching overcoat with her hair in a long, blue braid. She even reunites with her co-star Paolo Montalban, who’s now graduated from Prince to King Charming.
Brandy’s casting was first revealed back in November when the project was announced as a Descendants spin-off titled The Pocketwatch. At the time, the movie musical was purportedly centered around Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe, the daughter of Cinderella and Charming — but there’s no word yet on whether any plot points may have changed along with the new title.
The artist known as the Vocal Bible last returned to her Disney princess roots in summer 2022 for the original film’s 25th-anniversary reunion special, which also featured interviews with Montalban, Whoopi Goldberg, Victor Garber, Bernadette Peters, Jason Alexander and more. “I remember like it was yesterday,” she said of working with the late Whitney Houston on the beloved movie.
She also performed a medley of Cinderella tracks such as “The Sweetest Sound,” “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible,” “A Lovely Night” and “Ten Minutes Ago” for one of Todrick Hall’s viral videos during the pandemic.
Get a first look at Brandy’s on-screen reunion with Montalban as Cinderella and King Charming below.
