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Blake Shelton is entering his final season of The Voice, and he’s doing it with good humor. During the country singer’s Monday night (Feb. 27) appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he opened up about stepping away from the long-running singing competition, and how the show has affected his touring — but not without cracking a joke first.
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“Kelly [Clarkson] finally got me fired. I wanted to announce that here,” he laughed of his fellow coach, who also has her eponymous talk show on the same network. “NBC stands for Nothing But Clarkson.”
As for the impact the show has had on his work as a musician? “I don’t tour that much anymore. Part of the reason is because we produce so much work on The Voice,” Shelton revealed. “It’s two seasons a year every year, and so it’s kinda limited me on how much I can tour. I’ve never been one of those guys that just hits the road for a long time anyway, but we only do, like, 18 tour dates a year.”
And as for the eight-time Grammy nominee’s relationship with Voice host Carson Daly? “Somebody asked me earlier, they go, ‘Is Carson upset that you’re leaving The Voice?’” the country star shared. “And I go, ‘Carson is upset about everything all the time anyways.’ He is the grumpiest guy.” (Shelton won’t have to miss Daly much; the two star opposite each other in Barmageddon.)
In a separate interview with TODAY earlier on Monday, Shelton revealed that he initially intended to leave The Voice in 2020. “I think I was close to calling it a day right when COVID hit,” he explained. “And then, because of COVID, I didn’t want to walk away from the show and leave everybody in a bind. I mean, this show changed my life. I’ll stay here until the world kind of gets back to normal again.”
When Shelton takes his final bow on season 23 of The Voice — which kicks off March 6 — Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper will join as coaches. Clarkson will continue to sit in one of the red chairs.
Watch Shelton discuss The Voice with Kimmel in the video above.
The Starboy is coming to the silver screen! The Weeknd will be starring in his first feature film, his rep told Billboard Tuesday (Feb. 28).
The “Die For You” hitmaker (real name Abel Tesfaye) will not only star but also write and produce the as-yet-to-be-named film, which is being helmed by critically acclaimed director Trey Edward Shults (Waves, It Comes At Night), who is also co-writing and executive producing. Golden Globes-nominated Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega will co-star alongside The Weeknd and is credited as the film’s executive producer. The Banshees of Inisherin actor and Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan will also be in the cast.
The film is currently shooting in Los Angeles.
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The Weeknd’s producing partner Reza Fahim — who co-created the superstar’s upcoming HBO series The Idol — Kevin Turen and Harrison Kreiss are also credited as the film’s producers. Fahim is also one of the co-writers. Director of photography Chayse Irvin (Blonde, BlacKkKlansman) is also joining the production.
The chart-topping superstar tapped his frequent collaborator, producer Oneohtrix Point Never, to score the film with him, just one year after he co-executive produced his latest album Dawn FM. OPN also previously scored the 2019 film Uncut Gems, which The Weeknd also starred in.
The Weeknd is represented by CAA, manager Wassim “Sal” Slaiby and Amir “Cash” Esmailian and attorney Kenny Meiselas of Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks. Shults is represented by WME and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Ortega is represented by CAA, Gilbertson Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Keoghan is represented by WME, Entertainment 360, B-Side Management and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava aren’t exactly household names, but they’re likely to provide one of the highlights of the 2023 Oscars on Sunday, March 12, when they perform “Naatu Naatu” from RRR.
The Indian Telugu-language song, which Sipligunj and Bhairava recorded for the film’s soundtrack, is nominated for best original song.
Fourteen years ago, a pair of Indian songs from Slumdog Millionaire enlivened the Oscar telecast. A.R. Rahman performed “Jai Ho” (which went on to win the award) with Mahalaxmi Iyer. Rahman also performed “O Saya,” which was nominated as well.
“Naatu Naatu,” with music by M.M. Keeravaani and lyrics by Chandrabose, is the fourth best original song nominee that the Academy has announced will be performed on the 2023 show.
On Feb. 23, the Academy announced that Rihanna will perform “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The day after, it announced that actress and singer Sofia Carson, accompanied by songwriter Diane Warren, will perform “Applause” from Tell It like a Woman.
Yesterday, the Academy announced that Stephanie Hsu, an Oscar nominee for best supporting actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once, will join David Byrne and Son Lux to perform that film’s “This Is a Life.”
The final nominee for best original song is “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick (music and lyrics by Lady Gaga and BloodPop). If the Academy is able to book Gaga to perform her song on the show, as is expected, this will be the first Oscar telecast in three years to include performances of all five nominated songs.
Two years ago, all five songs were performed, but on a pre-show. That move was seen as disrespectful by many in the music community. Last year, Van Morrison declined to perform “Down to Joy” from Belfast, so only four of the nominated songs were performed on the telecast.
This latest booking was announced on Tuesday (Feb. 28) by executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, and also executive producer Molly McNearney. The producers will continue to announce talent appearing on the show in the coming days.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
It’s a crossover approximately zero people expected to happen, but somehow, it kind of works. Ever the visionary, Jimmy Fallon showed his Tonight Show viewers what it would be like if Ariana DeBose’s viral BAFTAs rap — “Angela Bassett did the thing,” you know the one — was performed by, of all people, Neil Young.
In a hilarious skit on the late-night show Monday (Feb. 27), Fallon took the stage dressed in his familiar Neil Young cosplay (bootcut jeans, a cowboy hat, long, straight hair covering his face) and performed an acoustic guitar version of DeBose’s polarizing performance, occasionally accompanying himself on harmonica. “Viola Davis, my woman king,” Fallon sang, mimicking Young’s folksy cadence. “Blanchett, Cate, you’re a genius, Jamie Lee, you are all of us.”
DeBose reacted to Fallon’s take on her Instagram Story, re-sharing the video and leaving a mind-blown emoji.
The Tonight Show host is one of many to recreate the West Side Story actress’ viral rap, which she performed while opening the BAFTAs earlier this month. Soon after clips of a breathless DeBose earnestly paying tribute to the night’s female nominees hit Twitter, a flurry of jokes, memes, compliments and critiques ensued, making the song one of the first truly iconic internet moments of 2023.
Adele even shouted out DeBose at one of her recent concerts after the clip went viral, as did Lizzo. “Angela Bassett did the thing,” the “Truth Hurts” musician quoted onstage, mimicking DeBose’s now famous shoulder shimmy.
Watch Jimmy Fallon perform Ariana Debose’s viral BAFTAs rap as Neil Young above.
The category is … 200 episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race eleganza!
Last week’s installation of the hit reality show (aired Friday, Feb. 24) marked the series’ 200th episode! To celebrate such a milestone, Drag Race decided to throw a good, old-fashioned ball, tasking the remaining queens to showcase three distinct looks — a racing suit, an outfit inspired by one of the past ball challenges, and a crystallized look they had to make in the work room — in the first-ever Crystal Ball.
The front-runners of the season managed to stun the judges yet again, with Sasha Colby earning her second challenge win, while Anetra and Mistress Isabelle Brooks achieved high marks. Meanwhile, the judges remained unimpressed with the looks turned by Salina EsTitties and Spice, locking the pair into a Lip Sync For Your Life to Lil Nas X’s “That’s What I Want.” Salina managed to wow with her emotional performance, meaning Spice was sent packing to reunite with her sister, Sugar.
Billboard caught up with Spice following her elimination to talk about performing as a solo act for the first time on the show, how she approached the competition as a “producer,” and why she “never really cared” about Michelle Visage’s critiques regarding her iconic runway trot.
Congrats on making it this far into the season! How are you feeling about your time on the show?
I’m loving it, and I’m cringing, and I’m crying, and I’m laughing — it’s a full rollercoaster, for sure. I’m sure it’s not as weird for me as some of the other girls, because I’m just so used to watching myself back on camera and editing videos and all of that. But, of course TV’s different because you’re not in control of all of that, so it’s more like, “Oh, what are they gonna use?” I feel like me and Sugar gave them truly so much material, that there’s so many moments that ended up getting cut that made us go, “No, that moment was amazing!” But, it’s not the Sugar & Spice Show.
With this being a massive milestone as the show’s 200th episode, what was the vibe like on set? Were there any big celebrations or anything?
Yeah, it was really fun! Before we all did the runway, they came out with this cake and we all got to take a picture. It was giving birthday bash extravaganza realness. I don’t think I even got to have a piece of the cake, but it looked cute!
Let’s rewind for a little bit and go back to the moment that Sugar got sent home — while you were competing against one another, you two clearly had plans for the rest of the season together. What was the biggest challenge for you with Sugar not being there?
It was truly just feeling bad that she wasn’t there — we’d be doing the girl group challenge, and I was like, “Oh my god, Sugar would be slaying right now.” Or we’d be doing the design challenge, and she sews, and I was like, “She would be eating these girls up right now.” It was a lot of FOMO for her end. When she went home, of course I was sad that she left, but I was mostly the angry upset fan for her; I’m her biggest fan, so I was like that mad fan on Twitter riding for their fave.
There was a lot that went down after she went home that no one needs to know — I had a little bit of a breakdown. Now, there were rumors that I shut down the set for three days, and I was like, “Babes, that’s hilarious, no one on cast has the power to do that.” But I did have a little breakdown, for sure, but we had a three-day weekend, I got refreshed, and we picked it back up.
Last episode also saw the iconic moment where Anetra spared you in the final Lalaparuza lip sync, saying she didn’t think it was fair to lip sync against you. How’d you feel when you saw that?
Oh, I was absolutely living for it. I told Anetra and I told all of the girls, “I am not offended if you want to lip sync against me — this is what y’all do, this is not my wheelhouse.” Like, all of those girls were going to beat me in a lip sync. If they didn’t, that would be very embarrassing for them — and I’m not gonna lie, I actually came kind of close to winning some of those, so that’s … that’s saying a lot. [laughs] That’s when you know. But we all have different areas of expertise, and I love and respect what the girls do.
When Anetra saved me, I was so gagged. And her saying that it was unfair to lip sync against me? I completely agree! Look at what she can do — I can’t even bend down and touch my toes! I feel like she was like, “We are giving her one more life.” Sugar said in her song “A bimbo never dies,” and she was right, I guess … well, eventually she died … wait, no, I didn’t die!!
In the last design challenge, you mentioned that Sugar was the seamstress amongst the two of you, and you had planned on designing the looks while Sugar would actually construct them. How did you imagine that strategy working?
That was 100% our plan from the beginning. We were being little producers, Ms. Sugar and Spice — we were saying, “Oh, that would be hilarious, let’s lean into it; I’ll design, you’ll make it, and it will get all of the other girls mad that we’re working as a team.” We wanted to kind of start a little drama by doing all of that, and I feel like that would have been so fun. God, there were so many moments that could have happened with Sugar being there more.
Well, in the great tradition of the ball challenge, there are occasionally some seamstress queens who like to help out with those who might be struggling — did anyone come to your aid during this challenge?
Oh yeah, for sure. Especially for that first design challenge, I was kind of doing it all by myself, but Luxx finished quick — my “barely there” skirt I had, she helped me sew those pieces together. So, if you’re reading, thank you Luxx.
When it comes to the runway, did you ever find yourself getting annoyed at Michelle’s fixation on your little trot?
Honestly? No shade to her, but I never really cared what she said about the trotting. It just went in one ear and out the other, I was like, “This is just fodder, she’s getting her soundbite for TV.” I fully planned to trot off the stage regardless of what happened. I was like, “Baby, don’t give me more material, because I am definitely going to do it now.”
If you had the chance to go back into season 15 and do it all over again, is there anything you feel like you’d want to do differently?
No, I wouldn’t change a thing — it was meant to be how it was meant to be, it was already done, it was already in the cards. Especially on something like reality TV, you’re not in control, so you just sort of have to roll with the punches. I feel like I made the best out of every situation. I was … very aware of what time it was on this episode, if that makes sense. I easily understood my role, if you will. So, I leaned into that, and had the absolute most fun with it.
If there’s anyone who understands what it feels like to go through an internationally televised singing competition show, it’s Niall Horan. After getting his start in 2010 as part of One Direction on The X Factor, where he and his bandmates placed third, the 29-year-old singer-songwriter is now seeing what it’s like on the other side of the buzzer by joining Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and Chance the Rapper as a coach on this season of The Voice.
And in a Monday night (Feb. 27) appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Horan opened up about how going through the ringer on X Factor has made him a more compassionate coach on The Voice. “I’ve been on a show like that,” the “Slow Hands” singer said. “I understand how it works.”
“That’s how I got half of my team,” he added. “They understand I’ve got that empathy with them. I was that 16-year-old knowing that, that person there has got my future in their hands. That’s the hardest thing about The Voice, is I have to make end-game decisions over two singers that are standing in front of me knowing I have their future in my hands.”
Horan, whose third album The Show arrives this summer, also opened up about what it’s like to work with his fellow Voice judges — particularly Shelton, who recently announced that the upcoming 23rd season, which premieres March 6, will be his final stint as a coach. “It’s been so fun — we were very lucky with the crew of coaches I’m with,” Horan said. “It could have been horrific, if you’re sitting there every night pretending that you like the person you’re sat next to. I got very lucky in Blake Shelton alone.”
“He’s stone cold, that man,” he continued, admitting that Shelton is just as cocky in person about his nine Voice wins as he appears on TV. “That’s all he does, anywhere, to everyone that will listen to him or don’t want to listen to him. He’s constantly nailing everyone. But he’s an absolute beauty, and he’s going to be missed around that show. He’s so good to work with.”
Then, at Meyers’ request, the “Heaven” musician seamlessly switched from his trademark Irish accent to a deep Oklahoma twang, showing off his perfect impression of the country star. “This is my last season on The Voice, and I would love if you would be on the last ever Team Blake,” he mimicked, noting that impersonating Shelton’s southern charm makes him feel like “a politician.”
Watch Niall Horan talk about being a coach on the Voice, working with Blake Shelton and more above.
Ted Lasso is getting ready to come back to Apple TV+ next month, and a new trailer for the comedy-drama series is using a classic track by The Rolling Stones to drum up anticipation for its highly anticipated return.
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On Monday (Feb. 27), the season 3 trailer premiered set to the tune of The Stones’ 1969 classic “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
The trailer kicks off with AFC Richmond coach Ted Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, gearing up for a new football season. The coach, however, has a series of obstacles ahead this season, thanks to a few bumps in the road.
The official summary of the season, per Apple TV+, reveals that “AFC Richmond faces ridicule as media predictions widely peg them to finish last in the Premier League,” and to make matters worse, Nate (Nick Mohammed), a former Richmond assistant coach, is lending his skills to Rupert (Anthony Head) at West Ham United. As Lasso deals with his personal issues and life back home in the States, the outlook for Richmond appear to be bleak, but of course, “Team Lasso is set to give it their best shot anyway.”
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” — included on The Rolling Stones’ 1969 album Let It Bleed — sets the tone for the trailer, and features Mick Jagger’s melancholy vocals, singing, “You can’t always get what you want/ But if you try sometime you’ll find/ You get what you need.” The track peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973.
Watch the trailer for Ted Lasso season 3, premiering March 15 on Apple TV+, above.
Blake Shelton is gearing up to sit in the spinning red chairs on NBC’s The Voice for the last time, as he’s set to leave the popular singing competition series after the upcoming season, which will premiere on March 6.
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The country superstar, who has been on The Voice since it premiered in 2011, sat down with his fellow season 23 coaches Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper on Monday (Feb. 27) to reflect on why he has decided to leave the show.
“I think I was close to calling it a day right when COVID hit and then, because of COVID, I didn’t want to walk away from the show and leave everybody in a bind,” Shelton revealed. “I mean, this show changed my life. I’ll stay until the world kind of gets back to normal.”
When asked what it would take for him to stay, the “God’s Country” singer teased, “I’d like for Kelly to not be on the show anymore. I’d say there’s too much Kelly Clarkson on television in general.”
On how the show impacted his life, Shelton gushed, “I met my wife [Gwen Stefani] on this show. It has changed my life in every way it possibly can, from a personal standpoint and obviously from a career standpoint. I actually read people say that the only star The Voice ever found was Blake Shelton.”
When the show’s host and producer Carson Daly reacted to that last sentence, Shelton doubled down with another joke. “It is what it is, America,” he said with a laugh.
Shelton announced his departure from The Voice back in October. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me,” he wrote in a statement posted to social media. “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. It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”
The singer concluded his statement by thanking the contestants and the fans. “It would not happen without you,” he wrote.
As coach, the “Boys ‘Round Here” singer remains the statistically best coach in terms of winning seasons — having crowned a champ from his team in nine of the show’s 22 seasons.
Chance the Rapper recently had an unexpected run-in with Martin Short, and he sang the actor’s praises on social media because of it.
It turns out, the newest coach on The Voice boarded a commercial flight over the weekend, only to discover his seat was separated from that of his daughter, Kensli. “I really ain’t wanna inconvenience anyone by asking them to swap seats,” he tweeted on Sunday (Feb. 26). “But before I could say anything this kind older gentleman offered his seat to Kensli so we could sit together.
“We both said thank you and as he stands up, I realize it’s THE Martin Short!!” Chance continued. “So cool and Kensli freaked out cause she’s obsessed with The Santa Clause 3. What an awesome person! SHOUTOUT TO JACK FROST.”
The rapper also couldn’t resist posting a photo of Short as Jack Frost in the 2006 holiday three-quel along with the story of his kind act.
“But wait did Martin Short know it was thee Chance thee Rapper?” a fan asked after reading the “YAH Know” artist’s tale. “Definitely not, which made it way cooler,” Chance confirmed by quote tweeting the question. “He just a nice dude [I guess].”
Chance is currently gearing up for his freshman season in the spinning chairs of The Voice alongside Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and fellow newbie Niall Horan when season 23 premieres on March 6. Meanwhile, Short is set to return for season three of his hit Hulu series Only Murders in the Building opposite Steve Martin, Selena Gomez, Paul Rudd and new additions Meryl Streep and Emily in Paris star Ashley Park.
Read about Chance the Rapper’s sweet run-in with Short below.
So I just got on this plane with my daughter, and found out our seats weren’t next to each other. I really ain’t wanna inconvenience anyone by asking them to swap seats, but before I could say anything this kind older gentleman offered his seat to Kensli so we could sit together.… https://t.co/EPC5cqFfiy pic.twitter.com/2vFumtpVLa— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) February 26, 2023
Selena Gomez took a sentimental walk down memory lane on Monday (Feb. 27) as a guest on the Wizards of Waverly Place rewatch podcast.
Invited by her former co-stars Jennifer Stone and David DeLuise, the star called in to Wizards of Waverly Pod from New York City to reminisce about her time on the hit Disney Channel series that propelled her to stardom. “I can’t begin to tell you guys without making it such a little cry session, I felt like I was the happiest I’d been in my whole life,” she said of her years as Alex Russo. “And I don’t want that to be a sad thought because I’m really grateful and happy. But it was definitely the happiest times for me, and I recognize that obviously I have this different attention on me that I just didn’t have then and that was a really pure time.”
And speaking of her stratospheric, post-Disney fame, just last week Gomez earned the distinction of becoming the most-followed woman on Instagram with 382 million followers. But even overtaking Kylie Jenner, who previously held the title, came with its own whirlwind of drama after fans thought the Kylie Cosmetics mogul was subtly shading the “Rare” singer in a post. (For the record, she wasn’t, and both parties promise they’re all good.)
However, between that headache and an online dust-up caused by defending her bestie Taylor Swift over a resurfaced clip of Hailey Bieber, Gomez decided late last week to take a much-needed break from social media altogether. “This is a little silly. And I’m 30, I’m too old for this,” she declared before promising her hundreds of millions of followers she’d be back online “sooner than later.”
Watch Gomez reminisce with her Wizards of Waverly Place pals below.
