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Impossible things are (still) happening every day! Brandy is officially stepping back into her glass slippers as Cinderella for the upcoming Descendants spinoff, The Pocketwatch.
The movie musical is being developed for Disney+ and will exist in the same universe as the Descendants trilogy, which aired on the Disney Channel from 2015 to 2019.
The Pocketwatch will tell the story of Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts and Chloe, the daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming. According to a report by Variety, the two girls “cross paths at a momentous celebration in the kingdom of Auradon when unexpected chaos breaks out. In order to prevent an impending coup, they must join forces to travel back in time, via a magical pocket watch created by the Mad Hatter’s son, to stop an event that would lead to grave consequences.”
Brandy shared her excitement at the news via Instagram on Monday (Nov. 21), and wrote, “So excited to join this amazing cast and reprise my role as #Cinderella in the #DisneyDescendants sequel The Pocketwatch. Thank you to my @disney and @disneyplus fam … It’s Still Possible.”
While Kenny Ortega helmed the original Descendants movies, The Pocketwatch will be directed by Jennifer Phang with a cast that also includes Kylie Cantrall, Mia Baker, China Anne McClain, Dara Reneé, Ruby Rose Turner Bridget, Morgan Dudley, Joshua Colley, Melanie Paxson and Rita Ora as the Queen of Hearts.
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella recently marked its 25th anniversary with an ABC reunion special that found Brandy reminiscing about the special bond she formed with the late Whitney Houston while making the beloved TV musical (which was incredibly diverse for its time) and also brought together cast members Paolo Montalbán, Bernadette Peters, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, Victor Garber and Veanne Cox.
See Brandy’s post about The Pocketwatch below.
The brand new Pitch Perfect spin-off series Bumper in Berlin is heading to Peacock on Wednesday (Nov. 23), and the star-studded cast sat down with Billboard‘s Rania Aniftos to discuss the new take on the popular film franchise.
“We’re always looking to bring more Pitch Perfect to the fans,” executive producer Elizabeth Banks shared of the series. “We really were looking for a way, though, to expand the universe of Pitch Perfect. Honestly, we took a lot of our inspiration from the Marvel cinematic universe and, specifically, what they did with Loki. We took a villain from the family and gave him an entirely new world to have a great adventure in, while keeping the things that people love about Pitch Perfect.”
“Basically, I am Loki. It makes sense,” the show’s star, Adam Devine, joked.
Devine reprises his role as Bumper Allen, the former leader of the Treblemakers. He gets a call from Pieter from Pitch Perfect 2‘s Das Sound Machine (played again by Flula Borg) inviting him to come to Germany to launch his music career after a video of his went viral on the Internet. Devine then reunites with his Modern Family co-star Hyland, who plays his assistant. Abova plays Pieter’s sister, a DJ named Thea, while Jamil is the extravagant German pop star Gisela.
“I was just absolutely thrilled. Dream come true,” Hyland said of reuniting with her former co-star Devine. “I mean, I’ve been a fan of the Pitch Perfect franchise since its inception, and obviously, I love Adam. To be able to be part of such an iconic world and work with Adam again was amazing. Singing on top it, it was just like, ‘Duh!’
Devine then chimed in, “I had no idea [she had such a good voice]. I was like, ‘We have chemistry, but you do have to sing. This is Pitch Perfect. Sitcom’s Mariah Carey.”
While Borg was not present for the interview, he shared with Billboard via a statement some of his favorite memories from filming. “I very much enjoyed to teach my castmate friends German words that were not actually German words,” he explained. “For example, I told them that it is tradition to yell ‘schmuppelflau’ when a morning snack you have eaten is yummy. This is not a real word. But regardless, everyone yelled ‘schmuppelflau’ every time one of us consumed a hard-boiled egg or sausage.”
“I was able to eat my mother’s cooking (she mailed it to me from Erlangen thrice weekly), and I got to inhale the wonderful drizzle and grayness that I never experience in Los Angeles; these sad weathers made me feel such jubilation,” he added of working in Germany.
Watch the full interview with the cast of Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin below.
One does not simply walk into The Voice and perform Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”. Kique did.
The teenage Miami native shone during the Live Top 13 Performances, with a rendition of Wonder’s funk classic.
During NBC’s singing competition, Kique has been described as a “unique” talent, and he showed again on Monday night (Nov. 21) why he’s been showered with praise.
Kique (real name Robert “Kique” Gomez) has a knack for taking a popular song, and putting his own twist on it.
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Earlier, the 19-year-old Team Gwen artist got through a three-way Knockout Round with a performance of another funky classic, OutKast’s “Hey Ya!”
Kique was introduced to the wonders of Stevie Wonder by his high school band teacher, so “Superstition” is clearly something close to his heart. And on this occasion, he kept the funk, but didn’t overhaul the arrangement. Instead, he went with a “tweak.”
“One of my favorite things to do is change songs,” Kique remarked earlier in the season. “I really want Gwen to see that I’m not just a singer. I’m also a musician. I like to create compositions and make music and change things and make them my own.”
Gwen has noticed. After tonight’s performance, she remarked: “You’re a star.”
Camila Cabello noted that Kique was “having fun” and that he challenges himself with his variations.
Whether America agrees that he’s a star, we’re about to find out.
Voting has kicked off, and the top artists will be revealed during Tuesday’s live results show. Three contestants will be eliminated on what promises to be another nail-biting encounter.
Watch Kique’s performance below.
The Pitch Perfect spin-off series Bumper in Berlin is just days away from its Peacock premiere on Wednesday (Nov. 23), and to celebrate, the cast of the comedy musical show joined Billboard for an exclusive photo shoot.
Adam Devine (Bumper himself) along with co-stars Sarah Hyland, Jameela Jamil and Lera Abova and executive producer Elizabeth Banks all posed for sleek individual photos and sweet group snaps.
In the upcoming series, which will be unveiled on NBC’s streaming service just in time to binge-watch on Thanksgiving, Devine reprises his role as Bumper Allen, the former leader of the Treblemakers. He gets a call from Pieter from Pitch Perfect 2‘s Das Sound Machine (played again by Flula Borg) inviting him to come to Germany to launch his music career after a video of his went viral on the Internet. Devine then reunites with his Modern Family co-star Hyland, who plays his assistant. Abova plays Pieter’s sister, a DJ named Lina, while Jamil is the extravagant German pop star Giselle.
“We wanted to honor The Barden Bellas and the Pitch Perfect world, while expanding into a fresh and brilliantly weird character journey,” Banks previously shared of the series in a press statement. “This story is about second chances, friendship, and the idea that your dreams can come true in unexpected ways – anywhere in the world, at any point in your life.”
Check out our full gallery of Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin exclusive cast photos below, and stay tuned for our full Billboard News interview with the group going live on Billboard.com and Billboard‘s YouTube channel soon.
In a stunning turn of events, The Walt Disney Co. says that Bob Chapek will step down as CEO, with Bob Iger returning to lead the company.
Disney’s board of directors announced the decision Sunday night.
“We thank Bob Chapek for his service to Disney over his long career, including navigating the company through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic,” said Susan Arnold, chairman of the board, in a statement. “The Board has concluded that as Disney embarks on an increasingly complex period of industry transformation, Bob Iger is uniquely situated to lead the Company through this pivotal period.”
Chapek had just signed a new multi-year contract in June.
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Iger even acknowledged in an email to Disney employees Sunday that he is returning “with an incredible sense of gratitude and humility — and, I must admit, a bit of amazement.”
While Iger will be returning to his old role, the board also made it clear that his new term will be a temporary one.
Iger “has agreed to serve as Disney’s CEO for two years, with a mandate from the Board to set the strategic direction for renewed growth and to work closely with the Board in developing a successor to lead the Company at the completion of his term,” the board said.
Iger stepped aside as CEO in February 2020, handing the reins to Chapek, who previously led the company’s theme parks and consumer products division. He continued to serve as executive chairman of the company, stepping down from that position just 11 months ago.
Of course, as Arnold noted in her statement, the novel coronavirus pandemic took its toll on the company, shutting its theme parks and cruise ships, and stopping almost all film and TV productions. It also, however, turbocharged streaming growth, with Chapek leaning into streaming by reorganizing the company to focus on digital.
But his tenure has also been rocky, marked with controversies and distractions. From the aggressive campaign against Marvel star Scarlett Johansson that resulted in a settlement over pay for Black Widow, to Disney’s response (or lack thereof) to Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Chapek has had to deal with a wide array of public misfires during his relatively brief tenure atop the company.
But in addition to the public controversies, Disney’s business has also begun to falter in recent quarters.
Chapek announced earlier this month that the company would freeze hiring and stop all non-essential travel, with layoffs likely to follow as his executive team sought to trim costs.
And while Disney+ continues to gain subscribers at a rapid clip, the company’s streaming losses have continued to grow, making it that much more challenging to hit their profitability target.
Iger, a company man at ABC since joining ABC in 1974, led the network after Disney acquired it in 1995 was elevated to CEO of Disney in 2005, succeeding Michael Eisner.
While his elevation within the company was due to his business acumen, he developed a reputation for having an elevated sense of taste and creative vision, skills he continued to put to use after stepping aside as CEO in 2020.
Iger grew Disney to new heights by acquiring Pixar (2006), Marvel (2009) and Lucasfilm (2012), creating a powerhouse that in 2019 saw the company pass $10 billion in global box office sales. The same year, it closed the unprecedented, $71.3 billion acquisition of Fox, creating a global content powerhouse.
While Iger built a reputation as talent-friendly, Chapek’s reputation amongst creatives took a hit in July 2021 when the dispute with Johansson over the day-and-date streaming release of Black Widow went public. The star filed a lawsuit claiming the studio was sacrificing its box office potential in order to juice Disney+.
Their differing styles and approaches led to something of an oil and water relationship between the two Bobs. As Kim Masters reported last year, at what was to be his last formal Disney board retreat with the company, Iger implored everyone in the room to focus on the virtues of creativity and talent.
Disney’s market cap was roughly $55 billion when Iger took over in 2005, rose to $260 billion in January 2020, and has fallen to $167 billion as of Friday.
“I am extremely optimistic for the future of this great company and thrilled to be asked by the Board to return as its CEO,” Iger said in a statement. “Disney and its incomparable brands and franchises hold a special place in the hearts of so many people around the globe—most especially in the hearts of our employees, whose dedication to this company and its mission is an inspiration. I am deeply honored to be asked to again lead this remarkable team, with a clear mission focused on creative excellence to inspire generations through unrivaled, bold storytelling.”
–Aaron Couch contributed to this THR report.
‘Tis the season for Christmas movies! Spirited, a fresh spin on a holiday classic starring Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, and Octavia Spencer, premiered on Apple TV+ on Friday (Nov. 18).
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Ferrell plays the Ghost of Christmas Present and Reynolds portrays Clint Briggs, a Scrooge-like character who turns the tables in this new take on the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol.
The Ghost of Christmas Present chooses a “dark soul” to reform every year on Christmas Eve, but he soon finds out that transforming Briggs into a “more positive force for humanity” is easier said than done.
Read on for details on how to stream Spirited for free.
How to Watch ‘Spirited’ for Free on Apple TV+
Spirited is an Apple Original, which means that you’ll need a subscription to stream. Luckily, Apple TV+ offers a one-week free trial, so you can watch Spirited and more without paying anything up front. Apple TV+ is $6.99 a month after the free trial ends.
Apple TV+
$6.99/month after 7-day free trial
Want a longer free trial? Get three months free with the purchase of an eligible Apple device or join Apple One, which bundles Apple TV+ with up to five other services, and get your first month free. T-Mobile customers can also get free Apple TV+ included with the Magenta Max plan.
You can stream Apple TV+ on Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL, Amazon Fire, Toshiba and other smart TVs, in addition to iPhone, iPad, Android devices, PayStation, and Xbox.
Find must-watch movies, documentaries and hit TV shows such as Ted Lasso, Severance, Carpoole Karaoke: The Series, The Problem with John Stewart, Bad Sisters, Schmigadoon!, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, The Morning Show, Pachinko, Central Park, They Call Me Magic, The Greatest Beer Run Ever and more on Apple TV+.
Watch the Spirited trailer below.
This Friday (Nov. 18), nine months after their bright, buoyant studio album Time Skiffs, Animal Collective releases a new project in the form of The Inspection, the soundtrack to an A24 film that opens the same day.
“The Inspection is a story of a Black, gay man who joins the Marines in search of validation from and acceptance from his mother,” says star and executive producer Gabrielle Union in a teaser trailer. “It’s about the fight every day to be seen and respected.”
The film stars Jeremy Pope as Ellis French, a character inspired by director/screenwriter Elegance Bratton’s own life. And while Animal Collective probably isn’t the first band you think of when you hear the words “U.S. Marines,” Bratton feels the experimental indie outfit provided him with the “perfect backdrop” to explore various emotional states on screen.
“We were very inspired by the music of our composers Animal Collective. We wanted to create the right rhythms to blur the line between what French thinks is real and what is really happening,” Bratton explained. “So those fantasy sequences could serve as the evolution of French’s inner life. In essence, we wanted to create a sense of the stir craziness of the monotony of boot camp, juxtaposed with the massive transformation Ellis French undergoes. Animal Collective provides the perfect backdrop to shrink and expand the time according to the emotion.” (The soundtrack also features contributions from singer-songwriter Indigo de Souza.)
With The Inspection being AnCo’s second feature-length film soundtrack (following 2021’s Crestone), we asked the group to share their favorite movie soundtracks of all time. See what Avey Tare (David Portner), Geologist (Brian Weitz) and Deakin (Josh Dibb) chose below.
Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy had fans buzzing earlier this month when he shared that he was feeling open to the idea of rebooting the popular musical comedy series in some way, but Kevin McHale is now sharing that he wouldn’t be onboard with reprising his role as Glee club member Artie Abrams.
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“I don’t know if Artie could be in it,” McHale told Insider about a potential reboot. “Knowing what we know now, I don’t think I should be playing a character that’s in a wheelchair. So, if they let me grow out of my beard and play a different character, I’ll do it.”
In the show, McHale’s character Artie got into a car accident at 8 years old, which resulted in him being in a wheelchair. The actor has also previously stated that at the time, neither he nor the Glee production team “knew better” when he — an able-bodied actor — was cast as a disabled character. “What were we thinking? I can’t play that part.”
McHale’s Glee cast mate and And That’s What You Really Missed podcast co-host Jenna Ushkowitz also told Insider that she’d only take part in a reboot if Murphy was involved. “I look to the leader. Ryan Murphy said something on our podcast about it, so you’ll have to listen,” she said. “I think if it could be done in the right way, he would do it. The stars have to align in order for something to make sense to do it, or he’s not gonna do it. Like, the integrity has to be there.”
“If Ryan was involved, I mean, that’s when you consider it,” she added. “That’s when you talk about actually the possibility of doing it. Otherwise, you can count me out.”
Ryan Seacrest will have some expert help when he suits up for this year’s edition of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. ABC and dick clark productions announced on Thursday (Nov. 17) that 18-time host and show executive producer Seacrest will once again be joined by Work It star and influencer Liza Koshy and country singer Jessie James Decker for the show that will add the Disneyland Resort in Southern California as a celebration location.
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Koshy will be alongside Seacrest at the usual Times Square location in New York, wile Decker will be along as the Powerball co-host for the fourth year. Ciara will oversee the Disneyland celebration, which will be pre-taped prior to the New Year’s holiday. Tony-winner Billy Porter will return as the co-host for the central time zone countdown in New Orleans, with D-Nice back to co-host the Los Angeles portion of the show.
The five-and-a-half-hour celebration has not yet announced the musical lineup for this year’s show, which will air from 8 p.m. ET until 2 a.m. ET.
Last year’s show featured performances from Ja Rule and Ashanti, Journey, AJR, Avril Lavigne and Travis Barker, Karol G, Big Boi with Sleepy Brown, Don Omar with Nio Gracia, French Montana, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis with Windser, Mae Muller, Maneskin, Masked Wolf, OneRepublic, Polo G, Daddy Yankee and Walker Hayes.
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2023 will air live on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 31.; the show is produced by MRC Live & Alternative, which is owned by MRC. MRC and Penske Media are co-parent companies of Billboard.
There was a lot of funny business going on with The Masked Singer on Wednesday night (Nov. 16), as Fox’s quirky show celebrated “comedy roast night.”
After accumulating the fewest number of votes, The Bride was sent packing early.
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The mask came off to reveal Chris Jericho, the former pro-wrestler and singer with heavy metal band Fozzy.
So why dress as a pink dinosaur in a wedding dress for national TV? “It’s always been inside of me, my whole life,” he said, staying in the ethos of comedy roast night.
“I was having a great time, this costume was amazing, it’s the best costume that I’ve seen on the show and I’m disappointed that I got beaten by an avocado.”
Avocado might have won that round, but he didn’t see the night out.
Following a battle royale with Snowstorm, in which the pair sang Rock Hall inductee Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain,” Avocado went sent home.
Underneath the funny suit was Adam Carolla.
The comedian played his exit with good humor. “I gotta tell you,” he told host Nick Cannon, “somebody farted in this avocado suit and it wasn’t me. No, I know my essence.”
When asked why he wanted to join The Masked Singer, another quip. “Ever since I was a young lad growing up in north Hollywood, California, I dreamt of this moment. And a scant 47 years later here I am.” He continued, “so this is a dream realized. and if I die tonight… I’m gonna be pissed actually.”
Jericho and Carolla join the likes of George Foreman (Venus Flytrap), George Clinton (Gopher), Daymond John (Fortune Teller), the “Brady boys” Mike Lookinland, Barry Williams and Christopher Knight (Mummies), Montell Jordan (Panther), Jeff Dunham (Pi-Rat), Chris Kirkpatrick (Hummingbird), Eric Idle (Hedgehog) and William Shatner (Knight) as contestants revealed so far in the 2022 series.
TMS season 8 introduces several changes to its format.
For the first time, each episode features a completely new round of masked celebs with only one contestant moving forward by the end of the hour. Plus, the audience votes in-studio for their favorite performance of the night, and the singer with the lowest tally will then unmask in the middle of the show before taking his or her place in the new Masked Singer VIP section to watch the rest of the episode.
