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Trending on Billboard NBC’s new Wicked: One Wonderful Night special was a celebration of the music and magic of Jon M. Chu’s live-action duology, but apparently, there wasn’t any room for mention of one of the project’s most important core themes. According to numerous outlets who were at the live-music event’s taping, Marissa Bode — […]
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If you have questions about the unique spelling of sombr‘s stage name, this week’s Saturday Night Live promos are for you.
The pop singer/songwriter is joined by host Nikki Glaser and cast member Chloe Fineman in the new promos, in which Fineman says, “sombr — it’s such a cool name.” “It is!” Glaser agrees. “It’s like if i called myself ‘Glasr.’”
“What?” sombr replies. “You know, because it’s usually spelled S-O-M-B-E-R — you took the E out,” Glaser explains.
“It is? I’ve been spelling it wrong this whole time and NOBODY TOLD ME?” the pop star explodes, even letting out a primal scream off camera.
This has Glaser giving him a brand-new name: “More like ‘angr.’”
Elsewhere in the promos, Fineman asks, “I’ve always wanted to know: Where does the name sombr come from?” The artist born Shane Michael Boose then says, “Well, my initials are S.M.B.”
“Ohhh!” Glaser says, adding, “My initials are N.R.G. — like energy.” When she turns to Fineman to ask, “What are yours?,” the comedian simply responds, “Cherf” — her creative interpretation of C.R.F., for Chloe Rose Fineman.
Both Glaser and sombr are making their Saturday Night Live debuts this weekend – Glaser as host and sombr as musical guest.
sombr is having a breakout year, with his debut album, I Barely Know Her, arriving in August. The project spun off his first trio of Billboard Hot 100 appearances: the top 20 hits “Back to Friends” (No. 12) and “Undressed” (No. 16), as well as the No. 41-peaking “12 to 12.”
Glaser is set to return as the host of the Golden Globes when the awards show is presented on Jan. 11.
Saturday Night Live airs at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and streams on Peacock. (See all the options to watch SNL here.)
Trending on Billboard Drake is set to briefly revive his acting career with a guest appearance in the upcoming second season of The Office Movers. The 6 God is a longtime friend of the show’s creators, Jermaine “Jae” and Trevaunn “Trey” Richards, and a frustrated Drizzy makes a brief cameo in the series trailer ahead […]
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Snoop Dogg will not be ringing in the new year on NBC. After previously announcing that the rapper would host a two-hour musical variety special from Miami titled Snoop Dogg’s New Year Eve as an extension of the hip-hop icon’s larger deal with NBCUniversal, Deadline reported on Wednesday (Nov. 5) that the network has decided not to proceed with the project.
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The show, which was slated to be carried live by the network and stream on Peacock, has reportedly been shelved in order to allow Snoop to focus on his gig as a Winter Olympics correspondent. “Sometimes the calendar gets in the way of the celebration, which is why my NBC family and I decided this winter was time for us all to focus on the Olympics,” Snoop told Deadline in a statement. “But don’t worry, we’ll party together bigger and better later in 2026. Ya dig.”
Though NBCUniversal’s announcement of the NYE special in May promised, “a night packed with unforgettable music, iconic performances and surprise artist collaborations,” up until the cancellation, no lineup or performer details of the planned special were revealed.
Snoop, who delighted audiences with his dispatches from the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, will be back on his ring game next month as a roving correspondent for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. According to the announcement from NBC in September, Snoop will “explore northern Italy, from the vibrant streets of Milan to the breathtaking Dolomites, providing his unique perspective to viewers during NBCUniversal’s Winter Olympic primetime coverage.”
The opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Games will air on Feb. 6 on NBC and Peacock and for the duration of the 17 day games, Snoop will appear alongside NBC Olympics host Mike Tirico and bring primetime audiences his unique perspective on Northern Italy winter games.
“I am excited to be back with my main man Mike Tirico for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina,” said Snoop in a statement when his winter games gig was announced. “The D O double G will be on the scene, and I am looking forward to celebrating with the athletes and their families. The Olympics is the biggest stage in the world and, as everyone knows, I’m all about sports, bringing people together, and unifying while bringing the fun. I’ll be bringing my puffy jackets, snow pants, goggles, skates (and will definitely be iced out).”
Deadline reported that it is currently unclear what NBC will air to replace the Snoop NYE special. Last year, NYE fell on Sunday and NBC carried Sunday Night Football instead of a live variety special after airing Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party live from Miami with Miley Cyrus the previous two years.
Trending on Billboard First the good news: You have not seen the last of Rumi, Mira, Zoey and the Saja Boys. Then the not-so-good news: but you’ll have to wait four years. According to a brief mention at the end of a story about how KPop Demon Hunters reportedly fumbled toy merchandising for the smash […]
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Alix Earle’s performance on the latest episode of Dancing With the Stars may have been a nine on Flavor Flav‘s scorecard, but in his heart, it was a 10.
In a couple of Wednesday (Nov. 5) posts on X, the Public Enemy rapper — who served as a guest judge on the program’s broadcast the night prior — explained that he had intended to give the influencer and pro dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy a perfect score for their routine set to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Instead, Flav says he plugged in the number nine by mistake.
“As a judge on #DWTS,,, you hit your score on a computer first,,, then hold up the sign,” he wrote. “I accidentally hit 9 for someone and told the crew I meant to hit 10,,, and they said they can’t change it and there’s nothing I can do. That girl deserved perfect 10s.”
In a second post, Flav went on to point out that the snafu was why he’d been captured on camera “looking down at the computer confused” after punching in his score.
“Couldn’t get the words out because I was watching the computer and then couldn’t find the other paddle cuz I was ready to go with my 10,” he added. “I found [Earle] afterwards and apologized and let her know what happen , she was cool.”
If the rapper had given Earle the score he’d intended, she and Chmerkovskiy would have received perfect numbers across the board for the first time this season. They’d also come close to the feat on last week’s episode, earning 39/40 for a performance set to Billie Eilish’s “Bury a Friend.”
Flav also spoke about the situation while still on the DWTS set, telling People, “I gave them a nine which was an accident. I really wanted to give them a 10, but they wouldn’t let me change it.”
Billboard has reached out to the TV show for comment.
Despite not getting the best possible score, Earle can still celebrate knowing that she’s advancing to the next round. This week’s episode — which had a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame theme — resulted in Danielle Fishel getting sent home, while Jen Affleck and former Taylor Swift backup dancer Jan Ravnik were eliminated the week before that.
Also still in the game are Dylan Efron, Andy Richter, Whitney Leavitt, Elaine Hendrix, Jordan Chiles and Robert Irwin. The next episode will air on Nov. 11 and celebrates the 20th anniversary of DWTS.
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As Rosalía readied the release of her anticipated album Lux (out Friday, Nov. 7), the global pop star was also filming for the upcoming third season of Euphoria.
“It was very challenging to do both. I was recording the album and producing and checking mixes, everything, while I was shooting Euphoria,” shares the Billboard cover star. “I had to divide my mind between both, and it was the first time, also, that I was doing something like this — preparing a character, studying lines. These are new things for me. It’s very different from making an album and making music. So that was a real challenge.”
Plus, despite her fame, she still had to audition for a role: “Girl, of course, claro!” But once she landed the part and filming began, she says Euphoria co-star Alexa Demie had the best advice to share. “She’s been a very close friend of mine, and she’s been very supportive. The way she approaches it is so effortless, and that’s something very beautiful to see and very inspiring.”
As for who has the best music taste on staff? “Definitely me,” she says with a laugh, before offering another answer. “Zendaya. Because Zendaya recommended Motomami to the director.”
“When we were filming, I admire her so much, I didn’t want to distract her at all,” continues Rosalía. “So I wouldn’t talk to her too much. But when she would be off set, then she would explain that she knew about my music, and that made me very happy. It meant a lot, because I really like what she does. She can do it all.”
Rosalía can, too. With Euphoria on her resume, she reveals that she would love to work with Quentin Tarantino or Sofia Coppola. But until then — and until the third season of Euphoria finally airs in 2026 — fans can cling to the singer’s fourth album, Lux, and read her full Billboard cover story.
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SYDNEY, Australia — More than three-and-a-half years after the siren sounded, the Australian government is activating local content quotas for popular streaming video on-demand platforms operating on these shores.
Confirmed Tuesday, Nov. 4, the new obligation will require those services with over 1 million domestic subscribers to invest 10% of total program expenditure here, or 7.5% of their total Australian revenue, to supporting local storytelling.
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Netflix, Disney, Amazon and other SVOD services will be compelled to comply by the legislation, which will be introduced to Parliament this week, the ABC reports.
Those quotas must pass that bar set by the Australian Content and Children’s Television Standard (ACCTS), meeting or exceeding the same requirements currently applied to commercial and subscription television services.
“We have Australian content requirements on free-to-air television and pay television, but until now, there has been no guarantee that we could see our own stories on streaming services,” minister for the arts Tony Burke remarked.
“Since their introduction in Australia, streaming services have created some extraordinary shows. This obligation will ensure that those stories — our stories — continue to be made.”
APRA AMCOS celebrated the announcement as an “incredible first step for Australia.” Whether the next step is a long-mooted content quotas for streaming music platforms, time will tell.
The Australian-made regulation, says Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS, is a critical mechanism “within a global content market where extraordinary local stories and local music can be drowned out by content from major overseas markets.”
Critically, he adds, “the obligation includes requirements to spend on post-production in Australia, opening the door for Australian screen composers and local music to play a central role in telling our stories. This represents a significant new opportunity for Australia’s music creators.”
The Albanese government’s announcement follows the presentation last week of APRA AMCOS’s 2025 Screen Music Awards, and delivers on Canberra’s commitment in its national cultural policy, the five-year action plan dubbed Revive.
With its presentation in January 2023, the federal government mapped out a timeline for legislation that would enforce local content quotas on streaming platforms. “For video streaming,” federal minister of the arts Tony Burke said at the time, “the timeline is locked in.”
The new rules should’ve been implemented in 2024 but were delayed over concerns on how they might create a stumbling block for Australia’s trade agreement with the United States.
The champagne corks aren’t exactly flying, but the Australian creative community has cause to celebrate. The government’s commitment to investing in Australian storytelling comes on the heels of last week’s decision that there would be no exception for big tech in Australia’s copyright regime to allow for text and data mining.
“This announcement marks a landmark day for the Australian screen industry,” enthuses Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner. “For too long, our local production sector has operated in an uneven environment where global streaming services could reap the benefits of doing business in Australia without contributing fairly to the creation of Australian stories.”
The commitment is “the result of years of advocacy,” he continues. “It recognizes that Australian stories matter, and that they deserve to be seen and heard on every platform.”
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Robert Irwin, Alix Earle and Whitney Leavitt rocked, so too did Chicago, while one unfortunate couple rolled out of the competition as Dancing With The Stars celebrated Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night.
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On Tuesday night (Oct. 4), all eyes were on Irwin, once again, as the Australian conversationist and his dancing pro partner Witney Carson hit the main floor.
Drenched in red light, Irwin, son of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin and younger brother of Bindi, who won the 21st season of DWTS, in 2015, transformed into a matador for a paso doble to The White Stripes’ “Icky Thump.”
The judges loved the routine, as Irwin and Carson were awarded 38 out of 40, matching their season-high from last week’s Halloween Night. Only the teams of Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, and Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas (both with 39/40), fared better.
No pairing has yet landed a perfect score in this 34th season of DWTS.
However, Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov failed to hit the right note with their contemporary dance to “Dream On” by Aerosmith, which came in at the bottom of the pack with 34/40. The lowest score of the night means elimination, so the actress and her pro partner are out. Live votes are cast during the East Coast airing and ends shortly after the final performance is completed.
Also on Rock Hall night, the group dances returned with a bang as the cast was evenly split in two, and teamed up alongside one of the co-hosts, Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro.
The winner was Ribeiro’s “Team Chicago” performance, with Danielle (team captain) and Pasha; Whitney and Mark; Jordan and Ezra; and Dylan and Daniella, earning a perfect 40/40.
Chicago, which was inducted into the Rock Hall in the class of 2016, provided the score with a rendition of “25 or 6 to 4.”
Dancing with the Stars airs live Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu. The finale will be on Nov. 25.
Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Night Scores
Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach: 36/40Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy: 39/40Andy Richter and Emma Slater: 30/40Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas: 39/40Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov: 34/40 (ELIMINATED)Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten: 37/40Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa: 38/40Robert Irwin and Witney Carson: 38/40
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Nick Cave’s bad boy Bunny comes to life for a six-part streaming series, The Death of Bunny Munro, the first trailer for which has dropped online.
BAFTA and Emmy-nominated Matt Smith (Doctor Who, The Crown, House of the Dragon) takes the lead as Munro, a slippery door-to-door salesman on a road trip with his young son, played by Rafael Mathé in his television debut, following the death of his wife by suicide.
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In the new clip, Bunny takes Junior on the road for a eventful sales trek around Brighton and the surrounding coast, an area familiar to Cave, the Australian-born alternative rock legend who has called the English seaside home for some decades.
“My dad,” says Bunny Junior in the trailer, “he’s the best salesman in the world.” The youngster doesn’t know the half of it.
Cuts of Jarvis Cocker’s “Black Magic,” and Cave’s “Bright Horses” soundtrack the clip, which can be seen in full below.
Following Libby’s death, Munro, a sex addicted beauty product salesman and “self-professed lothario” finds himself “saddled with a young son and only a loose concept of parenting,” reads a plot synopsis from Sky.
“Together with nine-year-old Bunny Junior he embarks on an epic and increasingly out-of-control road trip across southern England as the two struggle to contain their grief in very different ways.”
First published in 2009, The Death of Bunny Munro is Cave’s second novel after And the Ass Saw the Angel from 1989.
The forthcoming series was written by BAFTA winner Pete Jackson (Somewhere Boy) and directed by BAFTA-nominated Isabella Eklöf (Industry, Holiday), with an original score by Cave and his longtime collaborator Warren Ellis. Cave also serves as executive producer for the show, produced by Clerkenwell Films in association with Sky Studios.
Cave is, of course, the celebrated frontman of The Bad Seeds, and several seminal outfits including The Boys Next Door, The Birthday Party, Grinderman and more.
In the United Kingdom., his adopted homeland, the band has landed seven top 10 albums, including Wild God, which opened and peaked at No. 5.
Wild God, released through Cave’s own label Bad Seed, via a new, exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Play It Again Sam, an imprint of the independent [PIAS] label group, was nominated for a raft of awards, including two Grammy categories (best alternative music album and best alternative music performance), best alternative rock record at the Libera Awards and the 2024 Australian Music Prize.
Cave was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007, and has won eight ARIA Awards for his solo or group work.
The Death of Bunny Munro will air on Sky Atlantic and streaming services Now and Binge from Nov. 20.
