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While discussing their new film A Complete Unknown with Billboard, Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning bounced around from Bob Dylan’s lyrics to Nicki Minaj’s legacy, Doechii’s rising stardom and a shared love for Mariah Carey’s music.
At the heart of the Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, directed by James Mangold, is the singer/songwriter’s early rise in Greenwich Village between 1961 and 1965 — a time when his words became rallying cries for a restless generation. For Chalamet, stepping into Dylan’s well-worn boots wasn’t a task he took lightly. He learned more than 40 Bob Dylan songs, not just to perform them, but to fully absorb their meaning. “It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, as an actor, just as a human. The metaphor I use… I am a huge Kid Cudi fan from my teenage years, right? And that’s the music that shaped me going into my adulthood. Into my adulthood, Bob Dylan shaped my worldview and his music — except at the end of that path, I’m embodying him.”
It was an unexpected comparison, but one that makes perfect sense. For a lot of people who grew up in the era of streaming playlists and viral music moments, Cudi’s lyrics became a sort of survival toolkit for navigating emotional turbulence. Dylan, in his own era, wasn’t so different: He wrote songs that made people feel seen, whether they were marching in protests or simply trying to make sense of their lives.
While Dylan’s music served as the foundation for his performance, the conversation seamlessly opened up to Billboard’s Top Female Rappers of 2024 list. Nicki Minaj secured the No. 3 spot, and Chalamet’s face immediately lit up. “I feel like as a LaGuardia grad, as a Barb — even if I get roasted saying that… maybe have to slot Nicki [hand gestures upward] — but I’m not gonna disagree with that. I don’t need to wade into those waters.”
The LaGuardia reference, of course, ties back to his roots in the performing arts school known for producing fiercely passionate performers. And let’s be honest: The image of a young Timmy rapping Nicki Minaj lyrics is almost too good to handle.
But it wasn’t just Chalamet bringing the music references; Fanning held her own in the musical conversation too. Her connection to Dylan predates the film, and she shared how she was introduced to his music while working on a movie with Cameron Crowe at just 13 years old. “I do not know all the facts of Bob [Dylan], but I was just a lover of his music. I was 13, Cameron Crowe introduced me to his music, I did a film with him [We Bought a Zoo], and he would play his songs all the time.”
There’s something inherently cinematic about that moment: a teenage Fanning being guided into Dylan’s world by a director synonymous with rock ‘n’ roll storytelling.
Fanning’s music taste isn’t limited to classic folk anthems; it thrives in the current moment too. As soon as we mentioned Billboard’s Top Female Rappers of 2024 list, her excitement was instant. She didn’t even wait to hear the full lineup before confidently declaring Doechii as her top pick (she landed at No. 6 on our list). “I got to see her perform… I got to meet her actually. She is beautiful, like I am obsessed with her.”
The conversation then took one final detour: astrology. As a fellow Aries to Fanning, Billboard‘s Cat Johnson couldn’t resist bringing up some of the most iconic Aries musicians: Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin and Elton John. When asked to pick her favorite Aries legend, Fanning didn’t hesitate: “Mariah is Mariah, like I love Mariah Carey.”
Beyond the fandom moments and Barb confessions, what stood out most about this conversation was how deeply both Chalamet and Fanning respect the music that shaped their roles. For Chalamet, learning Dylan’s songs wasn’t just preparation; it was an education. For Fanning, music became both anchor and an entry point into the world her character occupies.
This isn’t just another music biopic. A Complete Unknown feels like a love letter — to artistry, to rebellion, to the intangible power of music to move us, change us, and remind us who we are. Whether you’re a Dylan purist, a Barb, or someone who’s just stumbled upon Doechii’s music on your For You page, this film feels like it could speak directly to you.
Watch Billboard‘s interview with Chalamet and Fanning above.
A local community theater director, accurately portrayed by Martin Short, comes in to critique a performance of A Charlie Brown Christmas in SNL‘s Peanuts Christmas sketch that aired Saturday night (Dec. 21).
The SNL ensemble is full of spot-on spoofs of Peanuts characters in the sketch (hats off to the wardrobe and props departments), and they’re bopping away to the classic theme song “Linus and Lucy.”
Drake Tuttle (Short, who hosted Saturday’s holiday episode of SNL) is joined by a self-proclaimed “genius” choreographer named Lestat (Bowen Yang). In full transparency, Tuttle discloses that they’ve been romantically involved. (They “used to date,” he says, “and our relationship is very weird.”)
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“Your principal hired me to direct your pageant,” he tells the Peanuts crew, to protests that Charlie Brown is their director.
“And I’m sorry to say he’s dead,” Tuttle announces, pausing for dramatic effect before adding, “to me.”
Tuttle tries to give notes. Lestat tries to incorporate modern hip-hip into the production. Nothing quite goes their way, until they discover their star: Snoopy (Kenan Thompson).
The sketch arrives while the soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Christmas from the Vince Guaraldi Trio, originally released in 1965, currently sits at No. 1 on the Billboard Kid Albums chart, thanks to the Christmastime popularity of the special.
Watch SNL‘s Peanuts Christmas below. For those watching with kids, be warned there’s some innuendo here, particularly when it comes to the jokes Short and Yang direct toward Schroeder — and unlike the actual animated Peanuts specials, what the grownups say can be heard on SNL‘s special.
For more holiday laughs, check out Saturday night’s Sábado Gigante Christmas Special sketch, and for a musical fix, don’t miss Hozier’s performance.
Sábado Gigante ended in 2015, but SNL brought the long-running variety show back to TV, at least via short-form comedy, this season.
Cast member Marcello Hernández plays Don Francisco in the Dec. 21 episode’s Sábado Gigante Christmas Special sketch, also starring guest Paul Rudd as a clueless audience member who doesn’t speak Spanish yet finds himself on the Sábado Gigante stage. It’s a reprisal of the role for Hernández, who first appeared as the Chilean TV star in an SNL sketch in October, when Nate Bargatze was the one who had no idea what was happening on Sábado Gigante.
Rudd, playing a man named Greg, is called to the stage as a contestant in Saturday night’s skit.
“Dónde está Greg?” Hernández announces, then waves “mi gringo favorito” over to the spotlight.
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“I’m not supposed to be here,” says Rudd, who looks lost. “I missed my flight out of Miami, and instead of a voucher, they gave me a ticket to this show.”Hernández, in a silly Santa hat, ignores him completely and instructs him to choose a number.
Rudd picks “uno.” This turns out to be an unfortunate choice: “Miami Frosty,” or Frosty the Snowman melting in the sun and crying, “Yo soy agua,” is unveiled, to Rudd’s discomfort. “Oh, Greg. Como se dice, ‘You killed him’?” Hernández asks with feigned horror.
Later in the segment, he realizes he’s being asked a question with a prize of $1 million and needs to give Hernández an answer — rápido. Unfortunately, this question proves to puzzle poor Greg.
Watch SNL‘s Sábado Gigante Christmas Special below. Elsewhere during Saturday’s holiday episode of SNL, which was hosted by Martin Short, Hozier performed his hit “Too Sweet” and a cover of The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York.”
SNL musical guest Hozier closed the season with his hit “Too Sweet” and a cover of The Pogues‘ “Fairytale of New York” on the Martin Short-hosted episode Saturday night (Dec. 21). Introduced by Short, Hozier performed “Too Sweet,” his 2024 chart-topper that took off 10 years after his breakthrough single “Take Me to Church,” which […]
London Philharmonic Orchestra has teamed up with Foresee Films and Women in Film Los Angeles to spotlight worldwide gender discrimination in a powerful way through music. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news LPO interpreted the original song that soundtracks the Oscar-contending best live-action short black and white […]
After being featured in the fourth season of CBS series Ghosts, 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” is No. 1 on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind, for November 2024.
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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 November 2024.
“What’s Up?” reigns after a synch in the fourth episode of season four of Ghosts, premiering Nov. 7. It’s Ghosts’ only appearance on the 10-position November 2024 tally, and it comes via 8.6 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 2,000 downloads in November, according to Luminate.
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The 4 Non Blondes classic peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993, the Linda Perry-fronted band’s only U.S. hit on that chart.
A quintet of songs from Netflix’s Arcane dots Top TV Songs, paced by Stromae and Pomme’s “Ma Meillure Ennemie,” which ranks at No. 2 thanks to 14.4 million streams and 1,000 downloads, all coming in the final week of the year after its episode’s Nov. 23 premiere.
Arcane debuted its second and final season three years after the runaway-hit original; it was premiered in three three-episode blocks, beginning on Nov. 9 and ending with the final three episodes on Nov. 23.
“Ma Meillure Ennemie” became the first song from both artists to reach the Hot 100, debuting at No. 95 on the Dec. 7 tally and reaching a peak of No. 69 the following week.
Woodkid’s “To Ashes and Blood” (No. 7; 8.4 million streams, 1,000 downloads), Twenty One Pilots’ “The Line” (No. 9; 7.1 million streams, 1,000 downloads) and Marcus King’s “Sucker” (No. 10; 6.2 million streams, 1,000 downloads) join Stromae and Pomme on the November 2024 Top TV Songs chart.
See the full top 10, also featuring music from The Irrational, Special Ops: Lioness, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Fire Country and St. Denis Medical, below.
Rank, Song, Artist, Show (Network)1. “What’s Up?,” 4 Non Blondes, Ghosts (CBS)2. “Ma Meilleure Ennemie,” Stromae & Pomme, Arcane (Netflix)3. “I’m Good (Blue),” David Guetta & Bebe Rexha, The Irrational (NBC)4. “Summer Breeze,” Seals & Crofts, Special Ops: Lioness (Paramount+)5. “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl,” Chappell Roan, The Sex Lives of College Girls (MAX)6. “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Fire Country (CBS)7. “To Ashes and Blood,” Woodkid, Arcane (Netflix)8. “Intergalactic,” Beastie Boys, St. Denis Medical (NBC)9. “The Line,” Twenty One Pilots, Arcane (Netflix)10. “Sucker,” Marcus King, Arcane (Netflix)
The latest iteration of Billboard’s Top Movie Songs chart, powered by Tunefind (a Songtradr company), for November 2024 gets into the holiday spirit thanks to the Christmas flick Red One, with Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” reigning at No. 1.
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Rankings for the Top Movie Songs chart are based on song and film 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 November 2024. The ranking includes newly released films from the preceding three months.
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is part of a holiday-themed soundtrack from Red One, which stars Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans and Lucy Liu, plus J.K. Simmons as Santa Claus. Concurrent with usual gains sustained by holiday music each November, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” rules the chart via 80.4 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 4,000 downloads in November 2024, according to Luminate.
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Red One, released Nov. 15, boasts three songs on the 10-position chart in all. Dean Martin’s rendition of “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” ranks at No. 3 (48.1 million streams, 2,000 downloads), and Mariah Carey’s version of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” appears at No. 6 (11.3 million streams, 1,000 downloads).
Another movie released in November snags three spots on the chart, too: music from the theatrical adaptation of Wicked, which came out on Nov. 22. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s rendition of “Defying Gravity” leads the trio at No. 2, tallying 23.1 million streams and 11,000 downloads in November (despite being available for just two weeks of the tracking month). Grande’s “Popular” (No. 4; 20.8 million streams, 5,000 downloads) and the cast version of “No One Mourns the Wicked” (No. 5; 12.6 million streams, 1,000 downloads) also appear.
Music from Venom: The Last Dance, which topped the October 2024 chart via Maroon 5’s “Memories,” round out the top 10 as the Oct. 25 film continued its theatrical release.
See the full top 10 below.
Rank, Song, Artist, Film1. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Brenda Lee, Red One2. “Defying Gravity,” Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande, Wicked3. “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” Dean Martin, Red One4. “Popular,” Ariana Grande, Wicked5. “No One Mourns the Wicked,” Ariana Grande feat. Andy Nyman, Courtney Mae-Briggs, Jeff Goldblum, Sharon D. Clarke & Jenna Boyd, Wicked6. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” Mariah Carey, Red One7. “Dancing Queen,” ABBA, Venom: The Last Dance8. “Don’t Stop Me Now,” Queen, Venom: The Last Dance9. “Memories,” Maroon 5, Venom: The Last Dance10. “Space Oddity,” David Bowie, Venom: The Last Dance
Eager fans of The Weeknd have something to look forward to, with Lionsgate officially setting a release date for his upcoming film Hurry Up Tomorrow.
Directed by Trey Edward Shults (Waves, It Comes At Night), Hurry Up Tomorrow will mark The Weeknd’s (aka Abel Tesfaye) feature-starring debut, and serves as something of an extension of his forthcoming album of the same name. While the record is slated for release on Jan. 24, the film has now been given a release date of May 16.
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“Abel is a visionary whose art cannot be confined by any single medium,” said Adam Fogelson, chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, in a statement upon the company’s acquisition of worldwide distribution rights. “With Hurry Up Tomorrow, in partnership with Trey, his musical universe expands onto the big screen with a psychological thriller that will usher in a new cinematic experience for fans. We are thrilled to be bringing it to audiences worldwide.”
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The Hurry Up Tomorrow film is both inspired by and features new music from The Weeknd, who scored the film with frequent collaborator Daniel Lopatin (also known as Oneohtrix Point Never). The film also serves as the conclusion of his artistic trilogy that began with 2020’s After Hours and continued with 2022’s Dawn FM.
Alongside Tesfaye’s starring role, Hurry Up Tomorrow features Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan in supporting roles, with production handled by Tesfaye’s own film and television production company Manic Phase and producing partner Reza Fahim, along with the late Kevin Turen and Harrison Kreiss.
Ortega, Shults, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, Ryan Kroft, The Weeknd’s manager Wassim “Sal” Slaiby and Harrison Huffman are all listed as executive producers on the film. Chayse Irvin serves as director of photography, Elliott Hostetter is the production designer, and Erin Benach and Hannah Jacobs are the costume designers.
In May 2023, Tesfaye spoke to W Magazine to claim that his next studio album would be the final record released under The Weeknd moniker. “It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter. I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn,” he said at the time.
“The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd,” he added. “This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
Time to show off your wickedly good singing chops, as Wicked dropped a buzzed-about sing-along version of its film soundtrack on Friday (Dec. 20) via Universal Pictures / Republic Records / Verve Records. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Fans can channel their inner Ariana Grande as Glinda or […]
After seven years in a row as the top TV show for music synchs, Grey’s Anatomy has ben unseated as top dog, according to Tunefind.
Tunefind, a Songtradr company, has announced its top TV shows, movies, songs, artists and composers for the year, and according to Tunefind, the biggest show of the year was the U.S. version of Love Island.
The music discovery website Tunefind’s year-end rankings are based only on traffic and interaction on its website, which helps fans identify what song they heard in a TV show or film. Tunefind’s year-end charts are separate from the monthly Top TV Songs and Top Movie Songs charts, presented with Billboard. The monthly Top TV Songs chart ranks the top songs that appear in TV shows each month, using a combination of metrics from Tunefind and Luminate, while Top Movie Songs does the same for films released in the preceding three months.
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Love Island, which premiered in the U.S. in 2019 after multiple years of successful iterations abroad (beginning with the original in the United Kingdom), premiered its sixth season in June via Peacock. The 37-episode season featured a number of synchs in each edition, ranging from well-known tracks old (Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor”) and new (Chappell Roan’s “Red Wine Supernova”), as well as covers of familiar tunes.
It reigns over the return of Arcane, whose second season propels it to No. 2 on Tunefind’s year-end ranking. Netflix’s animated series from the League of Legends video game universe premiered season two in November, three years after the original. Its soundtrack, featuring a variety of original songs from Twenty One Pilots, Freya Ridings, Marcus King and more, debuted at No. 26 on the Billboard 200 dated Dec. 7 and rose to a new peak of No. 24 on the Dec. 17 tally.
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Grey’s Anatomy, the ABC series that had reigned for the past seven years since Tunefind began sharing its year-end data with Billboard, still maintains its standing as a TV synch juggernaut, ranking at No. 3 on Tunefind’s year-end report, while FX/Hulu’s The Bear and HBO’s Industry round out the top five. Speaking of HBO, its new series The Penguin tops the five-position ranking of the biggest new shows of the year in synchs.
The top TV song of the year in TV, however, is from none of those shows. The distinction belongs to Mazzy Star’s 1994 hit “Fade Into You,” No. 3 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart that September and the band’s only track to date to reach the Billboard Hot 100.
“Fade Into You”’s year-winning synch came from Netflix’s new series 3 Body Problem, which premiered in March.
Meanwhile, the top movie of the year for synchs was none other than Marvel and Disney’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which premiered in July, followed by a home video release in October and streaming on Disney+ in November.
In fact, the film takes up the entire top 10 of Tunefind’s biggest movie synchs, led by *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye,” which reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 in 2000 and returned to the ranking in August 2024 at No. 45 following the movie’s theatrical release.
Billie Eilish snags the distinction of the year’s top artist, while Ramin Djawadi takes the top composer honors. Eilish’s year included synchs in Heartstopper, True Detective, Love Island and more, and Djawadi contributed scores to 3 Body Problem, Fallout and the second season of House of the Dragon.
See each of the year-end rankings below.
Top Songs (TV)
“Fade Into You,” Mazzy Star (3 Body Problem)
“Only You,” The Platters (Fallout)
“Heartbeats,” Jose Gonzalez (Brilliant Minds)
“New Noise,” Refused (The Bear)
“Hope We Can Again,” Nine Inch Nails (The Bear)
“Together,” Nine Inch Nails (The Bear)
“White Rabbit,” Jefferson Airplane (Reacher)
“You and I,” Leon (Nobody Wants This/English Teacher)
“Everything In Its Right Place, Radiohead (Everything In Its Right Place)
“See Her Out (That’s Just Life),” Francis and the Lights (Nobody Wants This)
Top Songs (Film)
“Bye Bye Bye,” *NSYNC (Deadpool & Wolverine)
“The Lady in Red,” Chris De Burgh (Deadpool & Wolverine)
“Only You,” The Platters (Deadpool & Wolverine)
“Like a Prayer,” Madonna (Deadpool & Wolverine)
“SLASH,” Stray Kids (Deadpool & Wolverine)
“I’m With You,” Avril Lavigne (Deadpool & Wolverine)
“Angel of the Morning,” Merrilee Rush & the Turnarounds (Deadpool & Wolverine)
“Iris,” Goo Goo Dolls (Deadpool & Wolverine)
“The Power of Love,” Huey Lewis and the News (Deadpool & Wolverine)
“The Greatest Show,” Hugh Jackman with Keala Settle, Zac Efron, Zendaya & The Greatest Showman Ensemble (Deadpool & Wolverine)
Top TV Shows
Love Island (U.S.) (Supervisor: Jordan Young)
Arcane (Jen Malone & Nicole Weisberg)
Grey’s Anatomy (Justin Kamps)
The Bear (Josh Senior & Christopher Storer)
Industry (Ollie White)
All American (Madonna Wade-Reed)
The Rookie (Liza Richardson & Marc Mondello)
True Detective (Susan Jacobs)
Tell Me Lies (Kristen Higurea & Maggie Phillips)
Heartstopper (Mat Biffa)
Top TV Shows, New
The Penguin (Supervisors: Jen Malone & Whitney Pilzer)
Nobody Wants This (Este Haim, Zachary Dawes & Kristen Higurea)
Tracker (Robin Urdang)
The Day of the Jackal (Catherine Grieves)
English Teacher (Jen Ross)
Top Movies
Deadpool & Wolverine (Supervisor: Dave Jordan)
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Rupert Hollier)
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (James Balmont)
Twisters (Rachel Levy)
It Ends With Us (Season Kent)
Road House (Randall Poster)
The Fall Guy (Rachel Levy)
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Sarah Maniquis-Garrisi)
Challengers (Robin Urdang)
Venom: The Last Dance (Spring Aspers)
Top Artists
Billie Eilish
Taylor Swift
Radiohead
The Rolling Stones
Nina Simone
Massive Attack
Beck
Mazzy Star
The Cure
Goo Goo Dolls
Top Composers
Ramin Djawadi
Rob Simonsen
Max Richter
Hans Zimmer
Jeff Russo
Dave Porter
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Kris Bowers
Christopher Lennertz
Tyler Bates
