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If Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson aimed to stir the pot with their upcoming HBO series The Idol, consider it mission accomplished. The creative duo made a splash at the Cannes Film Festival this week with their buzzed-about series chronicling the price of pop stardom thanks to what Variety described as the copious amounts of “on-screen nudity, bodily fluids and Hollywood sycophants” in the first two (out of five) episodes that screened at the event typically focused on movies.
At a Cannes press conference on Tuesday (May 23) after the premiere, The Weeknd (who now goes by his birth name) said he and Levinson had a goal of stirring the pot and creating “something special, something fun, to make people laugh, piss some people off.” Star Lily-Rose Depp also defended the long shoot and pushed back on rumors of mayhem on the set, saying, “It’s always a little sad and disheartening to see mean, false things said about someone you care about. It wasn’t reflective of my experience.”
Before anyone got their eyes on the show, Rolling Stone posted an explosive story in March based on 13 unnamed sources who described an allegedly chaotic set drowning in ballooning budgets and endless script re-writes that contributed to a project the magazine described as “torture porn.”
Levinson took on those reports dead-on during the presser, saying, “When my wife read me the article, I looked at her and I said, ‘I think we’re about to have the biggest show of the summer.’” The showrunner readily copped to making a project that is “provocative. It’s not lost on us.” As for the claims in the article, Levinson said, “It felt completely foreign to me. My only slight grievance is they intentionally omitted anything that didn’t fit their narrative. We’ve seen a lot of that recently.”
The show focuses on Rose Depp’s Jocelyn, a pop star dealing with a psychotic break following the death of her mother, who is struggling to get a new album and tour going when she visits a sleazy Hollywood club and meets Tesfaye’s character, Tedros, a cult leader who has lascivious ideas about rebooting the singer’s career.
Borrowing a page from Kanye West’s phrase book, Tesfaye said he wanted to make a “dark, twisted fantasy” about the music industry… to take everything I know about it and heighten it.” As for the reportedly generous amounts of nudity, Levinson said “we live in a very sexualized world… the influence of pornography is strong in the psyche of young people. We see this in pop music.”
Depp appeared to agree, calling her character a “born and bred performer” whose frequent nudity is an important part of Jocelyn’s origin story. That extends to every aspect of her life, not just her professional life,” she said. “The way she dresses is trying to tell you something all the time. The occasional bareness of the character physically mirrors the bareness we get to see emotionally.”
And while the pilot episode reportedly references the white-hot spotlight often shined on young, female music stars such as Britney Spears, Levinson was adamant that Jocelyn was not directly inspired by the troubled real-life pop idol. “We’re not trying to tell a story about any particular pop star,” he said. “We’re looking more at how the world perceives pop stars and the pressure it puts on that individual.”
In a review, The Hollywood Reporter said the series is “more regressive than transgressive,” with a pointed bottom line takeaway that The Idol comes off as an “older, even more stylized version of Euphoria‘s second season,” and simply “tries too hard.” The site also noted, however, that, as is often the case among enthusiastic Cannes audiences, Monday’s premiere elicited a “standard-measure 5-minute standing ovation” and what it described as “polite applause.”
LL Cool J is hanging up his badge on the mainland, but come next season, the veteran rapper/actor will be investigating crimes in an equally sunny, surfy locale. In a tweet on Monday night (May 22), LL wrote “Let’s do this!!!,” along with an arm flex, lightning bolt and fire emoji after NCIS: Hawai’i star […]
By now you should know what you’re getting into if your agent greenlights an appearance on The Eric André Show. The Adult Swim series is gearing up for its sixth season and in a preview that dropped on Monday (May 22) Lil Nas X is the gonzo comedian’s latest victim.
André — who delights in making his guests squirm as much as possible by filling the studio with carny sideshow-like characters, unpredictable, viscous liquids and all manner of shocking and upsetting surprises — does his best to throw Lil Nas off his game in a two-minute preview of the new season that launches on June 4.
The clip opens with the rapper taking the stage in one of his signature fashion-forward outfits, a black and white spacesuit with clunky boots that gives him a futuristic vibe. After the house band plays him on, André makes his way to the host’s desk and compliments Lil Nas, saying, “you look like you’re gonna f—in’ motorcycle through a Tron remake.”
Thinking he might pull one over on the stand-up comedian and star of Bad Trip, Nas X wonders, “hey, do you believe in the illuminati?” But, before André can even answer in the affirmative, a monster below his desk screeches and tries to push its way through the wood paneling in a horrifying manner.
Like so many things on the show, it is never explained or even acknowledged, leading to a shocked look on Lil Nas’ face. “What the f–k is going on in here?” the host wonders, quipping that he’s returning whatever is living at his feet to the store. “Okay,” Lil Nas says nervously while looking around as the hiss of vapor fills the air, with a microphone spraying an unknown mist into André’s face.
As Eric seems increasingly narcotized, Nas covers his mouth in worry while André appears to be drugged, slurring, “when you got videos when you got in trouble?” Trying to salvage things, Lil Nas sweetly asks, “what?” as André continues to ramble incoherently. “What the f–k is wrong with you?” the rapper laughs nervously as co-host Felipe punches his way through the set a la Jack Nicholson in The Shining.
Not to worry, as usual, Montero will have plenty of company in André’s bizarroland, with other guests this season slated to include Diplo, Jon Hamm, Natasha Lyonne, Blac Chyna, Rico Nasty, Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Yachty, Cypress Hill and more.
Watch Lil Nas in the preview below.
Late night will be a lot quieter in the midst of the Writers Guild of America strike that began Monday (May 1) after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to produce a new deal.
So far, the first strike in 15 years means that all your favorite late night talk shows will be dark for the time being, with Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Steven Colbert and Seth Meyers turning off the lights and The Daily Show also taking a break for the foreseeable future. Their solidarity with the strikers will keep musical acts from promoting their latest projects on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show and Late Night, eliminating a vital source of television promotion.
The three biggest reality singing shows will carry on without any interruption. A source close to American Idol tells Billboard that there is not expected to be any impact on the current season, which is slated to wrap up on May 21 with a three-hour finale. Similarly, Fox’s Masked Singer — whose episodes are pre-taped well in advance — will keep revealing celebrity singers through its May 17 finale. At press time a source close to The Voice — which wraps with a two-night finale on May 22-23 — tells Billboard the NBC series also does not expect to change gears over the next three weeks.
But the work stoppage also means Pete Davidson’s anticipated comeback to Saturday Night Live this weekend (May 6) with musical guest Lil Uzi Vert has been put on ice. According to Variety, Sunday night’s (May 7) live 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards is pulling the ripcord on their “contingency” plan after months of planning for the long-expected strike.
The production reportedly stockpiled “several short films” before the strike began, though any other scripted elements “can’t be updated or revised” with the writers on the sidelines, meaning there might be less of the expected topical or in-the-moment commentary pumped into the Teleprompter for presenters and host Drew Barrymore during the broadcast.
The MTV event will be the first major awards show since the strike was called and the unnamed production source said nothing that was written before can be changed at this point. Barrymore told Variety that planning was key. “The things that we have planned to be in the body of the show, we made efforts to have those plans be in place,” the actress and daytime talk show host said. “Our respect and solidarity is not only intact, we are covering ourselves so that we can do the appropriate thing. Nobody here is tone deaf… I think we’ve been acting in accordance of being the most appropriate to everyone we support, and have a plan for that in place.”
Further down the line, Yellowjackets co-creator Ashley Lyle tweeted on Tuesday that the Showtime drama, whose episodes are typically packed with classic alt-rock from the 1990s, has stopped work on the in-process third season as its second season continues to roll out. Anticipating a work slowdown, many studios stockpiled episodes and movies to weather the storm in light of the last work stoppage in 2007, which lasted 100 days.
That means artists and rights holders who locked in synch deals for the placement of their songs in already wrapped shows and movies should not be impacted, while those who were working to secure such deals may face days, weeks, or possibly months of delays in finalizing future synchs.
“While company profits have remained high and spending on content has grown, writers are falling behind,” the WGA said in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “The companies have used the transition to streaming to cut writer pay and separate writing from production, worsening working conditions for series writers at all levels. On TV staffs, more writers are working at minimum regardless of experience, often for fewer weeks, or in mini-rooms, while showrunners are left without a writing staff to complete the season. And while series budgets have soared over the past decade, median writer-producer pay has fallen.”
The Reporter also noted syndicated daytime talk shows will, for the most part, not be affected, as The View, Live With Kelly and Mark and Tamron Hall — all of which frequently feature musical guests — do not staff WGA writers; The Talk, which does employ WGA writers, is airing banked shows for this week and next and will then shift to repeats.
The Kelly Clarkson Show, home to the beloved daily Kellyoke segment and frequent sit-downs with fellow musicians, employs guild writers but tapes episodes in advance and has “a bank of shows on which to draw.” Another popular daytime talker, The Drew Barrymore Show, has wrapped production on its season.
American Idol will be down two judges on Sunday night (May 7) when Katy Perry and Lionel Richie jet to England to take part in the coronation of King Charles III. But they will have some serious ringers filling in during their absence: Ed Sheeran and Alanis Morissette.
During Monday night’s (May 1) show it was revealed that the pair will join Luke Bryan as guest judges on Sunday during the show’s “616” episode, where America will cast their votes for the top 5. Morissette will pull double-duty as guest judge and mentor to the top 10, who will perform her songs live, with the finalists also teaming up with each other on duets of Sheeran’s hits.
Both Sheeran and Morissette will perform on the episode, with Alanis sharing one of her classics and Sheeran playing his new single, the ballad “Boat.” And though Katy and Lionel will be getting the royal treatment, they will check in from Windsor Castle on Idol LIVE.
The top 10 battled it out on Monday night’s episode, with Hawaiian high-schooler Iam Tongi crushing it with his version of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” complete with some homey touches. After ditching his trusty guitar for Sunday night’s episode during performance of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me,” Tongi donned a colorful Hawaiian shirt and performed with a ukulele. Tyson Venegas and Marybeth Byrd were eliminated, while Oliver Steele earned a judge’s save.
American Idol airs live coast-to-coast on Sunday from 8-10 p.m. ET/5-7 p.m. PT on ABC.
Adam Lambert made a name for himself back in 2009 when he battled into the runner-up sot on American Idol‘s eighth season with a repertoire that included soaring, powerful covers of songs by Johnny Cash and Smokey Robinson that displayed his flair for finding a unique lane on well-loved classics.
After years of solo hits and an ongoing stint fronting classic rock powerhouse Queen, Lambert was back on familiar ground on Sunday night (April 30) when he returned to the Idol stage for a rocking cover of the 1973 Anne Peebles hit “I Can’t Stand the Rain.” The slow-burn ballad — famously covered by Tina Turner in 1984 on her Private Dancer album — got a electric reboot in the singer’s hands thanks to a set that surrounded him with digital purple rain showers.
With blue makeup tears dripping from his eyes and a typically understated all-leather ensemble spiked with sparkle accents, fingerless gloves, black platform books and a mesh tank top, Lambert bumped and grinded his way through the song, hitting all the high notes you’d expect and adding his patented glam magic to the R&&B burner.
Lambert dropped by just in time to meet this year’s Idol top 10, which was revealed on Sunday night. The singes vying for this year’s title are: Wé Ani, Marybeth Byrd, Megan Danielle, Haven Madison, Warren Peay, Zachariah Smith, Oliver Steele, Colin Stough and Iam Tongi.
The latter has been on a serious roll this season, earning hugs and bringing tears to the judges’ eyes with his gritty story and soulful vocals, including on Sunday night when Tongi ditched his guitar for a moving cover of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home to Me.”
Check out Lambert’s cover of “I Can’t Sand the Rain” below.
Spoiler Alert: The following story contains the identities of the two contestants who were eliminated on Wednesday night’s (April 26) episode of The Masked Singer.
The “Battle of the Saved” night of The Masked Singer amped up the drama on Wednesday (April 26) when a trio of season 9 contestants who’d gotten a second chance earlier in the season — Medusa, Gargoyle and Mantis — squared off to move on to the next round. The night began with Medusa crushing Shawn Mendes’ “Mercy,” which judge Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg said was so good it “alone could win this.”
Gargoyle was next, taking on Usher and Pitbull’s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love,” followed by Mantis rocking through The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.” After the audience vote, the first one to get sent packing was Mantis, who was revealed to be actor Lou Diamond Phillips, no stranger to the music game thanks to his breakout role as Ritchie Valens in the 1987 musical biopic La Bamba and roles on Broadway in the 1996 revival of The King and I.
Following a head-to-head-battle with Medusa on Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries,” Gargoyle was next to fall, with the reveal unmasking Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen. The pair joined this season’s other eliminated celebs including: Dick Van Dyke (Gnome), Sara Evans (Mustang), Howie Mandel (Rock Lobster), Debbie Gibson (Night Owl), Grandmaster Flash (Polar Bear), Michael Bolton (Wolf), Malin Akerman (Squirrel), Lele Pons (Jackalope), Alexa Bliss (Axolotl), Holly Robinson Peete (Fairy), George Wendt (Moose), Christine Quinn (Scorpio), Dee Snider (Doll), Alicia Witt (Dandelion) and Melissa Joan Hart (Lamp).
Next week’s British-themed quarter finals episode will celebrate the upcoming coronation of King Charles III with the four remaining singers — Macaw, California Roll, UFO and Medusa — competing for a spot in the semi-finals.
Check out Mantis and Gargoyle’s unmasked interviews below.
James Corden’s final week on The Late Late Show is filled with superstar actors, singers and long-time favorites. But on Tuesday night’s (April 26) show the host took 13 minutes out to pay tribute to a young couple who owe their endless love to a chance meeting on the show in 2015.
In a bit that was rarely repeated, Corden introduced two strangers in “Sidewalk Soulmates,” Daniel and Evelyn, and then invited them onto the show for their first date. “I feel like James possibly knew we had a connection before we even did,” said Evelyn. Flash-forward to March 2020 and the now-engaged couple’s dream wedding plans crashed and burned due to the pandemic. So Corden decided to throw them the nuptials they never had by calling in a few A-list cards for the smiling pair’s third wedding anniversary.
“You never had your big dream wedding reception,” said Corden, who noted that the show had been checking in with the couple for years as their love bloomed. “Why don’t we at The Late Late Show try and throw you a wedding reception in three minutes right here, right now.”
Out came the flowers, a cake and glasses of champagne, and, since their families could not be there, some stand-in best men in the form of the Jonas Brothers. Kevin gushed about how much the Bros have loved the couple… since the moment they met 25 seconds earlier, with Nick adding that Daniel has always been his favorite brother, “mainly because I don’t have to share a dime with you.”
And Joe, well, he praised Daniel for being “hilarious, handsome, loyal… carrying a total catch,” before adding, “but enough about me, tonight’s about Daniel.” The Brothers then raised a toast and Nick reminded them that if they ever break up, they could always reunite for an album and go out on tour. “It worked pretty good for us,” he joked.
After gifting them a round-trip honeymoon to anywhere they want, Corden then sealed the deal by giving the couple the first dance they had planned for their scotched wedding. “We were hoping to dance to Norah Jones,” Evelyn said.
And, yup, you guessed it, out came Jones to perform her 2002 classic, “Come Away With Me” on piano under a giant disco ball as a beaming Corden stood next to the happy couple, who walked to center stage for their proper first dance.
Watch the magic moments below.
It’s been several weeks since Jamie Foxx‘s daughter announced that the 55-year-old actor/singer had been hospitalized for an undisclosed “medical complication.” And while no updates on his condition have been officially released since, one of Foxx’s friends, Nick Cannon, spoke to Entertainment Tonight over the weekend to share some good news.
“Man, I’m praying,” Cannon told ET about the good vibes he’s sending to Foxx. “You see, I posted on Instagram. I literally have been saying prayers out loud. Words of affirmation for my big brother.” While not offering any details about Foxx’s recovery, Cannon said the actor is “doing so much better,” teasing that he knows that because he’s about to “do something special for him, and doing him a favor.”
Cannon also didn’t tip his hat to what the favor will be, but he said it will be “out there soon.” Nick said he was initially reluctant to even say that much, but then he got Foxx’s blessing to share the news. “So it’s a beautiful thing. He’s awake. They say he’s alert, so, we love it.”
After the news broke about Foxx’s complication, Cannon shared an image of the two writing, “Prayer Changes Things! Living Testament! Let’s all speak complete and total recovery for the most talented human on earth with a Spirit bigger than this small planet!! @iamjamiefoxx Gods power is working through you as we speak! Sickness, Low frequencies nor negativity have any authority over your life King!”
Last week CNN reported that Foxx remains in a Georgia hospital getting treatment for an as-yet-unnamed medical issue, an unnamed source with knowledge of the situation told the network; spokespeople for Foxx have not returned requests for updates on his condition.
Earlier this month, the Grammy- and Oscar-winning actor and singer’s daughter, Corinne Foxx, shared in an Instagram post that her dad “experienced a medical complication” and that he was “already on his way to recovery.” At press time there was still no additional information available about what sent Foxx to the hospital or what treatment he received.
The enduring trick of Kelly Clarkson‘s daily Kellyoke segment on her eponymous daytime talk show is that the singer always finds a way to make her carefully curated covers feel brand new in her hands.
Take Clarkson’s s simmering version of Coldplay‘s “Magic,” which she performed on Friday’s (April 21) Kelly Clarkson Show. The already pretty mellow original — which appeared on the band’s 2014 Ghost Stories album — bops along at a medium pace, fueled by singer Chris Martin’s keening “ooh-ooh-ooh” vocalizations, a spare, muffled snare beat and spacey guitars.
Clarkson’s version borrowed the same hypnotic bass strum and spare beat, but amped up the heartache with her signature yearning vocals and flawless runs. “And if you were to ask me/ After all we’ve been through/ ‘Still believe in magic?’ Oh yes, I do,” she sang in her higher register, repeating the last line for devastating emotional emphasis.
The three-time Grammy winner confirmed last week that her anticipated post-divorce record, the 14-track Chemistry, is due out on June 23 and will be split into two sides, “Mine” and “Me.” She also revealed that there are two very unique guests joining her on the collection, actor/comedian/banjo player Steve Martin (on “i hate love”) and legendary percussionist/singer Sheila E. (on “that’s right.”)
“Having chemistry with someone is an incredible, and overwhelming, feeling,” Clarkson said about the record in a statement. “It’s like you have no choice in the matter. You are just drawn to each other. This can be good and bad. This album takes you down every path that chemistry could lead you down. There are many stages of grief and loss on this album. Each song is a different stage and emotional state.”
Watch Clarkson’s Kellyoke cover of “Magic” below.