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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.
BLACKPINK wasted no time bringing the pop straight to your dome on Tuesday night’s (April 18) “Carpool Karaoke” ride on The Late Late Show. In what might be the series’ last commuter sing-along before host James Corden signs off next week, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa and Rosé dove straight into “Pink Venom,” bouncing in their seats after getting assurances that Corden is a decent driver, and, as it turns out, a superfan who impressed Lisa by grabbing a bit of the song’s rap break.
They also described the rigorous band training camp they survived as teens before blowing up, including lessons in popping and Krumping, with Jisoo displaying the “big hands” and “angry face” gestures needed to pull off the latter dance move. In a testament to their sweet natures, though, all four broke into smiles and laughs as they tried to prove their tough Krump face bona fides.
When Corden showed off his Krump moves, ending his arm flourish with a pair of middle fingers, a giggly Rosé said that was “too much!” They quickly slipped into another fan favorite, “DDU DU DDU DU,” with Rosé crooning into an imaginary microphone as they bounced down the road. As trainees, the quartet said the adored TLC for their singing/rapping style, which, naturally, led to a smooth-as-silk cover of the beloved hip-hop-soul trio’s 1999 hit “No Scrubs.”
Corden ticked off a long list of world records the group has lodged, including most-streamed girl group on Spotify, most-subscribed YouTube artist channel globally and first K-pop group to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts. So, of course, James challenged them to set some new Guinness world records, including the fastest time to assemble a Mr. Potato Head, the most hand claps in a minute and the most Jenga blocks removed in a minute.
Spoiler: they failed every one.
The failure didn’t last long as they busted into “How You Like That,” featuring Lisa’s swaggering rap and some backseat choreo from Jenny and Jisoo. The ride ended with the quartet fangirling over another generation’s No. 1 girl group: The Spice Girls, with Lisa saying she was obsessed with the British “Wannabe” singers as a kid and Jenny adding that she loved how they each had their own unique characters.
Corden couldn’t resist asking the women to come up with their own Spicy nicknames, with Rosé quickly dubbed “Aussie Pink,” Lisa named “Boss Pink,” Jenny taking “Shy Pink” and Jisoo rounding out with “Nail Pink.” They ended with a fun run through “Wannabe,” with Rosé throwing up hand hearts and all four going hard on the chorus.
On Saturday (April 15), BLACKPINK became the first Korean act to headline Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, after making history as the first K-pop girl group to perform at the legendary fest in 2019. . “So… let me start off with, four years ago we were invited to perform here for you at Coachella at the Sahara tent and that made a mark in all of our hearts,” Rosé told the crowd last weekend. ”I must say, this is a dream come true … the reason all four of us are here is because of you.”
Corden’s final Late Late Show will air on April 27.
Watch BLACKPINK’s “Carpool” ride below.
Don’t ever challenge Rihanna to a drink-off. Seth Meyers has revealed that after hitting the bars with the superstar in June 2019 for his show’s “Day Drinking” bit, he was as hammered as he’s ever been in his life, while RihRih seemed pretty much unaffected.
“Rihanna was the drunkest I’ve ever been, and it was worth every second of it,” the late night host shared on Monday night’s (April 18) visit to the The Late Late Show with James Corden. “First of all, I should note that — hate to break the news here — but she’s younger than me. We drank the same amount and then she definitely went out, like she was fine.”
“She walked out, she looked as good as she did when we started,” Meyers continued. “I went home, immediately fell asleep in the hallway of my apartment. Got in the door, fell asleep. My wife passive aggressively, James, put a water next to my head and went to bed.”
For proof, the former SNL star shared a photo of him passed out on his back in his hallway, limbs spread out limply to the side with his cell phone resting on his chest. “I like that I have my phone on my chest just in case Rihanna called,” Meyers joked to friend he will share an overlapping late night spot with for one more week; Corden is signing off from The Late Late Show on April 27.
He and the Fenty Beauty mogul filmed their day drinking escapade in 2019 for a recurring segment on Late Night with Seth Meyers, which has also seen the likes of Lizzo, the Jonas Brothers and Lorde getting tanked in broad daylight with the host. During the segment, Seth and Rih chugged beers, enjoyed bizarre cocktails named after Rihanna songs — “Under My Rumbrella,” for example — and played increasingly sloppy drinking games. And Meyers, indeed, did seem quite sloshed by the end of it.
Watch Seth Meyers reminisce on day drinking with Rihanna above.