NBC’s beloved institution Saturday Night Live was arguably at the top of its game during its last season, sweeping up 15 nominations at the 2020 Emmy Awards. It’s no wonder, then, that they’re not looking to shake anything up soon with Season 46. For the first time in over a decade, Saturday Night Live will kick off the next run with its entire cast returning. Season 46 will premiere on October 3rd via NBC and run through 2021. When it does, the roster will include no new members and SNL will film in its Rockefeller Center studio for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic shuttered production in March. The last time there was no cast turnover between seasons was in 2007, notes The Hollywood Reporter. It’s been a wild ride watching the SNL gang write, rehearse, and shoot new episodes...
Love it or hate it, but Joker was a smash hit for Warner Bros. Todd Phillips’ divisive DC thriller not only became the first R-rated film to gross over a billion dollars, but also danced away with two Oscars for star Joaquin Phoenix and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. So, it’s not surprising that the studio is laying down the big bucks to keep the laughter going. No joke! Insiders tell the Mirror that Warner Bros. is on the market for not one, but two sequels in the near future, and that they’re willing to pay Phoenix a staggering $50 million to reprise his Oscar-winning role. “It’s still being negotiated,” the publication’s sources told them, “but the scripts are being written and Joaquin is very engaged with it.” The Mirror continued, “They plan to make two sequels in the next four yea...
A U.S. magistrate judge has rebuked an effort by Kaskade to withhold information on concerts the DJ played in the wake of the closure of the KAOS nightclub is Las Vegas and ordered the performer to pay the hotel’s attorneys’ fees for the cost of enforcing a subpoena. Ryan Raddon, who performs as Kaskade, is suing F.P. Holdings, a limited partnership connected to the Palms Casino Resort, for breach of contract over his residency deal at the KAOS nightclub, which closed in November after six months of operation. KAOS was supposed to anchor a $690 million renovation of the Palms and host a residency by global superstar Marshmello, but the club lost nearly $50 million, according to a Nov. 6, 2019, quarterly earnings call, and shut down permanently. Raddon was ma...
Janelle Monae knows “the table ’bout to turn.” That’s the message in her empowering new music video for “Turntables,” in tandem with Amazon Studios’ #AllInForVoting bipartisan campaign to inspire viewership for their Stacey Abrams-backed film, All In: The Fight for Democracy. The video shows the devastating footage of racial oppression and police brutality in protests for justice, before it transforms into an emotional display of Black strength, excellence and achievement. “We kicking out the old regime / Liberation, elevation, education / I said ‘America, yousa lie’ / But the whole world ’bout to testify,” Janelle proclaims in the heartfelt lyrics. [embedded content] The song, featured in the film, is part o...
A little over a year after Ava Max’s breakthrough single “Sweet But Psycho” peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June of 2019 — she’s coasting up the chart again with her new hit, “Kings & Queens.” The track’s success comes at the perfect time, as the pop singer/songwriter’s debut album, Heaven & Hell, will be released on Sept. 18. What’s it been like for Max to see “Kings & Queens” climb up the charts? (The track also rises 24-22 on the Pop Songs airplay chart dated Sept. 19.) “I feel so grateful to even be releasing music and people are listening! Especially during a pandemic!” Max tells the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen below). “I know that a lot of people are struggling right now. Music, for me, is medicine. And I just couldn’t hold it back anymore and I&...
Gloria Estefan, Alex Rodriguez and Eva Longoria will be among the participants in a monthlong online celebration of Latino contributions to television. The Paley Center for Media’s tribute to the work of actors, journalists and other notable Latinos begins Wednesday and will be held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s the first such event by Paley to coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The inaugural celebration will feature “conversations and events that spotlight critically acclaimed, groundbreaking, and culturally influential Hispanic personalities and rising stars who demonstrate the power of the community” and its cultural impact, the center said in its announcement Tuesday. Maureen J. Reidy, the center’s president and CEO, called it a...
Kailyn “completely” cut off her mom Suzi one year ago after documenting several ups and many downs through the Teen Mom 2 years. But during tonight’s episode, the mother of three received a very unexpected phone call from her absent parent. “My mom is calling me,” Kail declared, while she was getting her hair done. “I’m going to have to step out.” But what made Suzi attempting contact even more intriguing was the fact that her mother (Kail’s grandmother) had recently died — and Suzi did not attend the funeral in Texas. And there was also a podcast, which Kail recorded two days prior, with her co-host Lindsie and a psychic medium named Monica. “Does your mom have a drinking problem?” Monica asked, which Kail confirmed. ...
Northshore Recovery High School lost one of its own during tonight’s 16 and Recovering episode: Principal Michelle Lipinski sadly informed her community that Shawn O’Neill, a student at the Massachusetts school, had passed away at age 18. “On the way back from my class that I was teaching, I got a call from Shawn’s mother,” Michelle told Shawn’s classmates and her fellow instructors. “She put him to bed last night, and he was fine. And she went to work this morning thinking he was okay. She realized she was running late for work, so she had her daughter go and wake him up. And he had overdosed.” As the students wept and embraced each other, she announced, “He passed away this morning.” Michelle later reflected on Shawn’s dea...
Over the last decade, singer-songwriter Jill Brown has spent time hosting songwriting workshops at HMP Barlinnie, Scotland’s largest prison. Through her work, Brown took notice of the positive impact of music on the mental health and well-being of inmates in Scotland’s correctional system. The experience has now led her to develop a record label of her own, specifically geared toward recording ex-convicts and the incarcerated. Aptly titled Criminal Records, the label was born out of Brown’s desire to give inmates a voice. Brown posits that it’s difficult to lock someone up and expect them to come out changed without having introduced something positive while they are still in prison. She ultimately believes music could be the answer to help...
The UFC is diving head-first into subscription-based music streaming with its new venture, UFC Ultimate Sound. In partnership with Norway’s ACX Music, the new platform offers curated mixes, radio, music video content, and more through its mobile app. The venture seeks to create a medium where UFC fighters can connect directly with their fans through a musical lens. Chances are, your next favorite workout mix or pump-up playlist has been curated by a UFC fighter on the platform. “It’s all about bridging a gap between fans and their favorite sport,” said Svein Sorgard, ACX Music’s CEO. “With UFC Ultimate Sound, we can finally connect fans and fighters on a new level. Music brings people together and we’ve given them a place to mee...
As the ongoing coronavirus pandemic continues to prevent live shows from taking place, performers are constantly searching for new ways to improve livestream experiences for the fans. In March, UK dubstep artist Shiverz tweeted that if he received 3000 likes, 2000 comments, and 1000 retweets, he’d perform a 24-hour livestream. With all criteria met, Shiverz is ready to take the challenge head-on and give fans what they’ve asked for. To hit all the right notes for his marathon livestream, the DJ and producer has teamed up with SoundShield and Subtle Sound to acquire full stage production as well as a venue for the event. The Dub Rebellion has also hopped on to help host the stream, which will be held exclusively on YouTube and kick off on September 19th at 9AM PT...
Famed electronic music producer Derrick May has been accused of sexual assault by Michael James, a former Detroit-based colleague. On September 8th, 2020, James shared a lengthy statement via Facebook that contains explicit allegations against May, who is prevalently considered to be a pioneering artist in techno music. “Now, you should understand why it’s taking so long for all of you to learn that Derrick May has been raping and sexually assaulting women dating back to the 1980s,” James wrote. “I’ve been telling people about it since November 2019, and at least 10 people have gone on record publicly with stories of him engaging in rape, exposing his penis to women without consent, threatening sexual attacks, groping women, etc.” Your EDM reported ...