Culture
Elvis: Baz Luhrmann’s Gloriously Dizzying Film Takes Care of Presley’s Business
Baz Luhrmann’s unparalleled, and some would say over-the-top production style works very well to present the arc of Elvis Presley‘s career. The story is told through the eyes of Presley’s mercurial manager, Col. Tom Parker, astutely played by Tom Hanks. The Oscar-winning actor draws us in with his conspiratorial voiceovers, and then we see Presley’s puppet-like reaction. The funhouse mirror scene when Parker woos Elvis, whether apocryphal, is a perfect metaphor for the career Parker shapes for Presley. Parker leveraged his astute judgment of human nature to pluck Presley from obscurity as a truck driver and move him quickly from a traveling circus-like roadshow to the pinnacle of mainstream popularity. Parker’s voiceovers consistently speak about his skill at conjuring up more snow ...
Jack Johnson to Perform at City Of Hope’s ‘Spirit Of Life’ Gala
Jack Johnson will perform at City Of Hope’s Spirit Of Life gala, which this year salutes Republic Records founders Monte and Avery Lipman. “I’m excited to be part of City of Hope’s gala honoring my friends Monte and Avery Lipman,” Johnson says in a statement, confirming his participation. “Over the past 20 years, they have always been there for me. Now it’s my turn to shine the spotlight on them and the important work they do with City of Hope.” The singer, songwriter and professional surfer has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, and is readying the release of an eighth studio LP, Meet The Moonlight, due out June 24. Johnson headlines the performers for the fundraising event, which marks its return after a two-year hiatus due to the health crisis. In its 49-year history, the proje...
Teen TikTok Singer Is Seeing Red in Powerful ‘America’s Got Talent’ Cover: Watch
Kristen Cruz needs no introduction to TikTok obsessives who love music with their video bites. The teenage Texas native has accumulated 2.2 million followers, and her clips, many of which capture her singing while mixing drinks, have notched a staggering 3.1 billion views. On Tuesday night (June 21), she made the crossover into mainstream, commercial TV with an audition on America’s Got Talent. Cruz appears to be a regular 19-year-old kid. Until she sings. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The youngster hit a cover of “I See Red” by Everybody Loves An Outlaw with authority, and some big bluesy notes. Cruz knew it was good. As the audience gushed, the youngster tried (and failed) to hold back tears. “That was unbelievable,” Simon Cowell muttered. ...
College Student Wows ‘AGT’ Judges With Original Song About Battling Depression
The deadliest assassins are the ones you don’t suspect. With stealth and sneaky talent, Kieran Rhodes slayed during his America’s Got Talent audition. The 20-year-old New York native caught the music bug at high school, teaching himself how to play piano, sing and write songs. Four years later, he was accepted into Berklee College of Music. “It’s very intimidating” attending Berklee, Rhodes admitted, where he’s surrounded by music lifers. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The bright lights of AGT must feel like a breeze. Why test his abilities before an audience of millions? “I think AGT is the best place for me to introduce myself to the world,” he explained. Rhodes got to work on the piano, with a rendition of Billy Joel’s “She’s Got a Way.” Al...
The Best Pride Merch Available on Amazon
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Pride Month ends next week, but love is love all year long! For those attending New York City Pride on Friday (June 24) and other Pride celebrations, we collected a list of rainbow T-shirts, fans, flags, shoes, face masks and other merch that you can buy on Amazon in honor of Pride Month. (By the way: Amazon Prime members get free shipping on millions of items. Click here to start your free 30-day trail to Amazon Prime.) Looking for a queer-owned beverage to support? Check out Say Gay Rosé. The Asian-owned and queer-owned wine brand features a sugar-free, dr...
Stanley Cup Final 2022: How to Watch Games for Free Without Cable
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Get your pucks ready! The Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning will go up against each other in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final championship at Colorado’s Bell Arena on Monday (June 20). The game airs live at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The Avalanche beat the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning 7-0 in Game 2 and now lead the series 2-0. Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday (June 22), Game 5 is tentatively scheduled for Friday (June 24). Click here for more scheduling information. Don’t want to miss out on the action? You can purchase tickets...
Guy Ritchie to Direct ‘Hercules’ Live-Action Remake
Guy Ritchie has boarded Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of Hercules. Ritchie will direct the remake based on the 1997 film, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Ritchie previously directed Disney’s 2019 live-action Aladdin, which crossed the $1 billion mark at the global box office. Dave Callaham, who wrote Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, penned a first draft of the script. The studio is currently in the process of searching for writers for the project. Joe and Anthony Russo, the filmmakers behind Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War, are set to produce the film via their AGBO banner. The original 1997 film, directed by Ron Clements and Jon Musker, offered a musical retelling of the Greek legend i...
Zendaya Appears to Laugh Off Fake Pregnancy Rumors: ‘This Is Why I Stay Off Twitter’
“Kriss” this rumor goodbye. Zendaya appeared to respond to a viral TikTok video that falsely claimed the Euphoria star is pregnant with boyfriend Spider-Man actor Tom Holland’s baby. In an Instagram Story on Wednesday (June 15), Zendaya wrote, “See now, this is why I stay off Twitter… Just making stuff up for no reason… weekly.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Though she didn’t directly tackle the rumors, the next slide was proof she was not too concerned, as she wrote, “Anyway back to filming… Challengers,” in reference to the tennis drama she’s co-starring in with Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, directed by Call Me By Your Name‘s Luca Guadagnino. The response came shortly after a since-deleted TikTok video popped up earlier this week th...
On The Delicious Last Course, Cuphead Composer Kristofer Maddigan Continues His Big Band Excellence
Since its initial release in 2017, few games have garnered the kind of love and attention that Cuphead has seen. Developed and published by Studio MDHR, Cuphead’s combination of retro animation, unforgettable characters, and tight (and challenging) gameplay has earned fans both in and out of the gaming world. Toys, fan art, a tabletop game and much more eventually led to Netflix launching The Cuphead Show, popularizing the characters even for those who had never heard of or played the original game. But now, nearly five years after launch, the long-awaited release of Cuphead’s DLC, The Delicious Last Course, is finally upon us. On June 30, the expansion will be released for all platforms and PC, bringing an entire new island, new bosses, new visuals, and new music to the title. SPIN spoke ...
Rudy Giuliani’s Story Reimagined as an Opera in ‘Rudy! A Documusical’ at Tribeca Festival
A new documentary about Rudy Giuliani premiering at the Tribeca Festival weaves in musical performances to give the ups and downs of the man once commonly referred to as “America’s Mayor” an operatic flavor. Rudy! A Documusical, directed by Jed Rothstein, is in large part a sober, conventional analysis of the unlikely trajectory of Giuliani’s political life, from New York prosecutor, mayor and Sept. 11 hero to the pusher of bogus legal challenges to the 2020 election for then-President Donald Trump. But to fully convey the exaggerated highs and lows of Giuliani, Rothstein felt he needed a Greek chorus. “His story is very operatic,” Rothstein said in an interview. “The music can bring out emotional truths that’s different than having someone talk about it. It’s certainly unconventional in a...
UFC 275: How to Stream ‘Teixeira vs. Procházka’ on ESPN+
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. No plans for the weekend? If you’re a UFC fan, then you won’t want to miss the latest Fight Night event scheduled for Saturday (June 11). The PPV UFC 275 main card battle between Glover Teixeira and Jiří Procházka is slated to take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, and will stream live on ESPN+. From early preliminaries to the main event, catch all of the action on ESPN+. The pay-per-view fight begins at 10 p.m. ET., while Weili Zhang and Joanna Jędrzejczyk will face off in the early preliminary round starting at 7 p.m. ET, followe...
Britney Spears’ Makeup Artist Wanted to Create a ‘Timeless & Glowing Look’ for Pop Star’s Wedding
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Britney Spears fans may be used to seeing the pop icon dressed casually on social media, but she turned up the glam for her wedding to longtime partner Sam Asghari on Thursday (June 9). Spears wore one of four custom Versace gowns during the wedding ceremony and enlisted celebrity makeup artist and brand founder Charlotte Tilbury for her bridal makeup, which included a $34, nude lipstick that’s perfect for wedding season. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The British makeup maven partnered with her niece an...
