Culture
‘Saturday Night Live’ Cancels Live Audience Amid Omicron Spike
Saturday Night Live will tape without a live audience on Saturday (Dec. 18) as COVID-19 cases linked to the omicron variant continue to surge in New York City and throughout the world. The venerable NBC comedy show announced the decision to its social media channels roughly eight hours before the episode featuring host Paul Rudd and musical guest Charli XCX was scheduled to tape. Explore Explore Charli XCX See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Due to the recent spike in the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience for tonight’s taping of ‘Saturday Night Live’ and the show will have limited cast and crew,” the show’s message read. “The show continues to follow all government safety guidelines in addition to a rigorou...
UFC Veteran Cub Swanson on How Music Influences His Fighting: “I Secretly Fantasize About How I Should Have Made Beats”
Among fighters who’ve never even competed for a championship belt, few (if any) have as many accolades as Cub Swanson. Going into his 20th UFC fight (with eight more in the elite promotion, WEC, from before the UFC added a featherweight division), the Palm Springs, California native has racked up 10 Fight of the Night bonuses, two more Knockout of the Night bonuses (including one over current UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira), and both a highlight reel and fan base that many champions only dream of achieving. His penchant for violence in the cage and humility outside of it has made Swanson a fan favorite among hardcore and casual viewers alike. Couple that with a decade and a half of going to war with the best of the best (including a who’s who of champions and challengers across ...
The Greatest Christmas Movies of All Time (According to a Jew)
Let me first say that I didn’t grow up watching Christmas movies. The headline should have given that away. I did dabble in the viewing of Frosty the Snowman as a child and I knew all the Christmas songs because I went to a public school. But classic movies like Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol were never viewed in the Stahl household. We were too busy enjoying our eight crazy nights of Hanukkah getting fried on latkes and gambling for chocolate coins in hotly contested games of dreidel. I still love movies, have seen plenty (quote too many), and many are about Christmas – and I consider some of them my favorite movies of all time, regardless of subject matter. Which brings us to my list: the greatest Christmas movies. In order to create such a list, I...
Charli XCX Corrects Paul Rudd’s Tongue-Twisted Mispronunciation of Her Name in ‘SNL’ Promo: Watch
Charli XCX is giving Paul Rudd a lesson in how to properly pronounce her name. In a promotional spot for her upcoming Saturday Night Live appearance on Dec. 18, the 29-year-old British singer patiently stands alongside the Ghostbusters: Afterlife star as he attempts to introduce her as the evening’s musical guest. “Hi, I’m Paul Rudd, and I’m hosting SNL with Charli…” the actor says before struggling to finish her name. After a brief pause, the singer politely steps in to help assist Rudd. “X-C-X,” she says. Explore Explore Charli XCX See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news SNL cast member Ego Nwodim quickly chimes in, confidently adding, “I got it, XCX.” Still confused, Rudd asks, “Is that Roman?” Charli XCX previously performed on SNL in December 2014, playin...
Dead Cells‘ New DLC Marks the End of an Era, and Beginning of a New One
When Dead Cells released into early access back in 2017, the action-heavy roguelike immediately began garnering praise for its depth of combat and gameplay. But what even the most glowing reviews couldn’t have predicted was that as the game enters its fifth year in the public eye, its player base is not only remaining rock solid, but occasionally expanding alongside the game itself. At a time when “games-as-a-service” is practically an expletive, French developer Motion Twin figured out the magic formula for successful DLC releases, adding regular content drops both big and small, paid and unpaid, to satisfy existing players and bring in new ones ever since the game’s release. The 20-year-old studio actually became so serious about Dead Cells’ downloadable content that they formed a separa...
Queen of Hearts Talks ‘Masked Singer’ Victory, Instant Covers EP: ‘Music Has Always Been My Own Healing’
[Spoiler alert: This story contains the identity of the winner of Wednesday night’s (Dec. 15) season six finale of The Masked Singer.] The sixth season of The Masked Singer was a wild ride, with the usual complement of legendary singers (Toni Braxton, Ruth Pointer, Natasha Bedingfield, Todrick Hall, Faith Evans) mixed in with TV personalities and comedians (Bobby Berk, Honey Boo Boo/Mama June, Rob Schneider, Larry the Cable Guy, Willie Robertson) and the left-field outliers, including punk icon Johnny Rotten, composer David Foster and his wife Katharine McPhee, rapper Tyga and NBA legend Dwight Howard. But when it came down to it, it was clear the shiniest gem in the bunch — the glittery Queen of Hearts — was destined to take the season 6 crown over the formidable Bull. The Queen lef...
Britney Spears Teases ‘New Addition to the Family’ With Sam Asghari
Britney Spears and her fiancé Sam Asghari teased they had a “new addition to the family” Tuesday (Dec. 14), but the superstar is keeping her fans guessing as to what exactly that means. She posted an Instagram video of herself cradling something in front of her magnificent Christmas tree and feeding it milk from a baby bottle while “Look at the Sky” by OsMan plays in the background. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “New addition to the family guess if it’s a boy or a girl,” she captioned the clip. “Thank you again baby @samasghari !!!!” Her fiancé Asghari commented a series of speechless-looking emojis, which defined how the rest of her fans felt in the comments section. “Baby, one more time???” one IG user wrote, referencing her 1998 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit. Last month,...
Cardi B Wishes Husband Offset a Happy 30th Birthday: ‘I Love the Man That You’re Becoming’
Cardi B wished her other half Offset a happy 30th birthday on Tuesday (Dec. 14) by thanking him for always being by her side. She scrolled down memory lane with a carousel of her and Offset’s best memories, from photoshoots to nights out to playtime with their 3-year-old daughter Kulture to the first time he held his second child with Cardi, whom she gave birth to in September. Cardi praised Offset for his love and commitment to her, business acumen and dedication as a father to the children they share as well as his other three previous children. “Happy birthday to my huuuuusband, best friend and babydaaadddyyy. I love you so much and I’m so proud of you. We have overcome so much together. I love the man that you’re becoming and I love the father that you are. Thank you for always being t...
Lady Gaga Reveals She ‘Absolutely’ Took Bradley Cooper’s Advice for ‘House of Gucci’ Role
Lady Gaga‘s friendship with Bradley Cooper is still going strong. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly‘s The Awardist podcast on Monday (Dec. 13), the superstar opened up about how the A-lister’s support ultimately led her to her current starring role in Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Bradley Cooper believed in me for the role of Ally Maine in A Star Is Born, and the way that he empowered me to take helm of that character … it really was the success of our artistic collaboration, I think, that landed me where I am now,” Gaga said during the phone interview. “Absolutely,” she added when asked if she had consulted her one-time co-star and director before tackling the part of Patrizia Gucci. “You know, I’ve c...
Who Do You Think Will Win Season 21 of ‘The Voice’? Vote!
NBC’s The Voice is wrapping up season 21 with part two of its finale on Tuesday (Dec. 14), and Billboard wants to know who you think should win the singing competition! Coaches Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton are neck and neck with two contestants each on their respective teams in the running for first place: sibling trio Girl Named Tom and 14-year-old sensation Hailey Mia (who’s the youngest in the competition) on Team Kelly, and seasoned artist Wendy Moten and Navy veteran-turned-artist Paris Winningham on Team Blake. Gospel performer Jershika Maple is the only one repping Team John. Ariana Grande, who is in her first season as a coach, does not have any contestants in the finale. During part one of the live finale Monday night, Mia channeled two other teen sensations — O...
LCD Soundsystem to Feature in Holiday Special With Macaulay Culkin, Eric Wareheim
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, right? You know what that also means? Holiday specials! LCD Soundsystem is getting on the act, featuring in an upcoming special titled The LCD Soundsystem Holiday Special. Before that, however, will air a ’90s-inspired sitcom episode, called All My Friends (after the 2007 LCD song). That pre-show special will feature Macaulay Culkin, Christine Ko, and Aparna Nancherla as the band, with Eric Wareheim directing. “I’ve already conquered film, James has conquered music, but we have yet to conquer the sitcom—the HIGHEST form of art,” Wareheim said in a statement. “We’ve been working on this project for 15 years, and for this show, we’re unveiling a uniquely emotional perspective of the sitcom universe for the holidays—provided by one of the greatest ban...
Box Office: Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ Sings Off Key With $10.5M Opening
Steven Spielberg’s critically acclaimed West Side Story sang off-key in its domestic debut with a subdued $10.5 million from 2,800 theaters, but the closing song has yet to be written regarding the musical’s box office fate. Heading into the weekend, 20th Century and Disney had hoped the big-budget event pic — which hits the big screen 64 years after the iconic Broadway stage and 60 years after the first movie adaptation — would clear at least $13 million domestically. Some tracking services had first-weekend estimates as high as $15 million more. The good news: West Side Story was able to claim the No. 1 spot on the weekend chart ahead of Disney Animation holdover Encanto. Overseas, West Side Story debuted to an even more disappointing $4.4 million from 37 material markets for a global st...
