entertainment blog
Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Hudson & More Music Stars Pay Tribute to Barbara Walters
Paul McCartney, Jennifer Hudson, Barbra Streisand and Paris Hilton are among the numerous musicians and celebrities remembering Barbara Walters, who died on Friday (Dec. 30) at the age of 93. “A true trailblazer and icon!” Hudson tweeted alongside a photo of herself with Walters. “She lived a full life and leaves behind such a powerful legacy. Rest in peace, Barbara Walters.” During her iconic career, the trailblazing broadcast journalist became the first female co-host of the Today show, the first evening news anchorwoman, and a co-creator/co-host of The View. McCartney, whose wife Nancy Shevell is cousins with Walters, also shared a message on social media honoring the late broadcast legend. “Nancy and I are so saddened by the news of her dear cousin Barbara Walters’ passing. The two of ...
Courtney Love Says Brad Pitt ‘Pushed Me a Bridge Too Far’ After Kurt Cobain Film Pitches
Courtney Love is clarifying her comments a day after she joined Marc Maron for an interview on his WTF podcast, where the Hole frontwoman claimed that Fight Club star Brad Pitt got her fired from the role of Marla Singer after a tense conversation about a potential Kurt Cobain movie. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In an Instagram statement posted on Friday (Dec. 30), Love said that the situation was “a story I was never going to tell,” but Pitt had “pushed me a bridge too far.” She continued, “I don’t like the way he does business or wields his power. It’s a simple fact, and it started during the production of Fight Club.” The singer then clarified that she’s “not here 22 years later b—-ing about losing a ...
Another Woman Files Sex Abuse Lawsuit Against Bill Cosby, NBC
A woman who alleges Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1986 sued the comedian-actor, NBCUniversal and other companies Friday (Dec. 30) in New York, where five other women filed a similar lawsuit earlier this month. Stacey Pinkerton says she was a 21-year-old flight attendant and model that year when she claims Cosby drugged her at a restaurant in Illinois and took her back to a hotel room in Chicago. The lawsuit alleges Cosby “engaged in forced sexual intercourse” with her while she was incapacitated from the drugs. The lawsuit comes more than a year after Cosby left prison after his 2018 sexual assault conviction in Pennsylvania was overturned. Earlier this year, a Los Angeles jury awarded $500,000 to a woman who said Cosby sexually abused her at the Playboy Mansion when she...
Queen’s Brian May Knighted, Is Now Sir Brian Harold May
Queen co-founder and guitarist Brian May has been knighted. As one of the first to receive the honor under the recently crowned King Charles, as part of the 2023 edition of the King’s New Year Honours List, he is now Sir Brian Harold May. He was knighted “for services to music and charity work.” May was previously appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) back in 2005. “I’m happy and grateful to receive this honor,” May said in a statement. “I will regard the knighthood not so much as a reward, but more as a charge—a commission—for me to continue to fight for justice – to be a voice for those who have no voice. I will endeavor to be worthy – to be that Knight in Shining Armor.” In addition to his work in one of the biggest classic rock bands of all time, May is a...
Songwriters’ New Streaming Royalties Approved Before the New Year
Arriving just before New Years’ Eve, on Friday (Dec. 30), the Copyright Royalty Board judges issued their ruling on streaming royalty rates for songwriters for the period of January 2023 to December 2027, upholding a settlement proposed by the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), Digital Media Association (DiMA), and Nashville Songwriters’ Association International (NSAI) in late August. This ruling sets the rates for Subpart C and D of the five year period known as Phonorecords IV (or “Phono IV” for short), and it represents a compromise between the music industry and the streaming services, creating certainty around the royalties owed to songwriters for U.S. mechanicals. According to the settlement, which the NMPA touts as the “highest rates in the history of digital streaming,...
Here Are 17 of the Biggest Song Collaborations of 2022
In the year of twenty-double-two, there were a lot of artists who doubled up in the studio. Collaborations on songs — and, in one case, an entire album — offered up twice the star power on the radio, charts and streaming services this year, especially where hip-hop, pop and Latin music were concerned. In some cases, collabs in 2022 saw two titans of the same genre teaming up together. There was Bad Bunny with Rauw Alejandro, Drake with Jack Harlow. There was Rauw Alejandro, again, with Shakira, and Drake, again, with 21 Savage. And then there was pop royalty of different decades unifying for one epic remix. (Props to Elton John and Britney Spears.) In other cases, some of the year’s notable collabs featured two artists from different styles coming together for one amazing track. Dua Lipa b...
How Pentatonix Became Today’s Most Popular Holiday Act
Mariah Carey may have had the most popular song of the 2022 holiday season, but Pentatonix was its most-listened-to act. The five-person vocal group had 92 recordings in the top 10,000 holiday tracks and total consumption of 2.58 million song units, based on sales and streams from Nov. 4 to Dec. 22, according to Luminate — more than any other artist. While Pentatonix doesn’t have the same kinds of smash singles as Christmas-time mainstays like Carey, Andy Williams and Burl Ives, the group uses a combination of quantity and popularity to drive its seasonal success. Pentatonix’s top holiday track, a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” ranked No. 43 and accounted for about 10.5% of its total track consumption. Its cover of the David Foster-Jennifer Thompson-Jenner song “Grown Up Chr...
Here Are BTS’ Biggest Accomplishments In 2022
While 2022 was undoubtedly the year BTS shocked the world with their announcements of moving onto a “Chapter Two” and planning their individual military enlistments, there’s still a massive amount of records, achievements and moments that demonstrate why BTS are superstars without precedent in the global music industry. While the K-pop superstars have been breaking chart and attendance records for years, 2022 saw new triumphs from the septet. From never-before-achieved feats with the Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry to breaking box-office and concert-gross records (not to mention hanging out in the Oval Office), 2022 was literally one for the history books. Even as the group announced plans to look forward...
Ariel Pink & Winston Marshall Unveil Politically Charged Collaboration ’Rudolph’s Laptop’
Ariel Pink and former Mumford & Sons member Winston Marshall have teamed up for a political new collaboration titled “Rudolph’s Laptop,” which takes aim at Hunter Biden’s 2020 laptop controversy, in which President Joe Biden’s son’s laptop was found abandoned at a Delaware computer shop. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The conservative duo joined Tucker Carlson Tonight this week to promote their new collaboration, which was co-composed by Pink and Marshall along with Two Door Cinema Club’s Alex Trimble. “Rudolph, what have you done?/ They found your laptop, it’s a smoking gun,” Pink sings in the track. In 2021, Pink’s record label removed him from its roster following his attendance the January 6 insurrection. Mexican Summer an...
From Stray Kids to J-Hope, What’s Your Favorite K-Pop Album of 2022? Vote!
There’s been no shortage of excellent K-pop albums in 2022 and Billboard wants to know which full-length has helped define your year. Though BTS remained on hiatus as the seven members prepare to start their mandatory service in the South Korean military, both RM and J-Hope delivered solo albums to keep ARMY happy. J-Hope’s Jack in the Box came first with its vintage hip-hop sound, colorful cover art by KAWS and concept inspired by Pandora’s Box. Five months later, RM dropped Indigo, complete with a star-studded guest roster that included Erykah Badu (“Yun”), Anderson .Paak (“Still Life”), Tablo (“All Day”) and more. BLACKPINK also came raring back with their full-length sophomore effort Born Pink while TOMORROW X TOGETHER dropped Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child and SEVENTEEN repackaged their...
Queen’s Brian May and Sade Producer Robin Millar Knighted in U.K. New Year Honours List
Queen guitarist Brian May and record producer Robin Millar top the list of music industry professionals recognized in the King’s 2023 New Year Honours List, an annual tradition celebrating the achievements and service of exceptional individuals from across the United Kingdom. Brian May, who co-founded British rock band Queen in 1970 and continues to tour and record with the group, receives a knighthood for services to music and his charity work. May was previously made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2005. Becoming a knight or a dame is one of the highest-ranking awards in the British honours system, followed by CBE, and then Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). A knighthood or damehood entitles recipien...
