Paul McCartney‘s cameo in filmmaker Rob Reiner’s hotly anticipated Spinal Tap II:The End Continues got a working over during a recent live taping of Conan O’Brien‘s perpetually hilarious SiriusXM podcast when the movie’s main cast appeared in character to discuss the scene and the Beatle’s purported love of flan.

In this exclusive clip from the episode of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend that will air on Monday, Sept. 15, Reiner, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean and Christopher Guest — appearing as their iconic characters Marty Di Bergi, Derek Smalls, David St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel, respectively — crack wise about their scene jamming with McCartney and clashing over a chord change. (Reiner told Billboard that the scene was inspired by an actual encounter when the Spinal Tap members and McCartney were both rehearsing for tours in the same facility in Burbank, Calif.) 

“Even as a viewer, as someone who has met McCartney myself countless times — probably more than you have,” O’Brien says to an incredulous St. Hubbins. “He is the real royalty of rock, and I’m going to say this right now, David. I didn’t think you were kind to him.”

“Well, it’s a two-way street,” St. Hubbins replies. “We all have this picture of Paul — he’s the cute Beatle and all that. You know, let’s not go nuts here. I mean, he’s just a person. And he comes in, and he’s absolutely throwing his weight around.”

“We were stunned, tell you the truth, when he came into the room,” Smalls tells O’Brien. “And as he went through whatever he was doing, it struck me odd that he never mentioned your name.”

“He never brought up Conan O’Brien one time?” O’Brien says. “That’s odd. I’ll talk about that with Paul when I see him. We usually meet for flan in West Hollywood around this time of day.”

“I have a fear of flan,” St. Hubbins says, which, uttered in an English accent, is a pretty sly comeback.

The interview took place in front of a live audience at the SiriusXM Garage in Los Angeles and was presented as an Airbnb Original, which is billed as “unforgettable experiences by the world’s most creative, interesting, and inspiring people.” 

In addition to the episode, the taping included a series of activities for audience members, including an air-guitar contest and a chance to record their own take on the “I feel [fill in the blank] about being Conan O’Brien’s friend” intro to each episode, as well as an air guitar competition. 

Watch the clip below:

It’s been two months since Sabrina Carpenter first announced Man’s Best Friend, the follow-up album to her blockbuster breakthrough set Short n’ Sweet, dropping almost exactly a year after that four-week Billboard 200 No. 1 LP. Fans wondered if she was maybe returning too soon — especially since the hit singles and sold-out arena tour for Short n’ Sweet took her well into 2025 — and that hesitance could be felt in lukewarm early chatter surrounding this album’s initial release. But in the week-plus since, the tide has already begun to turn on the album, and now it seems like Man’s Best Friend might just be another W in Carpenter’s now-two-year-long pop winning streak.

With this Rollout Report Card episode, we look at everything surrounding Man’s Best Friend — both in the two months leading up to it, and now the two weeks since its unveiling — and how an album that many seemed ready to declare premature is now revealing itself to perhaps be its predecessor’s equal, both commercially and artistically.

As we hand out our letter grades for all the most important factors in Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend rollout — from the live performances and music videos to the new songs and overall “albuminess” — we also answer the most important questions surrounding the new era: What makes this album such a consensus grower? Was the album cover worthy of the discourse it provoked? Should “Tears” (or another second single) have come out before the full album? Why were the VMAs seemingly intent on hyping her performance as little as possible? Did Sabrina Carpenter really do a Nardwuar interview? And perhaps most importantly of all: What else can she do before year’s end to really shore up her case for being the Greatest Pop Star of 2025?

Check it out above — along with a YouTube playlist of some of the most important moments from this fascinating album campaign, all of which are discussed in the podcast — and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!

And as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights:

Transgender Law Center

Trans Lifeline

Destination Tomorrow

Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe

Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.

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.

With Halloween fast approaching, it’s time to start thinking about what you’ll be dressing your little ones as.

The obvious choice? Characters from KPop Demon Hunters, of course. The movie has taken over mainstream media, becoming a viral sensation across the globe with no end in sight. You’re bound to see a bunch of Rumis and Jinus running around this spooky season. Why not get ahead of the game and shop costumes now from Amazon?

The retailer just added a few KPop Demon Hunters costumes to its inventory, and they’re pretty cute. The best part? None of them are more than $30. You’ve got costumes for every HUNTR/X member, from fearless vocalist Rumi and the group’s dancer Mira to rapper Zoey. Kids’ sizing on these costumes ranges from three to four years up to 13 to 14 years, giving everyone ample opportunity to dress like their demon-hunting favorites.

HIDLY ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Costume Rumi

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A Rumi costume from KPop Demon Hunters for kids.

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HIDLY ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Costume Mira

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A Mira costume from KPop Demon Hunters for kids.

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Each costume is very accurate to the film, down to the zippers, to help make your little one feel as if they just stepped out of the film. The costumes come with a top and bottom, and are made of soft milk silk, a breathable fabric that doesn’t irritate the skin. Purple hair and space buns are not included. Footwear is not included with the costumes, which means you’ll just have to get creative.

Netflix’s animated film dropped back in June, focusing on the popular phenom that is K-pop. The film follows fictional world-renowned K-pop girl group HUNTR/X, which consists of members Rumi, Mira and Zoey. The group sings and performs, while secretly slaying demons when not on stage. The movie has since spawned everything from coloring books to Funko figures that have sold like hotcakes. The animation is vibrant, while the dialogue and accompanying songs are both funny and touching.

HIDLY ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Costume Zoey

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A Zoey costume from KPop Demon Hunters for kids.

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HIDLY ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Costume.

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A KPop Demon Hunters costume for kids.

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Many real-life K-pop acts are featured throughout the film. Andrew Choi, who is the singing voice of Saja Boys’ Jinu, is currently an active solo artist under SM Entertainment. Hit K-pop girl group TWICE performs the version of HUNTR/X’s “Takedown” that appears during the credits. Kevin Woo, who provided the singing voice for Saja Boys’ Mystery Saja, is from the K-pop boy band U-KISS. It’s clear that the producers of the film had an appreciation for the music genre and current artists.

Good news Louis Tomlinson fans: the former One Direction singer is prepping his third solo studio album and he sounds pretty, pretty chuffed about it. On Tuesday (Sept. 9) the “Walls” singer announced that the unnamed LP is coming along nicely.

“Just sat listening to the new record and I’ve got a really really good feeling this time around!” he wrote on X. “Can’t wait for you all to hear it!!”

Fans were equally excited, writing in the comments, “None of your records have disappointed thus far! Can’t wait!!,” “we also eager to hear it,” “count the days to listen to it!! I’m sure it’s going to be great!,” “sure just make us jealous that we can’t hear it yet” and “So so so so so ready to hear it!!”

The album will be the follow-up to 2022’s Faith in the Future, which featured the singles “Bigger Than Me,” “Out of My System” and “Silver Tongues.” That LP debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart and was Tomlinson’s first to debut at No. 1 on the UK album charts.

Tomlinson has not yet announced a release date or title for his third effort, though he has begun lining up some live dates in the meantime and it sounds like fans might get a sneak peek next month. When a fan expressed frustration at the lack of information, Tomlinson teased, “or maybe I’m going to play something new at away from home,” following up with “it’s about time isn’t it” and “Really really excited about it! Got a few surprises. Should be fun.”

Tomlinson will headline the upcoming New York edition of his Away From Home Festival (Oct. 4-5) at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, where he will appear alongside his curated list of fellow performers, which include Lauv, Steve Aoki, Plain White T’s, Daya, Circa Waves, Pale Waves and others.

He’s also on the roster for BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge Month 2025 in October, which will find a roster of superstars performing on the network’s morning radio show at noon GMT on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the month. Tomlinson will take the stage on Oct. 29, following sets from Olivia Dean, Conan Gray, Myles Smith, MGK, PinkPantheress, Robbie Williams, The Last Dinner Party, Skye Newman, Reneé Rapp, Lewis Capaldi, Demi Lovato, Wet Leg and Mumford & Sons. Live Lounge guests typically perform one of their own songs as well as a cover song.

The Americana Music Association celebrated its 24th annual Americana Honors & Awards Wednesday night (Sept. 10) at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

Sierra Ferrell continued her reign as artist of the year, taking home her second consecutive win in that category. Ferrell becomes the first woman to win back-to-back awards for artist of the year. Brandi Carlile previously won the category twice, though not in consecutive years. Other previous back-to-back winners in the category are John Prine (2017-2018) and Billy Strings (2022-2023). Ferrell won emerging artist of the year three years ago. She’s just the second artist to go from winning emerging artist of the year to artist of the year. Sturgill Simpson was the first.

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings were celebrated as duo/group of the year. The pair is the fourth collaboration to win duo/group of the year, following Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, Buddy and Julie Miller, and Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell.

Alex Hargreaves, a celebrated violinist and current full-time touring member with Billy Strings, was named instrumentalist of the year. Hargreaves is the first man to win instrumentalist of the year since Chris Eldridge in 2019.

I’m With Her’s Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins were honored with song of the year for “Ancient Light.” MJ Lenderman, who released the album Manning Fireworks in 2024, was honored as emerging act of the year.

Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats were honored with album of the year for their LP South of Here, which included songs such as “Heartless” and “Call Me (Whatever You Like).” They were presented with the accolade by Carlile, who is gearing up for the release of her album Returning to Myself in October.

John C. Reilly hosted the evening, while John Fogerty presented the spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Jesse Welles. Welles is known for his witty musical distilling of his clear-eyed observations on the world, and has released albums including With The Devil and Devil’s Den.

Fogerty then closed out the evening with renditions of Creedence Clearwater Revival classics including “Up Around the Bend,” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” and “Proud Mary.” Meanwhile, Emmylou Harris and Daniel Lanois reprised Harris’ landmark Wrecking Ball project with a rendition of “May This Be Love.”

Throughout the evening, Buddy Miller led the Americana All-Star Band, which included Don Was, The McCrary Sisters, Fred Eltringham, Jen Gunderman, Jim Hoke and Larry Campbell.

The evening featured a top-notch lineup of performances from Dawes, Welch and Rawlings, Emmylou Harris, I’m With Her, JD McPherson, Reilly, Joy Oladokun, Maggie Antone, Maggie Rose, Margo Price, Medium Build, Rateliff, Noeline Hofmann and Old 97’s.

The Old 97’s, Joe Henry and Darrell Scott were recipients of the Americana lifetime achievement honor, presented by Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell and Hayes Carll, respectively. The McCrary Sisters were honored with the legacy of Americana award in partnership with the National Museum of African American Music; the honor was presented by NMAAM board member and producer Shannon Sanders.

Jed Hilly, executive director of the Americana Music Association and Foundation, said in a statement, “What a great night! We saw the breadth of the Americana community and spirit. This legacy has stood strong for over two decades and will continue for many more to come.”

The awards show took place during the annual AmericanaFest, which runs from Sept. 9 to 13.

Additional reporting by Paul Grein.