After the state’s Board of Education chair insinuated Thursday that he wants Broward Schools Superintendent Vickie Cartwright suspended or fired, three of the nine Broward School Board members said Friday … Click to Continue »
Day two of Life Is Beautiful, the three-day music, art, comedy and food festival that enraptures 18 blocks of downtown Las Vegas, produced electrifying performances from Gorillaz, Lorde, Coi Leray, Bob Moses and Orange County comedy bros Chad and JT.
Saturday’s (Sept. 17) theme of the day-to-night gathering of 170,000 attendees seemed to be ultimate fan interaction as many took their magic from the stage to the crowd.
The day kicked off with Chad Kroeger and JT Parr from the Netflix hit Chad & JT Go Deep spreading their stoke inside the Kicker Comedy Club. Life Is Beautiful’s comedy platform has flourished since its introduction in 2016, welcoming the likes of Michelle Wolf, Bob the Drag Queen, Sam Jay and Nico Santos. Occupying the first performance slot of the day, Chad and JT packed an impressive audience into the well air-conditioned theater, a pleasant break from the 90-degree temperatures outside. With a moral to every story, Chad and JT eulogized their recently deceased friend Froader, prophesizing that he died from lack of stoke in his life. Their message in this tale was “stoke or croak,” encouraging the audience to tap into the natural stoke life force that exists in Las Vegas. A low-fi PowerPoint presentation suggested to take advantage of Vegas’ many neural nutrients, including hedonism, bottle service, pool, parties, gambling and party drugs to avoid ending up like Froader and croaking from lack of stoking. After passing Froader’s urn around the crowd, they promised they would take him out into the festival for an after-life stoke sesh. Later, video showed them with the urn at the Fremont stage, dancing with Froader’s remains while enjoying a DJ set.
First up on the Downtown stage was Alexander 23, who delivered an outstanding performance in one of the toughest slots of the day. Their eye-catching graphic introduced them as the Beatles with the small print reading: just kidding, it’s Alexander 23. The light pop sound was the perfect way to transition in the crowd, undoubtedly weary from the previous night’s festivities, which had crowds exiting after 1 a.m. Alexander 23 made a big sound that far surpassed what’s expected of a trio. Giving his seasoning since breaking onto the scene in 2019, he could be the new king of sob rock.
Having made a big impact on 2022’s festival circuit, Bob Moses got the coveted sunset time slot on the Downtown stage. Electrifying the growing crowd, “Tearing Me Up” sounded especially melodic as the warm breeze set in, welcoming the desert night. If ever there was a golden hour band — it’s Bob Moses.
Later in the evening, Lorde was pretty in pink and showing off her incredible abs in a strappy spandex bralet top and pants. She reminisced about how nervous she was playing the festival back in 2017. Her stairway-to-the sun-themed set, which has traveled the festival scene with her this year, is a visual stunner. Kicking off with “The Path“ and “Homemade Dynamite,” her growth as an artist shone brightly. Encouraging the crowd to “dance for our 15-year-old selves tonight,” she bounced into “Ribs.”
About her evolution, she said, “I’m 25 now, I’m blonde now, and I’m wearing a hot pink outfit. We all change, we all go through phases, and I love to celebrate all those phases, I think they’re all magical,” noting that when she played five years ago she was suffering from major stage nerves.
She danced between ethereal and emotional, literally and musically. “Royals” drew a thunderous response from the crowd and she finished with “Solar Power“ ascending back up to her muse. “This song was written in a wet bikini, after a long day at the beach,” she said, giving the crowd the ultimate scene-setting reference.
Also returning from the 2017 lineup, Damon Albarn and Gorillaz released an energy on the crowd that has been unmatched so far during the weekend. Raising his arms like a deity over his disciples, Albarn packed what felt like three shows into one. From “Cracker Island” to “MLS,” joined up with fellow festival performer JPEGMafia, to “On Melancholy Hill,” it was hit after hit. Gorillaz are always several steps above everyone else.
Albarn masterfully jumped between instruments and then parted the crowd like the seas and went for a stroll among the people.
All four virtual Gorillaz members were present, their visuals timed perfectly to the music as well as guns, police badges, golden Xanax bars and the like.
Albarn loves to travel with a crowd, and Life Is Beautiful was no exception. “Désolé” brought Fatoumata Diawara to the stage, and her vocals ripped up the crowd as they stood at attention. De La Soul’s Pos appeared for “Feel Good Inc,” and it all closed up with “Clint Eastwood.” Donning a Luffy straw summer hat he plucked from an audience member, Albarn blew his large horn to signify a job well done. “I only blow this horn when s—’s good. And s—’s good tonight,” he said. “You are f—ing lovely. Don’t ever forget what just happened.”
Over at the Bacardi stage, Alessia Cara — joined by Blue Man Group— reminisced about her 2015 Life Is Beautiful moment, remarking that it was the first festival she ever played. Then, Gryffin and Kygo kept Bacardi packed until closing. Kygo brought out Gryffin during his set, and they performed their new song “Woke Up In Love.” Gryffin killed it on the electric guitar. Kygo, known for his popular covers, took a spin on Tina Turner, White Stripes and Jefferson Airplane.”
While both Gryffin and Kygo have residencies at Wynn Las Vegas, the festival gave their fans a chance to see them outside of the club and to touch the under-21 crowd.
On the Fremont stage, Marc Rebillet closed the night, joined by Blue Man Group.
BACARDÍ Rum welcomed headlining artist and famed Puerto Rican singer and rapper Farruko to the stage. Fans flocked to CASA BACARDÍ to see Farruko perform his greatest hits, like “Pepas” and “Relación.”
A fan-favorite moment of the day was the interactive McDonald’s ‘Golden Access’ experience with an appearance from Coi Leray. Leray chilled out in the McDonald’s ‘Golden Access’ VIP Suite surrounded by French fries and McFlurries — not a bad way to enjoy a music festival. Leray told Billboard that she hopes to one day have her own meal at the Golden Arches as many of her contemporaries have recently done. She also shared that a second album is in progress and will drop in the coming months. A studio drop-in still had her giddy: “Two weeks ago, I was in the studio with Missy Elliott. And she came to the session with me for four hours. She’s such an icon. She’s a legend. She gave me so many pointers. And I look up to her in so many ways, not only [in] music but fashion.” Later in the evening, Leray bubbled up the Fremont stage, with a set to appeal to her TikTok crew. The rapper’s best take was “Push Start,” her song with French Montana, and her new song “Fly S—,” closing with vital sensation “Twinnem.”
Day two proved once again that performers thrive under the night sky in Las Vegas, upping the energy to match the electric cityscape.
BLACKPINK‘s latest album, Born Pink, has topped this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Sept. 16) on Billboard, choosing the K-pop girl group’s second full-length project as their favorite new music release of the past week.
Born Pink beat out new music by Charlie Puth (“I Don’t Think That I Like Her”), Marcus Mumford (self-titled), Rina Sawayama (Hold the Girl), Fletcher (Girl of My Dreams), Maggie Lindemann (Suckerpunch), and others.
In addition to its popular lead single “Pink Venom,” BLACKPINK’s follow-up to 2020’s The Album boasts second track “Shut Down” (with its Easter egg-filled music video), surprise Rosé solo cut “Hard to Love,” stunning ballad “The Happiest Girl,” and previously unreleased fan-favorite track “Ready to Love.”
“Pink Venom” netted the foursome its second-highest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 after debuting at No. 22 on the Sept. 3-dated chart. (“Ice Cream” with Selena Gomez, which appeared on BLACKPINK’s The Album, peaked at No. 13 on the Hot 100 in 2020.)
Up next for the K-pop stars is the Born Pink World Tour, which launches in October, with stops in South Korea, North America, Europe and Australia.
Trailing behind Born Pink on the fan-voted poll was Puth’s latest song “I Don’t Think That I Like Her,” with 3% of the vote. Placing third was Mumford’s emotionally raw debut solo project, (self-titled), with 2% of the vote.
See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.
A Friday (Sept. 16) concert at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan was centered around 100 years of Beat Generation writer/poet Jack Kerouac, but the more mind-boggling number at hand that night was 65; it had been that many years since one of the night’s performers, David Amram, pioneered improvisational jazz poetry at an art gallery just blocks away back in 1957 alongside the On the Road author. And even though more years have passed in the interim than Kerouac spent on earth, the 91-year-old Amram remains agile on everything from the piano to the pan flute while effortlessly scatting out witty bon mots at the drop of a hat.
Alongside Latin jazz maestro Bobby Sanabria, Amram was toasting the legacy of his late friend and collaborator as part of The Village Trip, an annual festival celebrating the rich cultural and musical legacy of NYC’s Greenwich Village. (In its fourth iteration, the festival has expanded to a two-week affair, running Sept. 10-25.) But the atmosphere at Joe’s Pub on Friday night felt less legacy and more living. The concert, titled Children of the American Bop (And Mambo!) Night, was a vibrant, fluid and breathing dose of the Charlie Parker-style bebop and mambo music (think the Titos, Puente and Rodríguez) which fueled the pounding rhythms of the Beat Generation and its scribes, from Kerouac to Allen Ginsberg.
With band leader Sanabria on drums and Amram switching between piano, bongos and the pennywhistle, the main band (which included Amram’s son Adam on percussion) was joined by Bronx native Jennifer Jade Ledesna, whose exhilarating vocals and lithe dancing commanded the stage during the mambo numbers; Newark, N.J.-raised Antoinette Montague, an astonishingly powerful jazz and blues singer whose pipes and presence elevated the evening; plus, actress Adira Amram (David’s daughter) and the irrepressible Marcos de la Fuente, who performed Kerouac’s words in English and Spanish, respectively, while the band played the music that Kerouac adored.
“Shakespeare said ‘brevity is the soul of wit’ / As for this evening, I guess that’s it,” Amram quipped to a groove at the close of the show. (In a strange coincidence, Turner Classic Movies began airing 1961’s Splendor in the Grass soon after the performance wrapped, which features a score from Amram – so in a sense, his music played on into the evening long after he left the stage.)
It’s far from over for The Village Trip, which extends another week and includes numerous musical happenings. There are two concert salutes to Phil Ochs (Sept. 18 & 21), an evening of music from Charlie Parker and Stefan Wolpe (Sept. 22), a celebration of Philip Glass at 85 (Sept. 23) and plenty more.
In a matter of weeks, familial country music trio Chapel Hart have gone from earning the group Golden Buzzer from the judges of America’s Got Talent and making it all the way to the show’s finale, to making a triumphant, tear-filled Grand Ole Opry debut performance on Saturday evening (Sept. 17).
The Mississippi-born trio — sisters Danica and Devynn Hart and their cousin Trea Swindle — previously released the albums Out The Mud (2019) and The Girls Are Back in Town (2021). Their three-song Opry debut earned the trio three standing ovations and fervent cheers from the Opry crowd.
On Tuesday evening (Sept. 13), the three-piece performed the patriotic number “American Pride” during the AGT finale, but were overcome by emotion during the show and battled vocal issues throughout the performance.
“We didn’t make it halfway through the song. The first notes started and we started boo-hooing on America’s Got Talent before the song even started, so tonight we want to dedicate this to the men and women who lay it all on the line day in and day out,” Danica Hart told the Opry crowd, before the group offered a heartfelt thanks to any and all military members in the Opry House audience, and gave the song another go on the Opry stage, drawing immense applause, a standing ovation, and one of the most inspiring moments of the evening.
They concluded with “You Can Have Him Jolene,” their AGT audition song that earned the trio the group Golden Buzzer win, along with praise from artists including Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Darius Rucker.
During the AGT finale, Chapel Hart performed “Something to Talk About” with Rucker, who had previously revealed Chapel Hart will be featured on his upcoming album. Backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, Chapel Hart told Billboard how the Rucker collaboration for his album came about.
“First of all, you get a message from Darius Rucker on social media and you think, ‘These darn spam folks,’ but then you see there’s a blue checkmark!” Swindle said. “He said, ‘I have this song and I think I hear you guys doing the harmonies. Y’all just take it and do Chapel Hart. I’d love to work with you.’ So we took it and Chapel Harted it right up, put down the vocals and sent it to the producer. We were waiting for the response and the producer just goes, ‘Got it, thanks.’
“We were like, ‘Oh, maybe he didn’t like it as much as we thought,’ but then two weeks later, we get a message from Darius and he’s like, ‘OMG, what in the world?! I just heard this.’ He didn’t change a thing and said, ‘I want this to be a feature, a collaboration.’ Just to see him be so excited about that, when for so long we’ve just wanted to show people who we are — he definitely gave us an opportunity and championed us as artists.”
The trio has a strong bucket list of artists they would still love to collaborate with, including Little Big Town, the Chicks, Zac Brown Band and Pistol Annies.
“And we would love to do something with Dolly [Parton], even if we just stand and cry in the background,” Danica Hart says.
“We’ll be the background criers,” Swindle said, adding, “I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but I’m going to convince Gretchen Wilson to come back and start doing some more stuff.”
Saturday evening may have marked Chapel Hart’s first Opry performance, but certainly not their last — near the closing of their set, they surprised the Opry audience with the news that will return for their next Opry performance on Oct. 8.
As Chapel Hart made their very first Grand Ole Opry performance, they were introduced by “Miss Country Soul” Jeannie Seely, who that same evening celebrated 55 years as member of the vaunted Grand Ole Opry establishment.
“How special it is tonight for a 55-year member to welcome a group on their debut, which just proves our Grand Ole Opry tradition — the circle will not be broken,” Seely told the audience. Prior to her introduction, Seely noted that she welcomed the trio with a bottle of champagne and handwritten notes congratulating them on their Opry debut.
Seely, known for Billboard hits including “Wish I Didn’t Have to Miss You” (with Jack Greene) and “Can I Sleep in Your Arms,” was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on Sept. 16, 1967. On Saturday night, she was honored not only for her 55-year commitment to the Opry, but also for having the distinction of having appeared on the Opry stage more than any other artist in Opry history, having stepped onto the Opry stage over 5,000 times in her career.
Dan Rogers, Grand Ole Opry’s vp/executive producer, and Gina Keltner, director of Opry talent scheduling and logistics, offered Seely a plaque to commemorate both milestones.
“How blessed I am,” Seely said. Earlier in the evening, she told the audience, “I’m just enjoying every second of it and never take it for granted.” Noting that Roy Acuff once told her, “Sing the one that brought you to the Opry,” Seely offered a rendition of her No. 2 Billboard country hit from 1966, “Don’t Touch Me,” which earned her a Grammy win for best country & western vocal performance-female.
Of course, Pennsylvania native Seely was never content to be only a performer on the Opry — she fought for progress within the organization, becoming the first woman to regularly host segments of the weekly Grand Ole Opry shows, and is credited with being the first to wear a miniskirt on the Opry stage.
“It wasn’t just pushing for women’s rights, although that was part of it,” Seely told reporters backstage of her push for allowing women to host Opry segments. “My view was for the overall show, and the talent that gets heard and what the people want to hear.”
Currently, Seely says she is focused on three things: the Opry, her role as host of a weekly Sunday show on SiriusXM’s Willie’s Roadhouse channel, and getting back to songwriting. Last year, Rhonda Vincent released the bluegrass hit “Like I Could,” which Seely wrote with Erin Enderlin and Bobby Tomberlin. In 2020, Seely also released the album An American Classic, a mix of new songs and re-recordings of timeless tunes.
Seely noted that she went into the studio nearly three weeks ago to record more songs she had written.
“I talked to Bill Anderson one day about an idea I had and he said, ‘I really like this.’ We’ve been friends for 60 years and we tell each other about our songs,” she told reporters backstage. “[Seely said] ‘Are we ever going to write a song?’ So he and I and Bobby Tomberlin got together and wrote one. I served them lunch and when I was walking them to the door, I remembered another idea I wrote on my phone in Target one day. I told them the idea, and Bill said, ‘Jeannie, that’s one of the best ideas I’ve heard in a while,’ so we set another [writing] appointment for the next day.”
She’s also been writing with Buddy Cannon, Victoria Shaw and Gary Burr. Seely said that even after over five decades as an Opry member and country music mainstay, the creative possibilities of songwriting still excite her. “These people call me to write with them, and I’m blown away, absolutely,” she noted.
Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti holds at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Sept. 24), notching an 11th nonconsecutive week atop the list. That marks the most total weeks at No. 1 in nearly six years, since Drake’s Views logged 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2016 (May 21-Oct. 8 charts).
Un Verano Sin Ti earned 97,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. (down 3%) in the week ending Sept. 15, according to Luminate.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, NAV’s Demons Protected by Angels debuts at No. 2, Ozzy Osbourne’s Patient Number 9 arrives at No. 3, Kane Brown’s Different Man starts at No. 5, YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s Realer 2 jumps 71-6 after its first full charting week and Yeat’s Lyfe bows at No. 10.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Sept. 24, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Sept. 20). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of Un Verano Sin Ti’s 97,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 94,000 (down 3%, equaling 131.66 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 2,000 (down 10%) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (down 3%).
NAV collects his fifth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as Demons Protected by Angels starts at No. 2 with 67,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 40,500 (equaling 60.13 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 26,000 and TEA units comprise 500. The album features guest turns from the likes of Future, Gunna, Lil Durk, Lil Uzi Vert and Travis Scott.
Ozzy Osbourne’s Patient Number 9 arrives at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, scoring the rock legend his ninth top 10-charting set. The album launches with 56,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 52,000 (it debuts at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart — Osbourne’s first No. 1 on that 31-year-old chart), SEA units comprise 3,000 (equaling 4.64 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping Dangerous: The Double Album falls 2-4 on the Billboard 200 with 50,000 equivalent album units earned (though up 5%).
Kane Brown logs his fourth top 10 effort on the Billboard 200 as Different Man debuts at No. 5 with 46,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 23,000 (equaling 31 million official on-demand streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 20,000 and TEA units comprise 3,000.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s Realer 2 vaults from No. 71 to No. 6 in its first full chart week, earning 39,000 equivalent album units (up 222%) in the week ending Sept. 15. The album was initially released to stream on YouTube on Sept. 6, and then went wide to all streamers midday Sept. 7. Thus, its debut on the Billboard 200 dated Sept. 17 at No. 71 (with 12,000 units in the week ending Sept. 8) was prompted by only two days of activity across all streaming services, along with three days of activity from YouTube. (Though the album is available to purchase — only as a digital download — it has sold a negligible number of copies.)
In total, Realer 2 is YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s 11th top 10-charting album, and fourth top 10 of 2022. He’s the only act with four (or three!) new top 10s this year. Realer 2 follows his previous 2022 top 10s The Last Slimeto (No. 2, Aug. 20-dated chart), Better Than You (a collaborative set with DaBaby, No. 10, March 19 chart) and Colors (No. 2, Feb. 5 chart).
A trio of former No. 1s is next up on the Billboard 200, as Harry Styles’ Harry’s House dips 5-7 (38,000 equivalent album units; down 12%), Beyoncé’s Renaissance falls 6-8 (37,000; down 9%) and Rod Wave’s Beautiful Mind descends 7-9 (32,000; down 11%).
Yeat closes out the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, as Lyfe debuts at No. 10 with 30,000 equivalent album units earned. SEA units comprise essentially all of that sum, equaling 42.08 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs. It’s the second top 10 effort for Yeat, who previously visited the top 10 with 2 Alive in 2022 (No. 6 on the March 5 chart).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes an exhaustive and thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data, removing any suspicious or unverifiable activity using established criteria before final chart calculations are made and published. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious and unverifiable is disqualified prior to the final calculation.
The day after Florida took credit for sending two planeloads of undocumented immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested the flights were to “protect” the state while the backlash … Click to Continue »
Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment have been named executive producers of the 95th Oscars, Academy CEO Bill Kramer announced on Saturday (Sept. 17). For the eighth consecutive year, Weiss also will direct the show, which will air live on ABC and broadcast on outlets worldwide on Sunday, March 12, 2023. It will be Weiss’s second time and Kirshner’s first time producing the Oscars.
“We are thrilled to have Glenn and Ricky at the helm,” Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. “Their expertise in live television production is exactly what the Oscars needs. We look forward to working closely with them, our board of governors and the board’s awards committee to deliver an exciting and energized show.”
Will Packer and Shayla Cowan produced the 94th Oscars telecast, which went off the rails when Will Smith walked onstage and slapped presenter Chris Rock. “The Slap” got people talking about the Oscars — but for all the wrong reasons. The shocking moment probably got 100 times more attention than the announcement of the best picture winner, CODA. Smith resigned from the Academy, but was nonetheless barred from Academy events for a period of 10 years.
Weiss has directed dozens of live televised events, including seven previous Oscars shows and 21 Tony Awards shows. Weiss’ additional directing credits include last year’s multi-network Inaugural Night special Celebrating America, the Democratic National Convention, the Kennedy Center Honors, the Primetime Emmy Awards, the American Music Awards, the BET Awards, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Kirshner’s credits include the Tony Awards, 14 Super Bowl Halftime Shows, Night of Too Many Stars, the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Democratic National Convention and various Presidential Inaugurals.
The Academy also announced other key members of the creative team for next year’s Oscars.
David Chamberlin will return for the fourth consecutive year to executive produce ABC’s The Oscars Red Carpet Show, the live lead-in to the 95th Oscars broadcast. Chamberlin leads Full Day Productions, with credits including the Savage X Fenty Show, The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration, multiple 30 for 30 films, Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, NFL Honors and the ESPY Awards.
Lisa Love and Raúl Àvila will join the team for the first time to reimagine the Oscars red carpet aesthetic. Àvila is the creative director for the Met Gala, and Love is a creative contributor overseeing various aspects of the event. They led the creative team for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ 2021 and 2022 galas.
Kenny Gravillis joins the team for the first time to conceptualize the key art for this year’s Oscars marketing campaign. His design agency, Gravillis Inc., recently rebranded Orion Pictures and has developed key art and campaigns for numerous movies, including Dune, Summer of Soul, Birds of Prey, Queen & Slim, BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody, Free Solo and Iris. A member of the Academy’s marketing and public relations branch, Gravillis also created posters and collateral materials for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ retail store.
Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley join the team for the first time as production designers. They comprise the first women-led design team on the Oscars. Buckley has designed world tours and productions for such artists as Ariana Grande, Kacey Musgraves and Coldplay, including the British band’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. Buckley also designed the 2021 Grammys, the London 2012 Paralympics Closing Ceremony, the 2015 Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony, the 2022 Commonwealth Games ceremonies, the Brit Awards and numerous television productions for the BBC and ITV. Billingsley was an art director on six previous Oscars broadcasts. Additional credits include the Kennedy Center Honors, the Primetime Emmy Awards, the CMA Awards, the BET Awards, Disney’s The Little Mermaid Live! and the 2019 Glastonbury Festival.
The 95th Oscars will be held on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The show will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
Lea Michele is passing her time in quarantine on TikTok after testing positive for COVID-19 last week. She launched her own TikTok account on Saturday (Sept. 17), poking fun at a dramatic recreation of her performance on Broadway’s Funny Girl with one of her own.
The original TikTok video, created by Javi Rodriguez, featured an impersonation of “Lea Michele on opening night of Funny Girl” that others commented was pretty accurate: “As someone who just saw the show tonight, I can say with 100% certainty that this is what happened,” one person had written.
Michele, who’s currently on a 10-day break from her role as Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival show just after her run in the show began, did her own take of the “Don’t Rain on My Parade” entrance on TikTok.
“duet with @javirod305 #funnygirl Clearly I can’t wait to get back to @funnygrlbwy next week,” she captioned the clip on Saturday.
Michele had just taken over the starring role on Sept. 6, after standby Julie Benko filled in following Beanie Feldstein’s exit from the production in July. Michele is due to return to the stage on Sept. 20.
Watch her first post on TikTok here and embedded in the tweet below.
Blake Lively, who is expecting her fourth child with husband Ryan Reynolds, posted several personal photos of herself with her friends and family Saturday (Sept. 17) on Instagram — featuring her baby bump and a cameo from Taylor Swift.
The actress posted the photo album in hopes that showing herself pregnant would make the paparazzi less interested in getting a shot of her without permission.
The seventh photo in Lively’s 10-image collection of personal pictures showed her in a bikini, hugging her pal Swift. The pair both grinned at the camera for the snapshot.
“Here are photos of me pregnant in real life so the 11 guys waiting outside my home for a unicorn sighting will leave me alone,” Lively wrote on Instagram Saturday evening. “You freak me and my kids out.”
“Thanks to everyone else for all the love and respect and for continuing to unfollow accounts and publications who share photos of children. You have all the power against them. And thank you to the media who have a ‘No Kids Policy.’ You all make all the difference,” she said.
Lively and Swift are longtime friends whose paths have also crossed professionally: Swift used the names of Lively and Reynolds’ children (James, Inez and Betty) in her 2020 song “Betty” after featuring their daughter James introducing her 2017 track “Gorgeous,” and Lively directed Swift’s “I Bet You Think About Me” music video in 2021.
See the photos Lively shared of herself while pregnant on Instagram.
