Game knows game. Weezer and Oasis are solid proof. Oasis, the record-smashing Britpop heavyweights who set the record with the U.K.’s fastest-selling album (with 1997’s Be Here Now) and saw all seven of their studio albums reach the summit on the national chart, took time out to praise Weezer and its frontman Rivers Cuomo. Liam Gallagher in 2005 called Cuomo his “favorite rock star,” rare kudos for the famously surly singer.

The love goes in both directions. “We think very highly of them as well,” Weezer’s Brian Bell tells Rolling Stone Australia. The Weezer rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist,  recounted a moment at a rehearsal space in London during the ’90s. The American indie band was taking time out in a common area when Liam strutted past and shouted, “Buddy Holly. Top tune, mate!”

“That kind of respect and accolade from someone that you revere,” Bell enthuses, “is the best thing you could possibly hear from somebody. Those kind of things matter by somebody you revere. So whatever he thinks of us, we think highly of them as well. If they think lowly of us, we still think highly of them.”

Bell has bought tickets for Oasis’ Live ’25 Tour date at Rose Bowl Stadium next month, having briefly entertained the idea of seeing the Brits play in Scotland to experience the “cultural phenomenon” in full.

Oasis isn’t the only beloved ’90s band hitting the road this year. Weezer have live dates across the Americas through November, then the indie rockers head down under for a headline stint on the Good Things festival tour, which visits Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in early December.

“We’re doing great. We’re kind of having a renaissance in a way. It’s an exciting time for us creatively and in the band,” Bell explains over a Zoom call. “We’ve never got along so well, and everybody’s very happy. So it’s a good time.”

That excitement might explain the band’s impressively productive spell during the pandemic, during which Weezer released six albums, including the Van Weezer project and the four album saga, Seasons.

And an unexpected lift came last year, when Weezer’s self-titled collection (also known as the Blue Album) marched into Billboard 200 chart, at No. 87, following its 30th-anniversary deluxe reissue. Even a mysterious Weezer film is said to be in development. Cuomo got tongues wagging at Coachella earlier in the year, when he told the audience, “we’ve been busy making the Weezer movie back in L.A. the last couple weeks.”

Bell admits “it’s possible” that new music could be premiered on international stages this year. “Anything’s likely,” he says. “We’ll play hits and things that people want to hear, but we also want to really enjoy the experience as well.” There’s “one song” he says the band has been brewing, which could make a setlist for a show near you. “It’s a great time to be alive for us.”

America voted, the results are in. And for seven unfortunate acts, the America’s Got Talent dream dries up.

Following Tuesday night’s second Quarterfinal, the live results show revealed three more talents who advance to the Semifinals.

It was a nervy wait, but a great result for Bay Melnick Virgolino, the 10 year old rock and blues guitarist; Leo High School Choir; and dance troupe Unreal, whose names were read out by host Terry Crews.

It’s the end of the line, however, for Duo Stardust, Ben Hightower, Alain Simonov, Alex Zinger, Jonglissimo, Boston Dynamics, EDT Dance Team, all of whom are sent home after their QF efforts.

The artists that move ahead in NBC’s talent competition will return to the AGT stage on Tuesday, Sept. 16 to compete in the Top 12, where they’ll be joined by the three acts that won America’s vote last week: Jourdan Blue, LightWire, and Sirca Mare. The remaining six will be determined during the next two weeks of competition.

As previously reported, Mama Duke cruises all the way to the Final, after winning Mel B’s Golden Buzzer on Tuesday night’s live elimination spot.

“You know what,” the Spice Girl remarked, “Missy Elliott better be watching out for you because you’re coming right now.” And with that, the British pop star slammed down the Golden Buzzer.

Judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara were also effusive in their praise of the aspiring hip-hop artist.  “I loved your audition,” Cowell remarked. “This might have been actually better. You have what I call it. Can’t explain what it is, it’s a feeling. You just know it and you have it. And this is going to be big, honestly. I really really like you.”

The Top 12 will chase seven available positions the Final, which include one Semifinal Golden Buzzer, six America’s votes, and the four Quarterfinal Golden Buzzer Acts. The ultimate winner gets more than bragging rights; they’ll collect a $1 million prize.

Earlier during the results special, LSU Tigers star and AGT alum Flau’Jae performed her original rap number, “Remember When,” a tribute her to father, the late Savannah rapper Camoflauge (Jason Johnson) who was killed in 2003 before she was born. Watch below.

A 16-year-old has been convicted in Germany of helping plan the foiled terrorist plot that targeted Taylor Swift’s planned Eras Tour stop in Vienna last year.

A panel of judges in Berlin’s Higher Regional Court found the teenager, identified by prosecutors only as “Mohammed A,” guilty on Tuesday (Aug. 26) of preparing a serious act of violence that endangered the state and supporting a foreign terrorist organization. The judges issued a juvenile 18-month suspended sentence, meaning the teen will serve probation and avoid prison as long as he doesn’t reoffend during that time.

Mohammed A., a Syrian national living in Germany, was 14 years old at the time of Swift’s scheduled concerts at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium in August 2024. The judges found that he became radicalized by Islamic State (IS) propaganda online and got in contact via social media with an Austrian teenager who was making plans to bomb one of the Eras Tour shows in Vienna.

“The defendant had, among other things, sent him a video of bomb-making instructions and put him in touch with an IS member,” says the announcement issued by Berlin court officials. “The attack plans were never carried out because the plan was uncovered by Austrian authorities in a timely manner.”

Court officials say Mohammed A. “made a comprehensive confession” during the trial, which was held behind closed doors due to confidentiality rules for juvenile defendants.

All three of Swift’s planned Eras Tour shows in Vienna were canceled after the terrorist plot was uncovered. The main Austrian plotter, a 19-year-old, was quickly arrested alongside multiple alleged accomplices.

Swift’s reps did not immediately return a request for comment on the Mohammed A. conviction. The pop superstar addressed the foiled terrorist attack in a lengthy Instagram post after the Eras Tour’s European leg wrapped last year, saying it “filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.”

“But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives,” Swift wrote. “I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together.”

Mariah Carey revealed all the songs that will be featured on her upcoming 16th studio album Here for It All on Wednesday (Aug. 27).

The 11-track project includes two collaborations: “Play This Song” with Anderson .Paak and “Jesus I Do” with The Clark Sisters. .Paak also co-wrote the LP’s first single, “Type Dangerous,” and performed it alongside the elusive chanteuse and Rakim at the 2025 BET Awards in June, when MC won her first BET Award: the Ultimate Icon Award.

“It was awesome to be able to work on her project. She’s amazing to work with, a great writer, great producer. So much fun. We had a lot of fun,” .Paak told Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly. “That was one of the last records we did in the studio, and it came together like so quick. She’s a big hip-hop head, so I wanted to try to find something that we could continue the lineage of her mixing the old with the new. And I think we got it with this one.”

Carey is set to receive the Video Vanguard Award at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 7, when she’ll also perform a career-spanning medley of hits on the show.

Here for It All is due Sept. 26 via gamma. Following “Type Dangerous,” Carey released “Sugar Sweet,” featuring Shenseea and Kehlani, as the second single. It reached the top 20 of Hot R&B Songs. Both singles have gained traction on radio, with Mimi earning her first No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay in almost 19 years with “Type Dangerous” and “Sugar Sweet” hitting No. 31 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.

See the Here For It All tracklist below.

Federal prosecutors have revealed the terms rapper Boosie Badazz’s plea deal in his gun possession case – including his recommended prison sentence and new details about his alleged misconduct.

A month after Boosie (Torence Hatch) said he’d take a deal because he was “tired of fighting,” the rapper appeared in a San Diego federal courtroom Tuesday to formally plead guilty – and the feds disclosed the specific terms of the deal.

In return for Boosie pleading guilty to a single count of illegal gun ownership, prosecutors agreed to drop a second gun charge and ask for just a two-year prison sentence, far less than the maximum fifteen-year sentence the rapper was facing if convicted.

They also revealed new details about the case against him – including that he purchased the Glock and “Hellcat” handguns in Georgia and flew with them to San Diego on a Delta Air Lines flight the same day that he was arrested during a traffic stop.

“Neither the Glock, the Hellcat, nor the ammunition were manufactured in California,” the feds wrote in new court documents, obtained by Billboard. “Therefore, by the mere presence in San Diego, [the guns] traveled in and affected interstate commerce.”

Prosecutors also said in the new filings that they would not seek a monetary fine on top of the prison sentence, citing Boosie’s “limited financial prospects.” An attorney for the rapper did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday.

Boosie was first charged in June 2023 with being a felon in possession of a firearm – meaning he violated a federal law that prohibits people with felony convictions from owning guns. The rapper had previous been convicted of drug charges in 2011.

The details of his arrest raised eyebrows. Local authorities spotted him with a handgun tucked into his waistband because they were monitoring the Instagram feed of a “known gang member.” After switching to Boosie’s account, police then used a helicopter to track him in an allegedly gang-associated neighborhood of San Diego. After a traffic stop, prosecutors said he was found with a matching black pistol in the vehicle.

The case has been anything but straightforward. State prosecutors initially charged him over the traffic stop, but then quickly dropped the case. Minutes after they did so, Boosie was arrested at the courthouse by federal prosecutors over the same incident.

Then in July 2024, he was briefly saved by the Second Amendment. A judge dismissed the charges because an appeals court had ruled it unconstitutional to charge nonviolent convicts with felon-in-possession. Boosie left the courthouse in tears that day, according to Courthouse News: “Ninety percent of people thought I was going to prison, but God had a different plan.”

The respite was short-lived: Prosecutors quickly refiled the case with small changes, and a higher appeals court panel later overturned the gun-control ruling that might have helped him.

The new case was proceeding toward an eventual jury trial when the plea agreement was reached earlier this month. Boosie announced the move on Instagram, saying he had “talked to my family” and “this is the right decision.”

“JUST ACCEPTED A PLEA FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON MY GUN CASE,” Boosie posted on X at the time. “I THOUGHT THIS CASE WAS OVER N I WAS GOING TO GET ON WITH MY LIFE BUT ‘GOD DONT MAKE MISTAKES’ N IM TIRED OF FIGHTING!!”

Under the terms of the plea deal revealed Tuesday, prosecutors will also recommend three years of supervised release after Boosie completes his prison sentence. Boosie can ask for less than two years in prison, and the government can oppose that request. A sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for November.