Ariana Grande and Nicole Kidman together on the red carpet had cameras flashing Friday night (Jan. 3) at the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Film Awards Gala.

Related

“Oh my god,” Kidman cried out when seeing Grande headed her way at the fest. The two stars embraced, held hands and seemingly dished out compliments, though camera mics didn’t pick up their conversation, at least in video footage of the moment captured by The Associated Press or The Hollywood Reporter.

Arms around each other, they posed for photographers, as seen in the clip from THR above. During their interaction Grande also gave the actress a small bow, which Kidman — who’s quite a bit taller than the pop star — leaned down to reciprocate.

Though they haven’t worked together yet, Grande and Kidman were originally both cast in the 2020 Netflix musical The Prom. Grande had to drop out of filming due to tour scheduling conflicts, and Ariana DeBose filled the role.

With Oscar nominations voting set to begin on Wednesday, many of Hollywood’s biggest names attended the Palm Springs fest to present or accept honors at the gala. (As THR points out, there’s often a number of Academy members in the crowd — and there’s still time to sway the race for the Academy Awards.)

Grande was in Palm Springs to accept the Rising Star Award, presented by Jennifer Coolidge, for her work in the hit 2024 feature film adaptation of the musical Wicked, for which she’s predicted to be a frontrunner to receive a supporting actor nom at the Oscars.

“I’ve been performing since I was a child, so I never thought at the age of 31 I would be hearing the words ‘Rising Star’ again. So I wanted to start by thanking my good friends Botox and Juvéderm. I thought I’d be hearing ‘Slightly Withering Star,’ or ‘Drooping Star’ by now, so thank you,” the charming Grande joked, breaking the ice during her Rising Star acceptance speech at the Palm Springs Film Fest, where she said, “Being able to play Glinda the Good” was “the honor of my life,” and that before music, her start as a performer was in stand-up — her grandparents’ living room being her first venue, and $5 her first paycheck.

Grande employed humor and sincerity in her speech, while Kidman was overcome with emotion in hers. The Babygirl star was honored with the International Star Award, presented by Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis held Kidman’s hand through a genuine speech in which the actress broke down in tears over the recent death of her mother.

“My whole career has been for my mom and my dad, and they’re not here anymore,” Kidman said. “I want to keep working and giving to the world. I’m sorry I’m crying. I didn’t want to do that, but I feel my mama right now. This is for you, Mama.”

See more pictures of Grande and Kidman’s sweet run-in on the Palm Springs Film Fest red carpet:

Nicole Kidman Ariana Grande Palm Springs 2025
Nicole Kidman and Ariana Grande attend the 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards at Palm Springs Convention Center on Jan. 3, 2025 in Palm Springs, California.
Nicole Kidman Ariana Grande Palm Springs 2025
Nicole Kidman and Ariana Grande attend the 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards at Palm Springs Convention Center on Jan. 3, 2025 in Palm Springs, California.
Nicole Kidman Ariana Grande Palm Springs 2025
Nicole Kidman and Ariana Grande attend the 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards at Palm Springs Convention Center on Jan. 3, 2025 in Palm Springs, California.

Bono is among 19 individuals who will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, President Joe Biden announced on Saturday (Jan. 4).

In addition to the U2 frontman, other recipients include Hillary Clinton, NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, soccer icon Lionel Messi, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, George Soros, designer Ralph Lauren, chef José Andrés and conservationist Jane Goodall.

Related

“President Biden believes great leaders keep the faith, give everyone a fair shot, and put decency above all else,” the White House wrote in a statement. “These nineteen individuals are great leaders who have made America and the world a better place. They are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world.”

The statement also noted that the Presidential Medal of Freedom is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”

In honoring Bono, the White House highlighted the legendary Irish rocker as a “pioneering activist against AIDS and poverty,” noting his role in uniting politicians from opposing parties to create the U.S. PEPFAR AIDS program. Bono is also the co-founder of advocacy organizations ONE and (RED).

The Presidential Medal of Freedom will be presented at the White House on Saturday.

The announcement comes just weeks after U2 released How to Re-assemble an Atomic Bomb, a special edition celebrating the 20th anniversary of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb with previously unreleased tracks from the 2004 album’s recording sessions. In September, U2 premiered V-U2: An Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas, showcasing their historic residency at The Sphere in Sin City.

U2’s most recent album, Songs of Surrender, was released in March 2023 and reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

Wayne Osmond, the second-oldest of the legendary Osmonds, died on Jan. 1. He was 73 years old.

Wayne, one of nine Osmond siblings, started a barbershop quartet in 1958 alongside his brothers Alan, Merrill and Jay. After getting discovered from a Disneyland performance, the boys were cast over a seven-year period on NBC’s The Andy Williams Show beginning in 1962. When brothers Jimmy and Donny joined the group, they became known as the Osmonds and were standout teen idols throughout the ‘70s.

Related

The Osmonds formed in their hometown of Ogden, Utah. Their mother, Olive, reflected on their origin, born of their Mormon faith, in a 1976 interview, as recounted in Fred Bronson’s The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. “The church encourages talent, beginning with such things as singing, sports and speeches when the children are small,” she mused. “That’s how the four boys started singing together.”

The Osmonds charted four top 10s, among 10 top 40 hits, on the Billboard Hot 100, including the 1971 No. 1 “One Bad Apple.” Alan and Merrill Osmond co-wrote “Down by the Lazy River” (No. 4, 1972), the group’s biggest self-penned hit. The act achieved its top-charting album on the Billboard 200 with Phase-III, which reached No. 10 in 1972. The Osmonds tallied 13 titles on the tally through 2008.

Following 13 Hot 100 hits in 1971-76, the Osmonds disbanded in the summer of 1980. They reformed in 1982, minus Donny, and logged 11 entries on the Hot Country Songs chart, through 1986, led by their introductory hit at the format, the top 20-peaking “I Think About Your Lovin’.”

Amid the Osmonds’ chart dominance as a group, Donny scored solo success, earning five Hot 100 top 10s in 1971-73, including the three-week No. 1 “Go Away Little Girl,” which led seven months after “One Bad Apple.” After a 13-year-break from the chart, he returned and marched to No. 2 in 1989 with “Soldier of Love.”

Plus, Donny and sister Marie Osmond notched seven Hot 100 hits in 1974-78, including two top 10s. Marie forged her own successful career in country, running up four Hot Country Songs No. 1s in 1973-86.

On Jan. 2, Donny shared a heartfelt tribute on X, writing, “Wayne brought so much light, laughter and love to everyone who knew him, especially me. He was the ultimate optimist and was loved by everyone. I’m sure I speak on behalf of every one of us siblings when I state that we were fortunate to have Wayne as a brother.”

Below, browse the Osmonds’ 10 biggest career hits as a group on the Hot 100.

The Osmonds’ Biggest Billboard Hits chart is based on actual performance on the weekly Hot 100 chart from its Aug. 4, 1958, inception, through Jan. 4, 2025. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.

Nicki Minaj has been sued for assault by a man who claims the rapper physically attacked him following a concert in Detroit last April, according to documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday (Jan. 3).

In the complaint, the plaintiff, Brandon Garrett, claims that while working as a day-to-day manager for Minaj’s 2024 Pink Friday 2 tour, the rapper (real name Onika Maraj) hit him multiple times after flying into a rage backstage at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

Related

According to the lawsuit, the alleged assault occurred on April 21 after Garrett was summoned to Minaj’s dressing room backstage at the arena, where he says he was confronted by Minaj and her former manager Deb Antney about sending another tour employee, identified as hospitality manager Luke Montgomery, to pick up prescriptions for Minaj in his place.

“Ms. Antney asked why Mr. Montgomery was picking up prescriptions on behalf of Defendant Maraj,” the complaint reads, referring to Minaj by her birth name. “Plaintiff responded that he had Mr. Montgomery pick up a prescription in the past because Defendant Maraj wanted it immediately, but Plaintiff was occupied at the venue with Defendant Maraj in the quick change room during a performance because one of Plaintiff’s job duties was assisting Defendant Maraj with dressing during performances.”

Garrett claims that Minaj then became “visibly upset” and “angrily screamed” at him, “Are you f—ing crazy having him pick up my prescription? You have lost your f—ing mind and if my husband was here, he would knock out your f—king teeth. You’re a dead man walking. You just f—ed up your whole life and you will never be anyone, I’ll make sure of it.” Minaj then allegedly “started yelling” at Montgomery, asking what day he picked up the prescriptions and “what exact prescriptions they were.” When Montgomery said he did not remember, Minaj allegedly “screamed” at him “to look through his phone until he finds it.”

The complaint states that when neither Montgomery nor Garrett could find the information Minaj had requested, she “asked to see Mr. Montgomery’s cell phone to read the last text message between Plaintiff and Mr. Montgomery.” After Montgomery allegedly offered up his cell phone to Minaj to read the messages, Garrett says she approached him and “got very close to his face” while continuing to yell at him.

“At this point, Defendant Maraj open-handedly struck Plaintiff on the right side of his face, causing his head to swing backwards as his hat flew off his head,” the complaint reads. Garrett alleges that at this point, several members of Minaj’s security team “swarmed in close” to them before Minaj allegedly “struck Plaintiff on his right wrist, knocking the documents in Plaintiff’s hand onto the floor.”

Garrett claims that Minaj then ordered him out of the room. After complying with her demand, he says he “ran to the nearest restroom and locked himself inside for hours,” during which he says he called his fiance to tell him what had happened. “At this point, Plaintiff’s wrist was throbbing and his face was sore, but he stayed in the restroom because he was terrified and feared for his safety,” the complaint continues. In the “early morning hours” of April 22, Garrett says he then received a text message “from a bus mate on the tour” informing him that Antney said Garrett “would not be riding the bus from Detroit to Chicago,” leaving him stranded.

After arriving back in Chicago on a flight, Garrett says he contacted the Chicago Police Department for a police escort back to his hotel “because he feared for his safety and did not know if his belongings had been removed or tampered with.” He says he filed a police report with the Chicago PD after arriving back at his room, where he allegedly remained “for the next couple days…because he was fearful and traumatized” over the incident. He says he then flew back to Detroit to file a formal police report there.

Garrett is suing for intentional infliction of emotional distress, assault and battery and is asking for punitive and exemplary damages and general damages, among other relief.

A representative for Minaj did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s request for comment. Antney also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

One of the individuals charged in connection with Liam Payne‘s death earlier this week has now been arrested by Argentinian authorities.

Braian Paiz, one of two men accused of supplying drugs to Payne prior to his death, was arrested by police on Friday (Jan. 3), according to a CBS News report. The former One Direction singer died Oct. 16 after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. A preliminary autopsy report attributed his death to multiple traumas and hemorrhages he suffered from the fall, while a toxicology report noted the presence of alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants in his system. Prior to the accident, the head receptionist at the hotel made two emergency calls requesting medical services — the first of which reported that a guest was “trashing the entire room” and the second of which stated concerns that the guest “may be in danger.”

Related

Paiz was one of five people charged in Payne’s death on Monday (Dec. 30), according to a public notice posted by Argentina‘s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office. The others charged included hotel manager Gilda Martin, receptionist Esteban Grassi and Payne’s friend Roger Nores, all of whom are facing manslaughter charges; and hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra, who was charged with supplying drugs to the singer.

“Payne’s consciousness was altered and there was a balcony in the room,” said Judge Laura Bruniard, who is overseeing the case in Argentina. “The proper thing to do was to leave him in a safe place and with company until a doctor arrived. The people responsible at the hotel that day were the manager GAM and the head of reception ERG,” the judge continued, using the suspects’ initials. The judge went on to note that while these individuals likely did not intend for Payne to die, their actions or inactions posed substantial risks to his life.

If convicted, those charged with manslaughter in the case face sentences of one to five years in prison, while those charged with supplying Payne with drugs face anywhere from four to 15 years, according to the BBC.

Payne was laid to rest in November in the U.K. His funeral was attended by his former One Direction bandmates, his girlfriend Katie Cassidy and his ex-partner Cheryl Cole, with whom he had a son.

Heidi Klum is ready to make it work — again. As exclusively confirmed by People Friday (Jan. 3), the German supermodel is returning to Project Runway as host, a role she served for 16 seasons before stepping away in 2017.

The news comes more than two decades after Klum helmed the debut season of Project Runway alongside co-host Tim Gunn in 2004, after which the duo led the fashion design competition series side by side for 16 years. The two friends eventually left the program at the same time, announcing their joint departure in 2018 and revealing that they would be joining forces on a new project.

“We’re like husband and wife,” the “Sunglasses at Night” musician told People shortly afterward. “This was our baby. Our baby is 16 years old now. Our baby can walk, and it’s going to walk by itself. And we love our baby — we love our baby and we wish our baby good luck. But now we’re ready to pop out a new one.”

Klum and Gunn shared the screen again in 2020 with Making the Cut, a similar design show that ran for three seasons on Prime Video. Meanwhile, Karlie Kloss and former Project Runway winner Christian Siriano took over hosting duties for the Bravo-originated series.

Now coming to Freeform, Disney+ and Hulu, season 21 of Project Runway will reportedly arrive at some point in 2025 and feature 10 weekly episodes, though the rest of the judges have not yet been announced. In 2023, Elle editor-in-chief Nina Garcia, designer Brandon Maxwell and journalist Elaine Welteroth rounded out the panel for season 20.

Klum won a Primetime Emmy for best reality host in 2013 for her role on Project Runway.

The Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown is off to a fast start at the boxoffice. The film has grossed $33.6 million worldwide since its release on Christmas Day, according to boxofficemojo.com. That enables it to place on our list of music biopics with the highest worldwide grosses.

Timothée Chalamet stars in the film, which follows Dylan from January 1961, when he moved from Minnesota to New York City, to July 1965, when he caused an uproar by playing (gasp) electronic instruments at the Newport Folk Festival. James Mangold, who directed the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, also did the honors here.

Mangold has directed three actors in Oscar-nominated performances – Angelina Jolie in her Oscar-winning role in Girl, Interrupted, Joaquin Phoenix in his Oscar-nominated role as Cash in Walk the Line and Reese Witherspoon in her Oscar-winning role as June Carter Cash in that same film. Chalamat and Edward Norton, who plays Pete Seeger in A Complete Unknown, may well join them when this year’s Oscar nods are announced on Jan. 17.

Here are the highest-grossing biopics of musicians in terms of worldwide box office. We didn’t include a few high-grossing films about real-life music personalities because they’re not biopics in the traditional sense. These include The Sound of Music (which tells the story of Maria von Trapp and the Trapp Family Singers); Green Book (which deals with a road trip taken by pianist and composer Don Shirley); Florence Foster Jenkins (about an heiress and hopelessly untalented soprano by that name); and Music of the Heart (about violinist and music educator Roberta Guaspari). Meryl Streep starred in the latter two films.

Here are the 26 biopics of music stars with the highest worldwide grosses.

Footage of a 2024 traffic stop between Ice-T — born Tracy Marrow — and a New Jersey police officer surfaced earlier this week.

The contentious exchange reportedly went down in May in Hudson County when bodycam footage showed the “Cop Killer” artist was stopped mere feet away from the Department of Motor Vehicles as he was allegedly on his way to register the car he was driving with the state.

“That’s why I’m trying to get this car set up. Yesterday, I went to the DMV, and they said their system was down. I got seven cars, I’m trying to get them all straight,” an agitated Ice told the cop. “You don’t gotta be that serious about this. I mean you can, but you don’t have to.”

The officer didn’t appreciate Ice-T’s tone and threatened to take his keys and have the vehicle towed.

“Can I park the car and walk to the DMV? You’re not finna to tow my f—ing vehicle,” the Law & Order: SVU star said. “Let me park my car right here. If I’m not under arrest then I’m getting out of the car.”

Ice-T then got out of the car and stood eye-to-eye with the officer. “Give me my paperwork you f—ing a–hole,” he demanded. “Give me my f—ing paperwork. Get this on camera. I’m a foot away from the DMV. You’re an a–hole.”

A sergeant officer was called in to diffuse the situation. Eventually, the officers decided to give Ice-T four tickets related to his license expiration, registration, missing license plates and lack of inspection. However, the car would not be towed and he could keep the keys and get the vehicle’s records updated.

“Next time, just show some respect,” the officer stated. Ice-T fired back before going their separate ways: “I don’t have to.”

Watch the bodycam footage below. Billboard has reached out to the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office and reps for Ice-T.

Former Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee says he’s lucky to be alive following a sepsis diagnosis over the holiday period.

The Swedish percussionist shared news of his health scare on social media on Thursday (Dec. 2), explaining that he had been hospitalized following a blood infection he described as “very serious”.

“I was admitted for three weeks but now I am home fighting this bastard bacteria,” he shared. “Thankfully, I have received fantastic care at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, my hometown.

“So thanks a million to all the Doctors and Nurses that have been giving me the most excellent care,” he added. “After several operations, I am now back home and the numbers are all going in the right direction. Still lots of recovery and rehab in front of me.”

In an interview with Swedish publication Aftonbladet, Dee expanded upon the experience. He told the outlet that what began as a simple sprain quickly evolved into something far worse on the weekend before Christmas.

“The ankle swelled up like hell, then it took on a weird shape and appearance and looked like an overcooked ham,” Dee said. “I became very ill so I had to go by ambulance to Sahlgrenska and there they found that I had sky-high values, so I became priority one there.

“It was surgery right away, the first of three. They cut away what was dead and infected and badly infested. It was not a good journey I was on… Another day and I’d be playing drums with Lemmy in heaven. I can say that.”

In some strange synchronicity, Dee’s brush with death occurred almost nine years to the day since his Motörhead bandmate Lemmy Kilmister passed away, on Dec. 28, 2015. Notably, his health scare also took place mere weeks after he took to social media to refute premature reports of his death.

First rising to fame as a member of Danish outfit King Diamond in the ’80s, a stint with Don Dokken saw Dee recruited by Motörhead to replace Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor on drums. Dee would remain with the group until their 2015 dissolution in the wake of Lemmy’s passing, and joined German rockers the Scorpions the following year.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is destined to always evolve, says chairman John Sykes, but while new categories could arrive in the future, a new name for the establishment is out of the question.

Sykes’ comments were published in a new interview with Vulture, which arrived on Tuesday (Dec. 31), just one day before the 2024 Rock Hall induction ceremony hit streaming services. In the piece, Sykes opens up about the current state of the foundation, and touches on previous calls for a name change, especially given how more pop and hip-hop artists have found themselves inducted in recent years.

“I think it’s because some people don’t understand the meaning of rock and roll,” Sykes explains. “If you go back to the original sound in the ’50s, it was everything. As Missy Elliott calls it, it was a gumbo. It just became known as rock and roll. So when I hear people say, ‘You should just change it to the Music Hall of Fame,’ rock and roll has pretty much covered all of that territory. Rather than throwing the name out, it’s doing a better job of communicating to people where rock and roll came from and what it’s truly about. Once they hear it that way, they understand.

“The best story to convey this was when a great friend of mine, Jay-Z, got inducted a few years ago,” he continued. “I was so excited. But he told me, ‘Rock is dead. It should be called the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame.’ And I said, ‘Well, hip-hop is rock and roll.’ He goes, ‘No, it isn’t.’ And I said, ‘We’ve got to do a better job explaining it. Little Richard, Otis Redding, Chuck Berry — these artists were the cornerstones of rock and roll. If you look at the sounds over the years, those artists ended up influencing hip-hop.’ Jay-Z hemmed and hawed, but he showed up to the ceremony. That made me feel like we had done our job to communicate that rock and roll is open to all.”

These comments echo Sykes’ previous recollection of the discussion, as printed in Jay-Z’s Book of HOV just last month.

“My last words, as I pleaded for Jay to come to Cleveland to accept his award, were that rock n’ roll is not any one sound, rather a gumbo,” he wrote. “To paraphrase the great Berry Gordy, rock n’ roll created the sound of young America. It’s a spirit, and the spirit of hip-hop and rap connected rock n’ roll with an entirely new generation.”

Elsewhere in his new discussion, Sykes also looked towards the future of the Rock Hall and the potential for further new categories. While the annual induction ceremony has always featured Performers, Musical Influences (previously called ‘Early Influences’ before 2023), and the Ahmet Ertegun Award (previously called ‘Non-Performers’ before 2008) as categories, it has expanded further in the past.

In 2000, the Rock Hall introduced the Sidemen category to honor those who are often overlooked in the grand scheme of things, with the category being renamed the Award for Musical Excellence in 2010. Likewise, between 2018 and 2020, roughly half-a-dozen songs were chosen each year as the singles that shaped rock history. As Sykes explains, there’s the potential to dig even deeper into the music industry to honor those who keep the industry turning.

“We’ve discussed ways we could recognize not only artists but those around them who’ve had an impact on the sound of rock and roll. Fans often don’t even know who helped break these artists,” he added. “It could be record-company presidents, it could be lawyers, it could be agents. We also want to look at specific songs that change culture. That could be another category.”

Concluding his interview, Sykes also discussed a number of artists who have been overlooked in previous years, including The B-52s, “Weird Al” Yankovic, the Pixies, and Phil Collins’ solo career.

Labelling Yankovic a “genius” who is yet to make it “close” to the ballot, Sykes expressed confidence that the others may make it in some day.

“There’s been a group of nominees who’ve been passionate about the Pixies,” he said. “The same thing with Warren Zevon, who actually did get on the ballot one year. I’m passionate about Warren, and he’ll get in, too. But the Pixies have had a lot of support.”