Blake Lively is fighting Justin Baldoni’s continued attempts to see her texts with Taylor Swift in the It Ends With Us litigation, saying the movie’s director and co-star shouldn’t be allowed to drag Swift into the court battle just to generate “sensational headlines.”

Lively filed a motion on Friday (June 13) asking a federal judge to shut down Baldoni’s discovery request seeking all communications between the actress and Swift, her longtime close friend, related to It Ends With Us or Lively’s lawsuit alleging Baldoni sexually harassed her on the film’s set and then orchestrated a smear campaign in retaliation for her complaints.

Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, previously sought these communications via subpoenas to Swift and her lawyers. But the pop superstar’s reps vehemently opposed the subpoenas as “tabloid clickbait,” and Baldoni withdrew the requests last month.

According to the Friday filing, Lively’s team is unsure whether Swift handed over any texts as part of a deal with Baldoni to get the subpoenas dropped. Though Swift’s attorney advised them that “no documents are being produced,” the same day, a Daily Mail article quoted an “insider” stating that the Wayfarer team got “exactly what they were seeking” from the pop star.

Lawyers for Lively say this “insider” quote, published by a Daily Mail reporter with known ties to Baldoni’s publicists, could be interpreted either to mean that Swift produced documents or that the hefty tabloid coverage of Swift’s subpoena was enough to achieve Baldoni’s aims.

“Either interpretation of the reason the Wayfarer parties withdrew the subpoenas warrants the entry of a protective order,” write Lively’s attorneys. “If the Wayfarer parties received documents from Ms. Swift such that they have ‘exactly what they’ need, then the discovery sought … is cumulative and duplicative, and need not be produced again by Ms. Lively.”

“If, on the other hand,” Lively’s lawyers continue, “the Wayfarer parties were ‘seeking’ only sensational headlines by serving the subpoenas rather than materials to support their claims and defenses, they are not entitled to the information… The purpose of civil discovery is to obtain information relevant to claims and defenses in court, not to prop up a public relations narrative outside of court.”

Some of the ”sensational headlines” generated by the Swift subpoena revolved around allegations from Baldoni’s lawyers that Lively had asked Swift to delete text messages and tried to extort her into voicing public support for the sexual harassment lawsuit.  These claims, attributed to an anonymous source and denounced by Lively’s team as “categorically false,” were struck from the case’s docket after Judge Lewis J. Liman determined they were improper, irrelevant and “potentially libelous.”

Judge Liman dealt another loss to Baldoni earlier this week when he threw out the actor-director’s defamation countersuit, which alleged that Lively conspired with the New York Times, her husband Ryan Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane to fabricate the sexual harassment and retaliation claims.

A rep for Lively cited this dismissal ruling in a statement to Billboard regarding Baldoni’s continued pursuit of the actress’ communications with Swift.

“The ongoing attempts to once again try and use the world’s biggest star as a PR tactic in this matter reflects a public unraveling of epic proportions — and serves only to distract from the fact that Justin Baldoni’s lawsuits against Ms. Lively, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist and the New York Times have been entirely dismissed,” said a Lively spokesperson on Friday (June 13).

Reps for Baldoni and Swift did not return requests for comment.

The continued fight over the Swift text messages comes as Lively is serving her own subpoena on the singer’s public opponent, Scooter Braun. Lively wants to know what Braun knows about the alleged smear campaign orchestrated by publicity firm The Agency Group PR, a controlling stake of which is reportedly owned by Braun’s company, HYBE America.

Consumer demand for live and out-of-home entertainment remains high, but Generation Z consumers — born between 1996 and 2020 — are particularly motivated to pay extra for convenience, upgraded experiences and sustainable options, according to a new EY survey. 
 
Perhaps not surprisingly, Gen Z is less patient than the average consumer. Nearly two-thirds (66%) of Gen Z respondents plan to buy a “fast pass” or priority pass to theme parks in the next year compared to 59% of all consumers, according to the inaugural EY Media & Entertainment (M&E) Pulse Poll, which surveyed 4,000 consumers across the U.S., U.K., Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. According to Javi Borges, EY global media and entertainment sector leader, companies that build convenience into their experiences can take advantage of consumers’ comfort with smartphone apps that offer digital ticketing and contactless payment and check-in. 
 
“When you look at the Millennials and Gen Z, there’s an expectation of a certain level of tech enablement and frictionless experience,” he says. “And even older generations post-pandemic, that maybe had never ordered Uber Eats until the pandemic, now they’re just much more accepting of the apps and the frictionless experience.” 
 
Speaking of Uber Eats, consumers’ desire for faster service is also reflected in a new McKinsey study, which found that delivery’s share of global food spending increased from 9% in 2019 to 21% in 2024, while takeaway’s share was flat and in-person dining fell to 55% from 69%. Though respondents weren’t polled specifically about music, this same trend toward speed and convenience can be traced in terms of modern-day music consumption habits, where streaming accounts for 69% of global music consumption in 2024 vs. 56% in 2019, according to the IFPI. And on the live front, concert promoter Live Nation says it now expects VIP offerings to account for 30% to 35% of its amphitheater business. Overall, McKinsey predicts that consumer tolerance for inconvenience will continue to decline as their desire for speed and service increases.
 
Despite news headlines that consumers are at a financial breaking point, local entertainment (i.e., entertainment that doesn’t require travel) and live entertainment were purchased by 48% and 46% of respondents, respectively, according to EY’s poll. The poll focuses on companies’ pursuit of consumers’ “fun money,” which Borges calls the 10% to 15% of income people set aside for leisure activities. This segment of discretionary spending goes toward everything from music and video streaming services to concerts and vacations.  
 
“Globally, but especially in the U.S., we have more options battling for our fun money than ever before,” says Borges. 
 
Spending on live music, which offers an increasing menu of VIP options that provide greater convenience than basic offerings, is especially strong. As Billboard noted in May, a Bank of America study found that U.S. consumers spent an average of $150 a month on entertainment — such as live music and theme parks — from May 2024 to April 2025. Over the same period, credit card holders spent double that amount on live event tickets, racking up an average of $300 per month. In the same study, a third of respondents said they plan to attend more events this year than last year. 
 
Indeed, the trend in consumer spending — especially for the young, and especially since the COVID-19 pandemic — is toward experiences over material items. That said, people are willing to pay extra to make their experiences more pleasant or special. EY found that about half (49%) of respondents who visited theme parks or went on a cruise paid extra for premium options, while about a third did so for sporting events and casino/resorts.  
 
Younger demographics are also willing to spend a premium of 26% or more on sustainable features when it comes to buying entertainment experiences. For example, 12% of all consumers will spend more on carbon offsetting compared to 25% of Gen Z and 15% of Millennials. Willingness to spend extra based on water conservation practices also splits the age groups: 11% of all consumers globally, but 23% of Gen Z and 15% of Millennials.  
 
Live music has made strides to satisfy Gen Z’s preference for sustainable consumerism. Festivals are turning to batteries, sometimes powered by biodiesel or solar panels, instead of diesel-powered generators. That should be music to Gen Z ears: EY found that 24% of Gen Z would pay more for entertainment options that use renewable energy sources (versus 11% of all consumers) and 22% of Gen Z would pay a premium for lower energy consumption (versus 10% of all consumers).  
 
Looking ahead, Americans are more likely to spend money at a casino in the next year than people in other regions surveyed (66% versus 49% globally), while Asia-Pacific respondents have a greater preference for theme parks (74% versus 65% globally). About half (48%) of respondents expect to spend the same amount of money on live entertainment in the next 12 months as the past 12 months. The percentage of people who expect to spend more and spend less is almost equal at 21% and 20%, respectively.  

Drake and Smiley have joined forces once again for the latter’s “2 Mazza,” from the Toronto artist’s new project Don’t Box Me In.

Smiley dropped off the project Friday (June 13), and in his verse, Drizzy reminds Canada of his dominance, proclaiming “I”m the 6 God” and rapping “f— Hollywood and the Hamptons.”

The pair also dropped off a music video for the single, which was shot at Marham’s Go Place day spa. “Shoutout my f—ing big bro [Drake] for being such a GOAT,” Smiley wrote on Instagram when celebrating the album launch.

This marks Drake’s first feature since dropping off his PARTYNEXTDOOR-assisted tape $ome $exy $ongs 4 U back in February. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with the Drizzy standalone track “Nokia” still sitting firm at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Drake is rumored to be hard at work on a new album allegedly titled Iceman, which many are expecting to drop before the end of 2025. Drake hasn’t confirmed nor denied anything related to a new project, but Smiley did recently reveal that Drizzy has been hard at work on crafting some sort of new project.

“We’re at a party and he was in the other room by himself eating pasta with wired headphones writing music while we have a whole f—ing party going on,” Smiley said in a video shared on social media. “He’s on a different mode right now.”

Check out the video for “2 Mazza” below.

A lot of Oasis fans are counting down the days until the band finally reunites, including Bono.

While speaking to Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe in an interview posted Thursday (June 12), the U2 frontman had nothing but praise for the English pop-rock group, famously fronted by brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher. The band is currently in rehearsals ahead of a comeback tour slated to kick off in July, putting an end to a yearslong hiatus sparked by a feud between the two siblings.

“I love them,” Bono said. “I just love them. And what I really love is, the preciousness that had gotten [into] indie music, they just blew it out. There was just the swagger, and the sound of getting out of the ghetto, not glamorizing it.”

“They’re both funny,” the singer added. “I’m still very close with Noel, and he sent a message to me saying he’s kind of shocked by how great the band is [sounding]. I think we’re going to have a good summer.”

The Gallagher bros will embark on their Oasis Live ’25 Tour on July 4, beginning with a show at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The rest of the trek will include stops in Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and Latin America.

The performances will mark Oasis’ first in about 16 years. Liam has also said recently that the group is playing better than ever as they prepare for liftoff, writing on X that a recent rehearsal “sounded f–king FILTHY.”

When they do return to the stage, the members of Oasis will have a big reputation to live up to. The band was one of the most influential groups on pop-rock in the ’90s, with Bono adding on Apple Music 1, “They had this rhythmic, beautiful quality to them … Manchester was very influenced by dance music, so they were groovier than anybody, they were rawer than anybody.”

Watch Bono’s full interview with Lowe above.