Eugenio Derbez is walking back his harsh comments about Selena Gomez‘s performance in the Netflix musical movie Emilia Pérez.

During a recent appearance on the Hablando de Cine podcast, the Mexican actor and comedian criticized Gomez’s attempt at speaking Spanish in the film, calling her performance “indefensible.”

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Gomez, who plays Jessi del Monte in the Jacques Audiard-directed film, speaks Spanish in the movie but is not fluent in the language.

“Selena is indefensible,” Derbez said in a clip from the podcast, which was shared on TikTok. “I was there [watching the movie] with people, and every time a scene came [with her in it], we looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, what is this?’”

Derbez agreed with Hablando de Cine host Gaby Meza, who suggested that Gomez struggled to add nuance to her performance because Spanish isn’t her first language and she didn’t fully understand what she was saying.

Gomez responded to the criticism in the comments section of the TikTok post. “I understand where you are coming from. I’m sorry I did the best I could with the time I was given,” the Only Murders in the Building actress wrote. “Doesn’t take away from how much work and heart I put into this movie.”

The Grammy-nominated singer and actress also addressed Derbez’s comments directly: “Also, do not ever say my fans are the problem standing up, as you say, for me.”

The CODA star later posted an apology to Gomez in a letter posted to TikTok. “I truly apologize for my careless comments — they are indefensible and go against everything I stand for,” Derbez wrote. “As Latinos, we should always support one another. There’s no excuse. I was wrong, and I deeply admire your career and your kind heart.”

Emilia Pérez tells the story of cartel boss Manitas del Monte (played by Sofía Gascón), who retires from the business to undergo gender reassignment surgery and become the titular character. The film’s plot is further defined by musical numbers that blend rock, pop and rap, all sung in Spanish, capturing the transformation of its central characters. The film also stars Zoe Saldaña.

BTSV and the late Bing Crosby‘s duet version of “White Christmas” has topped this week’s new music poll, which highlights releases from artists across a variety of genres.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Dec. 6) on Billboard, naming the new rendition of the holiday classic their favorite new music release of the past week.

“White Christmas” secured nearly 51% of the vote, outpacing new releases from ROSÉ (rosie), TWICE (Strategy), Bad Bunny (“EL CLÚB”), Khalid and Normani (“Personal”), and more.

In the festive collaboration, V and Crosby trade lines, harmonizing on the iconic lyrics: “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas/ With every Christmas card I write/ May your days be merry and bright/ And may all your Christmases be white.”

“I’m so grateful to have had the chance to be featured in a song with my all-time favorite jazz artist, Bing Crosby,” V previously said of the track in a statement. “I grew up listening to his song ‘It’s Been a Long, Long Time’ countless times a day, and I feel incredibly fortunate and honored to have sung along on ‘White Christmas’ with the voice of someone I consider an idol.”

“Being a huge fan of his, I sang with the utmost sincerity and admiration for him,” continued the superstar, who previously covered “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” “I hope many people enjoy it as much as I enjoyed singing it. Lastly, I wish a lovely holiday season to everyone listening to the song.”

Crosby passed away in 1977. His daughter, Mary Crosby, expressed her excitement about her father’s new posthumous collaboration, saying, “As a family, we are thrilled to have V and Dad singing together on this ultimate Christmas song. Their voices blend beautifully, capturing the holiday spirit in the best possible way.”

The Christmas classic, written by Irving Berlin in just 18 minutes, remains the best-selling song of all time, with over 50 million copies sold worldwide, according to Guinness World Records. “White Christmas” also won the Oscar for best original song in the 1942 musical Holiday Inn and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974.

Trailing closely behind V and Crosby in this week’s poll is BLACKPINK’s ROSÉ, whose debut solo album, rosie, garnered almost 48% of the vote. The 12 tracks on the set include the hit single “APT.” with Bruno Mars, which has held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Global 200 for six consecutive weeks, as well as “Number One Girl.”

Check out the full results of this week’s poll below and head to Billboard‘s Friday Music Guide for more must-hear releases.

Saturday Night Live is taking a playful jab at Timothée Chalamet at the premiere of his upcoming film A Complete Unknown.

In a sketch during the Dec. 7 episode, hosted by Paul Mescal, SNL cast member Heidi Gardner plays a fictional BuzzFeed reporter on the red carpet for the debut of the new Bob Dylan biopic, which stars Chalamet as the legendary folk musician. The sketch opens with Chalamet (played by Chloe Fineman) admitting he had a “Brat summer,” a reference to the Charli XCX-inspired trend.

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“Oh, man, it was crazy. Nuts,” Fineman’s Chalamet says.

As the two continue their conversation, Dylan (portrayed by SNL’s James Austin Johnson) strolls up and is asked if he too had a Brat summer. “What?” the iconic musician replies. “A Brat summer,” Gardner’s reporter repeats. “Did you have a Brat summer?” Dylan, clearly thinking about food, mistakes the question, thinking he’s being asked about bratwurst.

“All this sausage talk has awoken my hunger,” Johnson’s Dylan says, in the artist’s signature gravelly voice. “I hear there’s a hot bar at the end of this, so if you’ll excuse me.”

The red carpet conversation continues as Bruce Springsteen (played by Andrew Dismukes) joins the group. “Baby, I was born to watch this movie,” the Boss declares. When Dylan asks if Springsteen hit the hot bar, Dismukes’ Springsteen responds, “Sure did, Bob. The vibes might be small but the flavor’s big.”

Next up, U2 frontman Bono (played by Gladiator II star Paul Mescal) steps in. When asked about his own Brat summer, Bono answers, “I didn’t have a Brat summer. Could not possibly. Because of the sweltering heat brought on by climate change. We must act now.” Mescal’s Bono continues, “I just saw a documentary about the devastating effects of global warming. It was called Hot Frosty,” referencing a new holiday Netflix movie.

A Complete Unknown, which hits theaters on Christmas Day, also stars Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro and Edward Norton. The biographical drama is inspired by Elijah Wald’s 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric. Director James Mangold has revealed that Dylan himself gave feedback on the script.

Fans first spotted Chalamet filming in New York earlier this year. Mangold confirmed that Chalamet will do his own singing in the film, and to prepare, the actor sifted through 12 hours of unreleased Dylan tracks sent to him by the musician’s longtime manager and producer Jeff Rosen.

The SNL episode also featured breakout country star Shaboozey, who made his debut as musical guest on the long-running sketch comedy show, performing his 19-week Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” alongside his new ballad “Good News.”

Watch SNL‘s “A Complete Unknown Red Carpet” sketch below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.

How will The Eras Tour end?

Here on Dec. 6, 2024, on a Friday night in Vancouver — home of Taylor Swift‘s final three Eras shows (Nos. 150-152, for those counting) — we’re among about 60,000 kindred spirits at BC Place.

“You and I, we’re about to go on a little adventure,” Swift, in a bedazzled blue-and-gold Lover bodysuit, teases the crowd. “That adventure is gonna span 18 years of music, and we’re gonna be doing this one era at a time. How does that sound to you, Vancouver?”

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Professional camera setups and operators scurrying behind the star on stage indicate this event is being professionally filmed. The Jumbotron is up and running high above the middle of the floor. It’s showing a feed focused on just Swift, so those further back or in upper levels can see her framed in a closeup and take in the full stage spectacle. Some ticket buyers are out only $16 CAD for late-release “no view” seats that turn out to be better than imagined, with slight glimpses at the Eras diamond or end stage, plus screens to watch.

There’s someone sobbing behind me. There’s happiness and sadness in the air being at this concert and knowing this is it.

Swift seems to feel that way, too, with a gaze that glistens when she pauses to take in the crowd for an extended moment post-“Champagne Problems.” She’s used the word “dreamscape” to describe the era of Folklore and Evermore, and in recent captions on Instagram posts and her tour book. From her perspective tonight, that’s got to be how it feels: surreal, even 630 days since The Eras Tour’s debut.

These were the best moments from the first of three dates in Vancouver, the beginning of the end (of Swift’s Eras Tour), from someone who can compare seeing the tour in 2023 vs. 2024.

Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan teamed up for a holiday classic.

In her new Netflix holiday special A Nonsense Christmas, which premiered on Friday (Dec. 6), the 25-year-old pop star invited special guest Roan for a festive duet of Wham!’s “Last Christmas.”

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Set in a scene evoking the aftermath of a lively holiday house party, complete with empty wine bottles and red cups scattered across the floor, the two friends performed the 1984 hit while reading the lyrics karaoke-style on a vintage TV. Carpenter wore a velvety green dress, while Roan sported a cozy winter coat. Watch a clip of the nostalgic here

Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” written and produced by the duo’s George Michael, peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2023.

Carpenter’s first-ever Christmas TV special also featured a host of surprise guests, including Tyla for a rendition of “This Christmas,” Shania Twain for a duet of “Santa Baby” and Kali Uchis, who joined Carpenter for a performance of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.”

The “Espresso” singer’s A Nonsense Christmas is a holiday variety show blending musical performances with comedic cameos. Carpenter also showcased songs from her 2023 seasonal EP, Fruitcake.

“The holidays have always been so special to me,” she said in a statement leading up to the special. “I am excited to bring my take to a classic holiday variety show — infusing my love of music and comedy to make something that is uniquely me.”

Ahead of the show, Carpenter released a spicy new remix of her fan-favorite track “Nonsense” from her Emails I Can’t Send album. In the festive remix, she puts a flirty twist on the lyrics: “Think I only want you under my mistletoe/ I might change your contact to ’Has a huge North Pole’/ You said you like my stockings better on the floor/ Boy, I’ve been a bad girl, I guess I’m getting coal,” she sings in the opening verse, later noting in the chorus that “Lookin’ at you got me thinkin’ Christmas.”

You could understand if Feid were to get nervous or emotional at his first-ever headlining concert at his hometown stadium in Medellín on Friday (Dec. 6). Only a select few local artists have headlined Estadio Atanasio Girardot on their own. 

And in the case of Ferxxo, who spent years waiting for his big break while Medellín peers J Balvin, Karol G and Maluma became Latin household names, it was a moment that seemed like it may never come.

But there would be no tearful reflecting or nervous slip-ups in front of the crowd of around 70,000 on this night. Ferxxo (real name: Salomón Villada Hoyos) was his usual fun-loving self from the moment he emerged from the towering scaffold-like structure in the center of the stadium, just like producer Sky Rompiendo predicted backstage before the show.

“I bet he’s not nervous,” Sky (real name: Alejandro Ramírez Suárez) told Billboard. “He’s like an athlete. It’s like LeBron on the Lakers. He’s focused no matter the stage. I’m more emotional [than he is]. We were 14 when we first started doing music together. I’ve seen his struggle and development through the years. This is a really big moment for him.”

Sky was one of several artists who came out to support Feid at the first of his three sold-out concerts at the stadium. Feid’s all-but-confirmed girlfriend Karol G was backstage before the show shaking hands and wearing a pink version of Feid’s trademark black vest while fellow reggaeton star Becky G played air hockey in the game room.

None of the three artists appeared on stage (at least not that night), but the FERXXOCALIPSIS tour homecoming show wasn’t exactly lacking in star power. Here are some of the highlights from the spectacle that was night one.

UPDATE: On Saturday (Dec. 7) afternoon, Keoghan issued a lengthy statement on X (formerly Twitter) explaining why he deleted his Instagram account. “I deactivated my account because I can no longer let this stuff distract me from my family and work,” he wrote. Read the full statement on X here.

Barry Keoghan appears to be stepping away from Instagram following his high-profile breakup with Sabrina Carpenter.

On Saturday (Dec. 7) morning, the 32-year-old actor’s Instagram account displayed an error message reading: “Sorry, this page isn’t available.”

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The night before, Keoghan had shared a series of steamy gym selfies on his Instagram Story, showing off his physique in a dark green tank top, according to TMZ. He also posted a couple of shots with blonde hair, presumably from the set of his upcoming film Crime 101. However, hours after these posts, his Instagram account was deactivated.

Despite his Instagram deactivation, Keoghan hasn’t deleted all of his social media accounts. His X (formerly Twitter) account remains active, though he hasn’t posted there since late November.

The Irish actor’s decision to leave Instagram comes just days after news broke of his split from Carpenter, 25. A source told People on Dec. 3 that the couple, who had been together for about a year, decided to take a break due to their busy careers.

“They are both young and career-focused, so they’ve decided to take a break,” the source explained.

The pair first sparked dating rumors in late 2023 before making their public debut at the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty in March. Keoghan also appeared alongside Carpenter in the music video for her Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping single “Please Please Please,” featured on her album Short n’ Sweet.

Following the album’s release in late August, fans speculated that several tracks, including the sultry “Bed Chem,” were inspired by Keoghan. In the song, Carpenter sings: “I was in a sheer dress the day that we met/ We were both in a rush, we talked for a sec/ Who’s the cute boy with the white jacket and the thick accent? … Who’s the cute guy with the wide, blue eyes?”

Just last month, Keoghan was asked about his relationship with Carpenter during an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked directly if he was dating her, Keoghan laughed and responded, “Oh, I knew you’d do this,” before adding, “Listen, all I’m going to say is I’m incredibly blessed. Such a strong, independent lady who’s massively talented and yeah. Pretty special.”

The Philly Specials’ charity album A Philly Special Christmas Party makes a festive debut across Billboard’s charts, opening at No. 1 on Independent Albums; in the top 10 on Top Album Sales (No. 2), Top Holiday Albums (No. 2), Vinyl Albums (No. 2); and at No. 16 on the all-genre Billboard 200 (all charts dated Dec. 7).

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It’s the third and final release in the charity series, presented by The Philly Specials (former Philadelphia Eagles football player Jason Kelce and his teammates Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata).

Party arrives with the biggest sales week for any holiday album in four years, and the largest sales week for a holiday album on vinyl in the modern era (since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991). A Philly Special Christmas Party sold 32,000 copies in its first week (ending Nov. 28), with 22,000 of that sum on vinyl. The album was commercially released on CD, vinyl and digital download on Nov. 22.

The last holiday set with a bigger sales week overall was when Carrie Underwood’s My Gift sold 33,000 nearly three months into its release, on the Dec. 19, 2020-dated charts. Previously, the biggest sales week in the modern era for a holiday set on vinyl was when Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack pushed through 20,000 copies in late 2022 (Dec. 31, 2022 chart date).

The new Party album boasts collaborations with the likes of Boyz II Men, Stevie Nicks, Mt. Joy and Jason’s brother (and Kansas City Chiefs tight end) Travis Kelce and includes covers of tunes like “Maybe This Christmas,” “Last Christmas” and “Please Come Home for Christmas.”

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units.

As for the rest of the top 10 of the latest Top Album Sales chart, the Wicked film soundtrack debuts at No. 1 (85,000), Kendrick Lamar’s GNX debuts at No. 3 (32,000), ATEEZ’s Golden Hour: Part.2 falls 1-4 in its second week (24,000; down 87%), Marilyn Manson’s One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1 debuts at No. 5 (20,000), Zach Bryan’s The Great American Bar Scene re-enters the chart at No. 6 (18,000; up 14,517% after it was issued on vinyl and CD for the first time), Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet is steady at No. 7 (16,000; up 9%), ENHYPEN’s chart-topping Romance: Untold falls 4-8 (15,000; down 70%), Ice Cube’s Man Down debuts at No. 9 (nearly 15,000) and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess rises 11-10 (13,000; up 16%).

Spotify continued its remarkable run this week by briefly surpassing a $100 billion market capitalization before falling slightly by the close of trading on Friday (Dec. 6). The company’s shares rose 4.5% to $498.63, marking the music streamer’s second-best closing price ever. The best closing price of $502.38 came on Wednesday (Dec. 4) when Spotify reached a new intraday high of $506.47, valuing the Swedish company at approximately $100.8 billion. 

The $100 billion threshold arrived the same day Spotify launched its 2024 Wrapped, the personalized, data-driven product that breaks down listeners’ streaming time and ranks their most popular artists and tracks. Wrapped, first launched in 2015, has become both a major media event and an immensely successful product that listeners share incessantly on social media. 

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At Friday’s closing price, Spotify has gained 165.4% in 2024, making it the only music company to have a triple-digit gain. This improvement is three times higher than that of Live Nation, which has risen 46.1% this year. Cloud Music is close behind with a 44.2% gain year-to-date. 

With a valuation of more than double the next-largest music company, Spotify is a major driver of the 20-stock Billboard Global Music Index, which rose 2.8% to an all-time high of 2,280.51. That brings its year-to-date gain to 48.7%. Ten of the 20 stocks were gainers while nine lost ground and one was unchanged. Radio companies, buoyed by iHeartMedia’s 14% gain, led the way with an average gain of 5.9%. Streaming companies posted a 4.4% average gain. Live music companies were essentially flat. Multi-format companies (record labels, music publishers) fell 2.1% on average.

Most other streaming companies were gainers this week. Tencent Music Entertainment rose 10% to $11.54. Cloud Music increased 9.7% to 129.40 HKD ($16.63). LiveOne jumped 6% to $0.88. Deezer improved 2.9% to 1.37 euros ($1.45). Abu Dhabi-based Anghami fell 6.8% to $0.73. 

On the live front, MSG Entertainment improved 1.6% to $36.26 this week. The company announced on Tuesday (Dec. 3) that it spent $25 million repurchasing its Class A common shares due to their price “relative to the company’s long-term growth potential.” Elsewhere, Live Nation fell 1.1% to $140.26 while Sphere Entertainment Co., which announced additional Dead & Company dates this week, fell 5.1% to $40.27. 

In other noteworthy stock moves this week, HYBE dropped 3.2% to 214,000 won ($150.15) after news broke that South Korean authorities are investigating chairman Bang Si-hyuk for possible violations of the country’s Capital Markets Act. The move came after a report claimed Bang had a secret agreement with shareholders prior to HYBE’s initial public stock offering that gave him a $285 million profit when the company went public in 2020. HYBE shares fell 6.7% over the two trading days following the news report but recovered more than half its losses later in the week. Other K-pop stocks fell in unison with HYBE. JYP Entertainment dropped 5.2%, YG Entertainment lost 5.8% and SM Entertainment sank 7.5%. 

Elsewhere, stocks were mostly up globally. In the United States, the Nasdaq composite rose 3.3% and the S&P 500 gained 1%. In the United Kingdom, the FTSE 100 improved 0.3%. China’s Shanghai Composite Index grew 2.4%. Dragged down by political turmoil, South Korea’s KOSPI composite dropped 1.1%. 

As we build toward the 2024 Billboard Music Awards on Dec. 12 and Billboard’s Year-End Charts reveal on Dec. 13, check out our editorial list of staff picks for the best K-pop songs of the year.

As more and more K-pop artists break the genre and cultural barriers that can divide listeners, the Korean music industry grew its visibility and expanded its experimental nature this past year, resulting in greater opportunities for the scene at large while gifting global audiences some undeniably special singles.

In line with trends since the start of the decade, girl groups continued to dominate the singles space as (G)I-DLE, fromis_9, aespa, NewJeans and ILLIT delivered inescapable hits, alongside beloved troupes like Red Velvet, ITZY, Dreamcatcher and Kep1er, who delivered some of the best songs of their career.

K-divas BIBI, Lee Young Ji and K-pop’s standout rookie boy band TWS delivered singles that became mainstays on the charts and across social media. Elsewhere, Lim Young Woong, PENTAGON’s Hui, ATEEZ, Loossemble and ARTMS all stepped up to new moments of musical greatness with creative curveballs that defied expectations but delighted all kinds of audiences.

From the nostalgic reunion of BIGBANG’s leader G-Dragon enlisting his bandmates Taeyang and Daesung for “Home Sweet Home” to the rookie girl group that made Billboard Hot 100 history this year, not to mention a track that samples Afrika Bambaataa and the Afrobeat-infused flair of KISS OF LIFE’s “Sticky,” this year’s best K-pop songs boast some of the most eclectic, exciting tunes in recent history.

While the Korean music industry continues to expand its global reach, with many of its artists releasing English singles or tracks explicitly aimed at the Western pop market, this list focuses on the songs released with Korean lyrics or with core K-pop audiences in mind (as much as we loved bops from the likes of Jimin, AleXa, BABYMONSTER, the BLACKPINK members and many, many more).

With some of the best boy bands, greatest girl groups, specially selected soloists, plus one dynamic duo, dive into the complete list to experience the finest K-pop songs of 2024. And check out our list of the 25 Best K-Pop Albums of 2024, too.