With just hours to go until Sabrina Carpenter takes over SNL, the singer reminded fans to tune with an Instagram post full of backstage snapshots.

“TONIGHT,” Carpenter captioned her photo post, tagging @nbcsnl and topping it off with a red lips emoji.

The pics give viewers a glimpse at her dressing room and outfit options. There’s also a peek at what looks to be a table read or writing session, and at the actual cue card that was used filming this week’s promo spot — all at SNL‘s 30 Rock headquarters in New York City.

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Saturday night (Oct. 18) marks Carpenter’s first time hosting SNL, and her return as musical guest. The “Manchild” hitmaker performed during a May 2024 episode and was featured on February 2025’s SNL50 special, for which she sang a duet with Paul Simon and co-starred in one of Marcello Hernandez’s “Domingo” sketches. (She’d already had a run-in with Domingo at one of her concerts on the Short n’ Sweet Tour, during her “Juno” bit; he was the crowd member arrested for being too hot at a Los Angeles stop.)

With a background in sitcoms, plenty of experience on the live stage and a knack for penning punchy song lyrics, Carpenter is primed to let her comedic side shine Saturday night.

As musical guest she’s promoting her latest album, Man’s Best Friend, which made its debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in August.

Scroll through Carpenter’s Instagram snapshots from her SNL rehearsal week below.

Keith Urban had a hilarious reaction to a fan’s comment during his recent tour stop in Nashville.

The 57-year-old country star’s split from Nicole Kidman came up during the final show of his High and Alive World Tour at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Friday (Oct. 17).

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In a video shared by media agency Nashville Experience on Instagram, Urban crouched down to ask a fan her name while interacting with the crowd, but was caught off guard by her response.

“What’s your name?” the “Blue Ain’t Your Color” singer asked. The woman’s reply was initially inaudible through the microphone. “What? I’m not going to like your name? What?” he said, prompting the fan to reveal, “It’s Nicole.”

Urban responded playfully by dropping to the ground, raising his arm as the crowd erupted in laughter, before popping back up to continue the show.

Kidman, 58, filed for divorce from Urban on Sept. 30 after 19 years of marriage, citing “marital difficulties and irreconcilable differences.” The couple, who began dating in 2005 and married in Sydney in 2006, share two teenage daughters.

Urban’s lighthearted moment with the fan came just one day after he canceled his concert at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., on Thursday (Oct. 16) due to laryngitis that had affected him for several days.

His longtime laryngologist had advised “complete vocal rest,” according to a statement from the arena.

“Hey Greenville, I’m so SO sorry to have to cancel the show,” Urban said in a statement of his own (per People). “I know all the logistics it takes to get to a concert these days and I’ve never taken any of that, or any of YOU for granted. I’m looking forward to getting back there when we can!!!!!”

Selena Gomez seems to be responding to recent remarks made by Hailey Bieber about their respective beauty brands.

The 33-year-old Only Murders in the Building star shared a social media post that many interpreted as a reaction to Bieber, 28, whose Rhode Beauty line is now available at Sephora alongside Gomez’s Rare Beauty.

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“Just leave the girl alone,” Gomez wrote in a since-deleted Instagram Story on Friday (Oct. 17). “She can say whatever she wants. Doesn’t affect my life whatsoever. It’s just about relevance not intelligence.”

Gomez, who recently married producer Benny Blanco, went on to urge her followers to show kindness.

“All brands inspire me,” she added. “There is room for everyone. And hopefully we can all stop.”

Her post came days after Bieber’s interview with WSJ Magazine, where the model — who married Gomez’s ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber in 2018 — discussed Rhode’s expansion and emphasized that she isn’t interested in competing with other brands on store shelves.

“It’s always annoying being pitted against other people,” Bieber said. “I didn’t ask for that. When people want to see you a certain way and they’ve made up a story about you in their minds, it’s not up to you to change that.”

She added, “I think there is space for everybody. I don’t feel competitive with people that I’m not inspired by.”

Although reports of an alleged feud between Gomez and Bieber have swirled over the years, both have denied any bad blood between them. In March 2023, Gomez came out in defense of Bieber after after learning she was facing criticism online.

“Hailey Bieber reached out to me and let me know that she has been receiving death threats and such hateful negativity,” Gomez wrote on Instagram post at the time. “This isn’t what I stand for. No one should have to experience hate or bullying.”

She added, “I’ve always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop.”

After five years of winning in at least one of her two categories, Kelly Clarkson was shut out at the 2025 Daytime Emmys. The awards were held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif., on Friday (Oct. 17). Mario Lopez hosted the show.

Drew Barrymore won outstanding daytime talk series host for The Drew Barrymore Show. This is the second year in a row that Clarkson has been upset in this category (which she won the four years before that). She lost last year to Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, the married stars of the syndicated Live With Kelly and Mark.

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This year, Live With Kelly and Mark won outstanding daytime talk series, ending (or at least interrupting) The Kelly Clarkson Show’s four-year hold on the category. This is the second top program award for the long-running Live franchise. Live! with Regis and Kelly (when Ripa teamed with talk show legend Regis Philbin) won outstanding talk show – entertainment in 2012.

Barrymore has had a multi-faceted career, starting as a child star in E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial. In 2018 she was the subject of Bryce Vine’s Billboard Hot 100 hit “Drew Barrymore.”

The Drew Barrymore Show also won best directing team and best hairstyling/makeup, for a total of three wins. The Kelly Clarkson Show won two – best lighting direction and best live sound mixing/sound editing.

General Hospital won seven awards, tops for the night, followed by The Drew Barrymore Show, The Secret Lives of Animals and Secret Lives of Orangutans (three awards each), and Black Barbie, Days of Our Lives, Delicious Miss Brown, Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade, Entertainment Tonight and The Kelly Clarkson Show (two awards each).

Entertainment Tonight won outstanding entertainment news series for the sixth consecutive year, while the host team (Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith and Nischelle Turner) won outstanding daytime personality – daily. But an ET-branded program remembering a TV legend, Bob Newhart: A Legacy of LaughterAn Entertainment Tonight Special, surprisingly lost outstanding daytime special to Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade.

Sir David Attenborough, 99, won outstanding daytime personality – non-daily for the Netflix program, Secret Lives of Orangutans. In so doing, he set a new record as the oldest person to win a Daytime Emmy, beating Dick Van Dyke’s record by one year. Van Dyke won outstanding guest performer in a drama series last year at 98 for his performance on Days of Our Lives.

Selena Gomez’s Food Network series Selena + Restaurant was nominated for outstanding culinary instructional series, but lost to Delicious Miss Brown on the Food Network. Gomez has now gone 0-3 at the Daytime Emmys, 0-5 at the Primetime Emmys and 0-1 at the Children’s and Family Emmys. (Bottom line: She is due for a win.)

Three top entertainment media brands – Billboard, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter – were recognized in the nominations (though none wound up winning). Billboard Presents was nominated for outstanding short form program. Variety Studio: Actors on Actors and Off Script With the Hollywood Reporter were both nominated for outstanding arts and popular culture program. 

Billboard Presents are the video cover profiles that Billboard produces for some of its cover artists. The specific episode submitted for the series was the cover video with conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Other Billboard Presents segments include cover videos with A$AP Rocky, Tyler, The Creator and Charli XCX

The In Memoriam segment included talk show pioneer Phil Donahue; game show hosts Chuck Woolery, Peter Marshall and Wink Martindale; fitness guru and personality Richard Simmons; televangelist Jimmy Swaggart; acting legend James Earl Jones; and Food Network star Anne Burrell.

The awards are presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. If it seems like more than a year has gone by since the last Daytime Emmys, you’re right. Last year’s Daytime Emmys were held on June 7, 2024 the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.

Unlike the past five years, when the show aired on CBS, this year’s program streamed live on watch.theemmys.tv and on the Emmys app.

Veteran broadcast journalist Deborah Norville received a lifetime achievement honor.

Here are the 2025 Daytime Emmy nominations in selected categories, with winners marked. For the full list of winners, go here.

Outstanding Daytime Talk Series

The Drew Barrymore Show, CBS Media Ventures

The Jennifer Hudson Show, Warner Brothers Television Distribution [JHUD Productions | Warner Bros. Unscripted Television | Telepictures]

The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

WINNER: Live With Kelly and Mark, Disney Entertainment Distribution

The View, ABC

Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host

WINNER: Drew Barrymore, The Drew Barrymore Show, CBS Media Ventures

Jenna Bush Hager, Hoda Kotb, TODAY With Hoda and Jenna, NBC

Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa, Live With Kelly and Mark, Disney Entertainment Distribution

Jennifer Hudson, The Jennifer Hudson Show, Warner Brothers Television Distribution

Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program

WINNER: Black Barbie, Netflix [shondalandmedia]; Executive Producers: Betsy Beers, Milan Chakraborty, Camilla Hall, Grace Lay, Sumalee Montano, Shonda Rhimes, Jyoti Sarda; Co-Executive Producers: Scott Collins, Alison Eakle, Sara Fischer; Producers: Lagueria Davis, Aaliyah Williams

Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame, PBS [Bright Blue Media Group]; Executive Producers: Thomas Davison, Pamela Picard, Josiah Spaulding

Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter, IFC [The Hollywood Reporter]; Executive Producers: Nekesa Mumbi Moody, Elisabeth D. Rabishaw, Maer Roshan, Jason Rovou; Supervising Producer: Stephanie Fischette; Senior Producer: Lesley Corral; Producers: Jeanie Pyun, Lacey Rose, Tiffany Taylor, Curtis Thompson; Segment Producer: Chinedu Unaka

The Swift Effect, Peacock; Co-Executive Producers: Cody Broadway, Diane Petzke; Senior Supervising Producer: Meredith McGinn; Coordinating Producer: Julianne O’Hara; Producers: Pedro Iguaran, John Launchi

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors, PBS; Executive Producers: Michelle Merker, Donna Pennestri, John Ross, Andrew Russell, Ramin Setoodeh; Producers: Maris Berzins, Georg Kallert, Diana Nguyen, Rob Schroeder

Outstanding Short Form Program

WINNER: Ballin’ Out, Outsports; Executive Producers: Jim Buzinski, Cyd Zeigler; Producers: Joel Chiodi, Michael Franklin, Eric Korsh, Niq Lewis; Director: Michiel Thomas

Billboard Presents, Billboard.com; Executive Producers: Shira Brown, Leila Cobo, Dana Droppo, Hannah Karp, Christina Medina, Mike Van; Supervising Producer: Ciara Zimring; Line Producer: Mateo Vergara; Producer: Emily Fuentes

Catalyst, LinkedIn News; Executive Producers: Courtney Coupe, Enrique Montalvo; Supervising Producers: David Pond, Dan Roth, Wesley Wingo; Senior Producers: Nina Melendez Ibarra, Stephen Francisco Valdivia Duarte; Coordinating Producer: Michaela Greer; Producers: Joy Carlos, Taisha Henry, Jessica Jimenez, Julia Lull, Sarah Scully, Brandon Stefanowitz, Sujata Thomas, Rachel Wang

Eat This With Yara, The Chef Preserving Gaza’s Cuisine Amid a Genocide, AJ+; Executive Producer: Shadi Rahimi; Senior Producers: Dylan Bergeson, Yara Elmjouie

Live Like a Champion, Healthline [Lucky Tiger Productions]; Executive Producers: Brendan Anderer, Tracy Stickler; Supervising Producers: Tom Placke, Sam Sabawi; Producer: Marc Lesser

Outstanding Music Direction and Composition

Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors, Netflix; Original Music Jerry Lane

National Parks: USA, National Geographic [Stronghold Studios, LLC]; Composer Colin Clark

The Secret Lives of Animals, Apple TV+ Composer Kyle Rodriguez

WINNER: Secret Lives of Orangutans, Netflix [Silverback Films]; Composer: David Mitcham, Score Co-Producer: Michael Whight

Secrets of the Neanderthals, Netflix [BBC Studios]; Composer: Anže Rozman; Additional Music: Enzo Hwang, Kara Talve; Score Producer: Russell Emanuel; Score Supervisor: Greg Rappaport

Outstanding Entertainment News Series

Access Hollywood, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

E! News, E! Entertainment

WINNER: Entertainment Tonight, CBS Media Ventures

Extra, Warner Brothers Television Distribution [Warner Bros. Unscripted Television | Telepictures]

Outstanding Daytime Personality – Daily

WINNER: Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner, Entertainment Tonight, CBS Media Ventures

Scott Evans, Zuri Hall, Kit Hoover & Mario Lopez, Access Hollywood, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Star Jones, Corey Jovan, Divorce Court, FOX

Whitney Kumar, Kevin Rasco, Sarah Rose & Judge Judy Sheindlin, Judy Justice, Amazon Prime Video [Amazon MGM Studios | Sox Entertainment]

Outstanding Daytime Special

Bob Newhart: A Legacy of LaughterAn Entertainment Tonight Special CBS

Dinner Party Diaries with José Andrés, Amazon Prime Video [Film 45 | Amazon MGM Studios | José Andrés Media]

WINNER: Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade, ABC [Film 45 | EverWonder Studio | Yellow Shoes Studio]

98th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, NBC [Silent House Productions]

Shelter Me: The Cancer Pioneers, PBS [Steven Latham Productions]

Outstanding Daytime Personality – Non-Daily

WINNER: Sir David Attenborough, Secret Lives of Orangutans, Netflix [Silverback Films]

Brad Bestelink, Living With Leopards, Netflix [Wild Space | Natural History Film Unit Botswana | Freeborne Media | Netflix]

Andi Sweeney Blanco, Courtney Dober, Rob North & Kirin Stone, The Fixers, BYUtv

Anthony Mackie, Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast, National Geographic [Nutopia]

Martha Stewart, Martha Gardens, Roku [Marquee Brands]

Outstanding Culinary Instructional Series

Be My Guest With Ina Garten, Food Network [Pacific Productions]

WINNER: Delicious Miss Brown, Food Network

Emeril Cooks, Roku [Marquee Brands]

Lidia’s Kitchen, PBS [Tavola Productions]

Selena + Restaurant, Food Network [July Moon Productions | Sony Pictures Television’s The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC)]

Outstanding Culinary Cultural Series

BBQ High, Magnolia Network [Hit + Run]

WINNER: Chasing Flavor With Carla Hall, HBO | Max [Max | Fremantle’s Original Productions]

Ingrediente: Mexico, Amazon Prime Video

TrueSouth, ESPN | ABC | SEC Network [Bluefoot Entertainment]

Outstanding Culinary Host

WINNER: Kardea Brown, Delicious Miss Brown, Food Network

Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Network [Blind Nil]

Ina Garten, Be My Guest With Ina Garten, Food Network

Emeril Lagasse, Emeril Cooks, Roku [Marquee Brands]

Michael Symon, Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out, Food Network

Lowell is embarking on a new creative partnership with Universal Music Canada.

The Canadian songwriter and producer, born Elizabeth Lowell Boland, has struck up a strategic collaboration with the major label, fusing her creative knowledge and hitmaking prowess with UMC’s A&R team.

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Lowell is a proven powerhouse in the music industry, working with artists like pop it-girls Beyoncé, Charli XCX, Tate McRae and homegrown talent including The Beaches, Lu Kala, Sofia Camara and more. From producing to writing to A&R, Lowell has a skilled hand in artist development.

Lowell was a part of the Grammy-nominated songwriting behind Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter hits “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “Bodyguard,” and she helped pen Camara’s charting hit “Girls Like You,” which has made waves across the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and Billboard Canada airplay charts.

“Universal Music Canada and I have been unofficially working together all the way back to our joint work with bülow, and more recently, Valley, Sofia Camara, and more. I’m so excited to be able to be even more involved with the team and all their amazing artists,” says Lowell.

In this new partnership, Lowell will work alongside UMC’s A&R team, led by Amanda Kingsland and Shawn Marino, who were named co-heads of A&R this year.

“Her remarkable success as a songwriter and her ability to craft global hits speak volumes, but more than that, Lowell has an exceptional gift for finding and nurturing talent while helping artists grow into their best selves,” shares Kingsland.

UMC’s president & CEO Julie Adam (and Billboard Canada Women in Music Executive of the Year) emphasizes the label’s renewed mandate to sign, develop and elevate the next generation of Canadian artists globally.

“Lowell is a creative force,” says Adam. “Her incredible passion and fearless approach to music make her one of one. We exist to help artists achieve artistic and commercial success on a global stage out of Canada, and we are so excited, and grateful Lowell is joining us to supercharge that mission.”

Lowell echoes a similar sentiment, detailing her excitement to work with Adam, calling them “kindred spirits,” as she embarks on this new journey.

“I have so much respect for her, not only what she has already achieved in a short time in her position but what I know she will do moving forward,” she shared. “She has quickly shown me her uniquely immense respect for creatives, and in thinking outside of the box, which is imperative in this rapidly changing industry. Her willingness to grow and learn even from the top inspires me.”

Read more here. — Heather Taylor-Singh

MGK To Headline Grey Cup Halftime Show in Winnipeg

Mgk is headed to Winnipeg.

The rapper and singer will headline this year’s Grey Cup halftime show at Princess Auto Stadium on Nov. 16, the Canadian Football League (CFL) has announced.

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The Grammy-nominated hitmaker, born Colson Baker, is known for defying boundaries and crossing genres to reach fans of hip-hop, pop, rock and alternative — making him a prime performer for the football crowd. Mgk’s work has been a success on the charts, with his most recent album, Lost Americana, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart.

“Canada has some of the best fans, so I’m excited to play the Grey Cup halftime show and to see some epic Canadian football,” the singer said in a statement.

While the CFL’s flagship game often includes Canadian performers, the last few years have seen American artists take the stage for halftime. Last year, the Jonas Brothers headlined the halftime show at the Grey Cup in Vancouver, while Green Day played the year before.

It’s clear Mgk has an affinity for Canada. In August, he played a surprise show at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern, debuting a couple of unreleased tracks before his seventh studio album came out.

Following his Grey Cup halftime show performance, Mgk kicks off his highly anticipated Lost Americana Tour in support of his seventh studio album of the same name, with stops in Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Billboard Canada Women in Music Global Rising Star Julia Wolf will join for select dates.

Joining Mgk as Grey Cup performers are Canadian alt-rockers Our Lady Peace, who are opening the festivities at the Grey Cup kickoff show, and emerging singer Catie St. Germain, who will perform the national anthem.

“We’re delivering a remarkable sound and atmosphere that will match the world-class action and entertainment on the field,” said CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston in a statement. “An iconic Canadian band to kick things off, a powerful Manitoban voice to honour our anthem and a rising megastar to electrify halftime. It’s going to be a show as unforgettable as the game itself!”

Read more here. — HTS

Canadian Music Organizations Raise Concerns About Artificial Intelligence at the House of Commons

Music industry stakeholders are speaking up about AI before the Canadian House of Commons.

On Wednesday, Oct. 8, representatives from some major music industry groups (SOCAN, Music Publishers Canada and Music Canada) appeared before the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, which is studying the effects of technological advances in artificial intelligence on the creative industries.

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The committee is talking to many groups in the cultural and creative industries, but it is an especially hot topic within music, where the use of AI has exploded at a rapid rate.

One of the people who spoke in Ottawa was Music Publishers Canada (MPC) CEO Margaret McGuffin.

“The committee was very interested in hearing our perspectives,” she tells Billboard Canada. “Nearly every song ever written by a Canadian songwriter has already been scraped and stolen by these AI companies without consent, credit or compensation. Imagine that someone accessed your paycheque without permission and that this behaviour was normalized. This is an important issue for creators and businesses in the creative industries and it is wonderful that the Heritage Committee is listening.”

SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown also spoke at the hearings. Along with MPC, the organization has major concern for fair compensation and royalties for rightsholders.

“The Standing Committee engaged in a good dialogue with the witnesses,” says Andrea Kokonis, SOCAN chief legal officer and general counsel.  “Jennifer Brown reinforced the importance of a healthy licensing market, as well as SOCAN’s long-standing expertise in licensing and royalty distribution — across every new technology that’s reshaped the music industry — positioning us to help ensure fair, practical solutions for both creators and AI companies.”

To McGuffin and MPC, the current situation is alarming.

“Unfortunately, the music industry has seen mass theft of copyright-protected songs by AI companies, both on the input side — for the purpose of training AI models — and output side — the development and publication of unlicensed generative AI models.”

“This poses serious risks for Canada’s creators and the companies that invest in them. To derive fair value for the use of this copyrighted material, the music publishing industry routinely grants licences to technology companies. AI developers should be no different. The emerging market for licensing music to AI developers should be encouraged, including by requiring AI companies to disclose and maintain records of all their training data,” she explains.

Read more here. — Kerry Doole

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Waylon Jennings notches his first top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart with the debut of the from-the-vaults collection Songbird. The set flies in at No. No. 6 on Top Album Sales (dated Oct. 18), while also entering the top 10 on four more charts: Top Current Album Sales (No. 6), Indie Store Album Sales (No. 7), Americana/Folk Albums (No. 8) and Vinyl Albums (No. 9). It also starts at No. 17 on Top Country Albums, No. 18 on Independent Albums and No. 116 on the all-genre Billboard 200.

Songbird was compiled and mixed by Waylon’s son Shooter Jennings, and consists of previously unheard recordings by Waylon produced between 1973-84. Songbird is the first of a trio of previously unheard albums from Waylon.

Waylon Jennings died in 2002 after a stellar career on the charts, including 16 No. 1s on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs ranking, and 11 No. 1s on Top Country Albums.

Songbird marks Waylon’s first top 10 on the 34-year-old Top Album Sales chart, as it starts at No. 6 with nearly 9,000 copies sold in the United States in the week ending Oct. 9, according to Luminate.

Songbird is one of three debuts in the top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, where Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl storms in at No. 1 with 3,479,500 copies sold (the largest sales week for an album in the modern era, since Luminate began tracking data in 1991). Stray Kids’ former No. 1 KARMA rises 5-2, the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack steps 4-3, Sabrina Carpenter’s chart-topping Man’s Best Friend climbs 10-4, AFI’s Silver Bleeds the Black Sun debuts at No. 5 (nearly 10,000; marking the fourth top 10 for the act), P1Harmony’s EX falls 2-7 in its second week, KATSEYE’s Beautiful Chaos jumps 16-8, Cardi B’s AM I THE DRAMA? is a non-mover at No. 9 and Mariah Carey’s Here for It All falls 1-10 in its second week.

Slipknot says a cyber-squatter has been using the URL slipknot.com to advertise counterfeit merchandise for more than two decades — and the heavy metal band is now waging a legal battle in pursuit of the domain name.

A federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday (Oct. 15) alleges that an anonymous web operator has held the domain slipknot.com since 2001. Unable to use this domain for Slipknot’s official website, the famously masked metal band hosts its store on the clunkier URL slipknot1.com.

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Little is known about the slipknot.com cyber-squatter, other than the fact that they own a post office box in the Cayman Islands. The band, which has been recording music and touring since the 1990s, says this individual clearly had bad intentions from the outset.

“The domain name was registered in an effort to profit off of plaintiff’s goodwill and to trick unsuspecting visitors — under the impression they are visiting a website owned, operated or affiliated with plaintiff — into clicking on web searches and other sponsored links,” writes Slipknot’s lawyer Craig Reilly.

The lawsuit claims slipknot.com hosts pay-for-click advertising that directs users to counterfeit Slipknot merchandise, including versions of the band’s signature masks, t-shirts and sweatshirts emblazoned with the band’s trademarks. These sponsored links hurt sales of official Slipknot merch, the band alleges.

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“A fan of plaintiff or someone who otherwise wanted to purchase authorized Slipknot merchandise would undoubtedly visit the slipknot.com website assuming it belonged to plaintiff and then purchase the slipknot merchandise linked to on the site, causing damages to plaintiff,” writes Reilly.

Slipknot is now bringing claims under the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, a 1999 federal statute that created a pathway for individuals to reclaim domain names through litigation. They’re asking a judge to enter an injunction giving them ownership of slipknot.com.

The case also accuses slipknot.com’s unknown site operator of trademark infringement and unfair competition. Slipknot is seeking unspecified financial damages in addition to an injunction.

A Slipknot rep did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday (Oct. 17).

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Sebastian Zar, an attorney whose clients included Post Malone, died suddenly on Sunday (Oct. 12). He was 36.

The New York-based Zar worked for Theo Sedlmayr & Associates. “We’re received an outpouring of messages from people in our industry sharing their thoughts about Sebastian,” Sedlmayr told Billboard. I like to believe that’s because he was a kindred spirit to many, passionate about supporting creators of music in all its forms. He’ll be deeply missed by everyone whose lives were touched by his positive energy.”

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In 2018, Billboard highlighted Zar, who grew up in Great Neck, N.Y.,  as a “rising star” — one of five industry executives still in their 20s but already making an impact. At the time, Billboard wrote: “While at Syracuse University School of Law, Zar began managing artists. At 26, he started his own law firm. He has since landed at Sedlmayr, where his clients include Post Malone and Pusha T.”  Zar told Billboard of his desire to meet whatever his clients needed: “In the streaming age, a lot of these young artists don’t want a label deal,” says Zar. “I’m willing to put on as many hats as necessary to get them to where they want to be.” 

Range Media Partners’ Matt Graham, who had known Zar for nearly 20 years, says the late attorney made an instant impression. “Sebastian’s hustle, commitment and constant desire to find the next great artist was apparent from the day I hired him as an intern 17 years ago and that fire was never extinguished,” he tells Billboard in a statement. “I loved him for his confidence and for staying present in my life and the lives of everyone he cared about. He never let too much time pass without catching up. I’m gutted to lose him as a friend and little brother, and we are all worse off in the music industry without him advocating on behalf of the artists he loved so much.” Zar worked with Range as outside counsel.

Like Graham, Universal Music Publishing Group chairman and CEO Jody Gerson had known Zar for years, first becoming aware of him through her son. “My son Julian followed Sebastian’s music blog, Watch My Ego, when he was in high school. He reached out to Sebastian, and the two quickly bonded over their shared love of music and discovering new artists,” Gerson tells Billboard. “Later, Sebastian told Julian he was applying to law school and hoped to practice entertainment law. He asked if I might write him a letter of recommendation, and after getting to know him better, I was more than happy to do it. I was thrilled when he called to say he’d been accepted — and even more thrilled years later when Theo Sedlmayr took a chance on him and brought him into the firm. Sebastian was a truly special person, and he has left us far too soon.

“I am deeply saddened by his passing and send my heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones,” Gerson continues. “His parents should be so proud. Sebastian was a beautiful and kind person — a wonderful attorney, and at his core, a genuine music fan. We will miss him dearly.”

Zar is survived by his siblings, James Zar and Kimberly Bloorian.

Taylor Swift’s The Life Of A Showgirl isn’t moving from the spotlight on the ARIA Charts.

After snagging the entire top 12 of the national singles chart last week, Taylor dominates once again with eight of the top 10, with The Fate Of Ophelia locking up top spot for a second week.

Meanwhile, The Life Of A Showgirl enters a second week at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, as Swift completes another chart double.

Across her career, Swift has accumulated 70 weeks on top of the national albums survey, according to ARIA, an accomplishment that has origins dating back in 2010 with Speak Now, which spent one week at the top.

The top new release on the latest ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, Oct. 17, is Pete Murray’s Longing, at No. 5. Longing is the Queensland singer and songwriter’s seventh full-length studio album and first in eight years, three of which reached No. 1 (Feeler in 2003, See The Sun in 2005, Summer At Eureka in 2008).

Another artist from the Sunshine State, Gold Coast singer, songwriter and producer Lyric, bags a debut 10 appearance with her second EP, The Art Of Falling First. It’s new at No. 9, and is one of eight homegrown titles on the survey.

Beloved Indigenous artist Baker Boy bags a top 20 appearance with his sophomore album, DJANDJAY, new at No. 13. The winner of six ARIA Awards and the recipient of the Young Australian of the Year in 2019, Baker Boy (real name: Danzal Baker) dropped his debut album Gela in 2021, for a No. 3 best.

Meanwhile, former Noiseworks and INXS frontman Jon Stevens snags a top 40 debut  with his 11th solo album, Shimmer. It’s new at No. 30. With Stevens on the mic, Noiseworks scored four top 10 albums, topping the tally in 1991 with Love Versus Money.

Sheppard founding member Amy Sheppard drops in at No. 45 with her debut full-length album, Born To Be Country. The Brisbane artist enjoyed a No. 16 peak with her 2022 EP Nothing But Wild, and landed four top 10 albums with Sheppard, including a No. 1 with 2018’s Watching The Sky.

Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, the highest new entry belongs to BLACKPINK’s Jisoo and former One Direction singer Zayn, as their collaboration “Eyes Closed” opens at No. 47. No Australian titles appear in the top 50.

All Time Low notch up double digits with Everyone’s Talking!, which arrives today, Oct. 17, through the alternative rock veterans’ own label Basement Noise Records.

Everyone’s Talking! is the 10th full-length studio LP from the Maryland quartet, comprising Alex Gaskarth, Jack Barakat, Rian Dawson and Zack Merrick, and features the previously-released “Sugar,” a collaboration with Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter JoJo, and the first single “Suckerpunch.”

All Time Low have landed 10 titles on the Billboard 200 chart, including five top 10 appearances. All told, the rockers have racked up 5 billion career streams, and led Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart with “Sleepwalking” (in 2023) and “Monsters,” featuring blackbear, the latter logging 18 weeks at the summit in 2020-21.

All Time Low has been roadtesting new material on their 30-plus-date Everyone’s Talking! Tour, which kicked off earlier this month and endured a hiccup earlier this week when the band skipped shows at Red Rocks and Seattle when frontman Gaskarth was sidelined with a throat infection.

Gaskarth has been cleared to continue on the tour, reads a statement (though he’s being “extremely mindful of his voice”) and fans are invited to celebrate the new LP with a free concert today, Oct. 17 at The Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas, ahead of the band’s spot at the When We Were Young Festival this weekend.

In the closing weeks of 2025, All Time Low will head Down Under for the 2025 Good Things Festival, a three-date east coast run of Australia featuring the likes of Tool, Weezer and Garbage. The U.K. and Europe beckon in 2026, when All Time Low will embark on a stretch of headline arena shows starting Jan. 20 in Glasgow, Scotland, and visiting London, Paris, Prague, Barcelona and elsewhere.

Everyone’s Talking! is issued in partnership with Photo Finish Records/Virgin Music Group. Stream it in full below.