When football great Peyton Manning takes the stage at the 56th CMA Awards on Nov. 9 to co-host with Luke Bryan, he’ll join a small but impressive group of professional athletes who have co-hosted music awards shows.

Four other pro athletes – also football stars – have co-hosted music awards shows. Four of the five served as co-hosts of country music awards shows, which suggests a strong overlap between country fans and football fans.

This connection is also seen in the number of country stars who have been tapped to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl. The roster includes Charley Pride (1974), Garth Brooks (1993), Faith Hill (2000), The Chicks (2003, when they were still known as Dixie Chicks), Carrie Underwood (2010), Bryan (2017), Eric Church (2021, with Jazmine Sullivan) and Mickey Guyton (2022). Pride and Hill also sang “America the Beautiful” at the Super Bowl in 1974 and 2009, respectively. Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert sang that patriotic standard in 2012.

Country stars have also been tapped to sing the theme songs on weekly TV football programs. From 1989 to 2011, Hank Williams Jr. performed a version of his 1984 hit “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” (reworked as “All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night”) as the opening theme to ABC’s Monday Night Football. The song was dropped in 2011, but reinstated in 2017, with a new version by Williams Jr., Florida Georgia Line and Jason Derulo.

Hill sang “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night,” the theme from NBC Sunday Night Football, from 2007-12, before passing the ball to Underwood in 2013.

Other country artists also have a strong connection to football. Kenny Chesney had a No. 1 hit on Hot Country Songs in 2010 with “The Boys of Fall,” with lyrics about playing high school football. Tim McGraw has acted in two films in which football is a central theme: Friday Night Lights and The Blind Side.

Here are the five professional athletes who have co-hosted music awards shows. They are listed in reverse chronological order by the date of the show.

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After more than a decade off air, The Surreal Life is back, with a new crop of familiar faces. Tamar Braxton, Dennis Rodman, Frankie Muniz, August Alsina, Stormy Daniels, Kim Coles, CJ Perry and Manny MUA are included in the cast for season 7 premiering on VH1 at 9 p.m. ET on Monday (Oct. 24).

“The Surreal Life is known for bringing together some of the biggest names in pop culture and creating many unforgettable moments in reality television,” Nina L. Diaz, President of Content and Chief Creative Officer of MTV Entertainment Group said in a statement. “We are excited to see how this stellar celebrity cast will make captivating television for audiences everywhere.”

The Surreal Life: How to Watch Season 7 With & Without Cable

The Surreal Life will premiere on VH1 on Monday with back-to-back episodes starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. ET. If you already have cable or satellite, you can watch the show as soon as it premieres.

Cutting the cable cord? Watch The Surreal Life for free on platforms that provide live TV, such as Direct TV Stream, Fubo TV and Philo, all of which provide a free trial at sign up. To stream without a free trial, try Sling TV (currently discounted to less than $20/month) or Hulu + Live TV.

How to Watch The Surreal Life on Paramount+

The Surreal Life premiered in 2003 and ran for six consecutive seasons before wrapping in 2006. The first six seasons are streaming on Paramount+. The Surreal Life season 7 will likely be available to stream on Paramount+, although it’s unclear if the show will debut Monday or stream at a later date.

Paramount+ subscriptions start at $4.99/month (or $49.99/year) after a one-week free trial or $9.99/month ($99.99/year) for commercial-free streaming. The subscription includes thousands of TV episodes and must-watch movies, including Paramount+ Originals, NFL on CBS, and 24-hour news with CBSN.

There’s also a bundle plan with Showtime, students get a 25% discount, and Walmart+ customers get a free subscription to Paramount+.

Stream earlier seasons of The Surreal Life for free on Paramount+ or Prime Video. Watch a teaser from tonight’s premiere episode below.

The feathers were swaying and sequins were glittering at last night’s star-studded Wearable Art Gala, a benefit celebrating the 5th anniversary of WACO Theater Center, founded by co-artistic directors Tina Knowles-Lawson and Richard Lawson. Inspired by the aesthetics and Black excellence of the Harlem Renaissance era, the benefit is designed to support the company’s artistic and youth mentorship programs through a fine art auction.

“Each year we find a theme that connects us historically with our past,” Richard Lawson told THR. “[We explore] the evolution of African culture in the western world.” Previous themes have included The Lion King and Black Panther‘s Wakanda. But this year, 50,000 square feet of the Barker Hanger at Santa Monica Air Center were transformed into a full-blown Harlem experience. Guests arrived in vintage automobiles and 40-foot-tall backlit backdrops were designed to look like a set in Harlem featuring notable arts institutions like the Savoy Ballroom, Apollo Theater and the Cotton Club.

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“As Black people, we do things differently … everything is with flair,” Tina Knowles-Lawson said. “We are fashion. That’s such a big part of the gala and we wanted to create something where art can occur. We want everything to be art.”

Last night’s gala was hosted by Keke Palmer and was a musical affair with a live band on the red carpet, a traditional New Orleans “second line” parade and performances from people including Daytime Emmy Award winner Obba Babatundé. Other notable guests included Tyler Perry, singers Chloe and Halle Bailey, Vivica A. Fox, Lela Rochon, Marsai Martin (who donned an intricate, styrofoam floral headpiece), Lori Harvey, and Magic and Cookie Johnson.

Every member of Destiny’s Child was in attendance — Kelly Rowland stunned in a statement-making red gown, Beyoncé arrived in support of her mother with husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy — and Michelle Williams spoke to THR about the importance of arts mentorship for the youth. “Ms. Tina has been mentoring since I met her in the year 2000. This is what she does,” Williams shared. “Also, this is her favorite era, so when I saw this was the [theme], I knew this was going to be exciting.”

The genesis of WACO began as two separate efforts Knowles-Lawson and Lawson were pursuing individually, but ultimately married themselves to each other when the two came together as a couple in real life.

“I grew up with a mentor that I met when I was 14 and she changed the trajectory of my life by exposing me to the arts and to life in general, so I always wanted to have a community center where kids could come and meet with visual artists and performing artists and just have a place to hang out,” Knowles-Lawson said. “Also, when my kids were little there were two community centers in Houston that I used to take them to, where they really honed their skills and their performing confidence. So I know that it really changes kids’ lives when they have a place like that.”

Simultaneously, Lawson had built an acting school and theater, so “we just decided to join forces and open WACO,” Knowles-Lawson said.

“We both had the same intention in slightly different ways so it was just a natural thing for us to put this together because we were both operating in the space of being of service and developing and supporting and mentoring people,” Lawson said. “WACO is a theater where we have performing arts and have a mentorship program of 100 kids which is growing every year.”

Last night, guests understood the thematic assignment. ESPN correspondent Angela Rye channeled Dominique La Rue (played by Jasmine Guy) in Eddie Murphy’s Harlem Nights, wearing a red, floor-length dress. Rye, who is also the CEO of IMPACT Strategies — a political advocacy, social impact and racial equity firm based in Washington, D.C. — said that the arts can magnify political advocacy efforts in “remarkable ways.”

“Sometimes the only [mediums] that we have to really be able to tell our stories and to advocate in ways that people don’t see as violent is through art and through media,” she told THR. “We can confront issues that sometimes folks are too uncomfortable to touch through those forms.”

Issa Rae, whose multi-faceted Hoorae Media company develops content across the film, television, music and management industries, says that “building our institutions is what separates the now from what was.”

“When I think about previous renaissances, there were specific outlets we [participated in] that weren’t ours. So it was easy for them to wipe us out or say ‘that’s enough of that,’ but I think the more we own our institutions and platforms, the more we can own our voices and the more longevity we’ll have.”

Due to the proliferation of Black images and ownership in entertainment and media today, the Black community in Hollywood and Los Angeles, more broadly, is arguably in the midst of an artistic renaissance. One that echoes Harlem’s a century ago. “I think at that time it was so especially revolutionary because it was a conscious effort to celebrate our art,” Rae says. “We’re constantly looking toward the past to inform the present. It’s just important for us to champion ourselves.”

To that end, Angela Bassett was honored with last night’s Film & TV Icon Award. “I am completely and utterly humbled,” the award-winning actress told THR. “Because what you endeavor to do is to work hard … so to be able to do that and then to be appreciated and supported at this moment for your body of work is very exciting.”

This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.

Taylor Swift‘s new album Midnights has topped this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Oct. 21) on Billboard, choosing Midnights as their favorite new music release of the past week.

Swift’s latest release brought in more than 66% of the vote, beating out new music by Carly Rae Jepsen, Shakira and Ozuna, Arctic Monkeys and more.

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As of Saturday (Oct. 22), Midnights was off to a record-breaking start in sales in the U.S. after its first day of release. According to initial reports, the album has sold more than 800,000 copies in the U.S. through its first day across all available formats. It has already logged the largest sales week for any album since 2017, is the top-selling album of 2022 year-to-date, and has set a modern-era record for single-week vinyl album sales. (See the full update here.)

The 13-track album arrived with a “chaotic” bonus at 3 a,m.: The 3am Edition of the album gave fans seven additional new songs.

“Surprise!” Swift wrote. “I think of Midnights as a complete concept album, with those 13 songs forming a full picture of the intensities of that mystifying, mad hour. However! There were other songs we wrote on our journey to find that magic 13.”

Trailing behind Swift’s Midnights treasure trove on the fan-voted poll is Carly Rae Jepsen’s The Loneliest Time album, with 16% of the vote, and Shakira & Ozuna’s track “Monotonía,” with 8% of the vote.

See the final results of this week’s poll below.

Through three albums of guitar-driven, melodic ear candy, Soccer Mommy has reveled in the sounds of ‘90s indie rock. So it was no surprise the band was chosen to perform at Pavements 1933 to 2022, the indie rock legend Pavement‘s pop-up museum in New York City that ran from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 and will be displayed permanently in the band’s hometown of Stockton, California. 

“It was really fun,” Sophie Allison, a.k.a. Soccer Mommy, tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast. “I mean, it was it was something that we were dying to do, honestly, because me and all the people in my live band love Pavement.” Allison and her band covered three songs at the Oct. 1 performance: “Here,” “Gold Soundz” and “Spit on a Stranger.”  

Although many Soccer Mommy fans weren’t born when Pavement broke up in 1999, the song “Here,” from Pavement’s 1992 album Slanted and Enchanted, got a good reaction at the Glasgow, Scotland, concert that concluded the European tour in support of Soccer Mommy’s latest album, the critically acclaimed Sometimes, Forever. “I said I was gonna play a Pavement song and everyone was really excited,” says Allison of the audience’s reaction. The band reunited in 2010 and again in 2022 for U.S. and European tours. “I think that people from my audience do really like [Pavement]. I think they’re specifically really a band that has had this huge renaissance like 20 years after [breaking up]. Even when I was in high school, everybody loved Pavement.” 

Earlier this year, Allison branched out into podcasts when Soccer Mommy scored the music for We Were Three, a podcast series by the New York Times and Serial Productions. “I’ve always been really interested in in the idea of getting to score something but I’m usually so focused either with touring or, you know, writing new songs for a record and recording,” says Allison. Finding herself with free time this summer, Allison says she enjoyed the process of writing music intended for background accompaniment – featuring guitar, bass, drums and synthesizer – to the spoken word rather than her own lyrics. “It was really fun getting to write music that I didn’t then have to write a chorus for and lyrics and a hook.”  

Now home in Nashville after performing more than 50 concerts in 2022, Allison is working on material for the follow-up to Sometimes, Forever. “I don’t have anything done. But I just want to keep keep working on new songs. If anything else comes up that’s exciting, I’ll definitely try to do it. But in the meantime, [I’m focused on] just touring and working on writing new songs.” 

You can listen to the entire interview with Soccer Mommy at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Amazon Music, Audible or Stitcher

Las Vegas’ When We Were Young Festival has Hayley Williams reflecting on the music scene that she grew up in with Paramore.

Paramore is set to take the stage at Las Vegas Festival Grounds on Sunday night (Oct. 23) after Saturday, the opening day of the festival, saw the fest’s lineup canceled due to high winds. On the bill alongside Paramore this weekend are My Chemical Romance, Bring Me the Horizon, Bright Eyes, Avril Lavigne, Taking Back Sunday, Jimmy Eat World and more.

“To grow up in this scene was not a simple thing,” Williams wrote in a lengthy letter posted on Instagram Stories Sunday. “To be celebrating it (and to be celebrated by it) is not a simple thing. Nothing about this life — for you, me, or anyone — is simple. We fell in love with this subset of post-punk and hardcore likely because nothing else moved us. We didn’t fit in other places.”

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“To be a young girl in love with this scene was to have the hope that I might find my own way to belong. It took years to find that belonging. It’s taken a lot of unlearning. A lot of untangling knots I didn’t even know were there. What I did know was that for every ‘Take off your top!’ or snarky punkzine review … For every dramatic headline pinned on my name, or any season of self-doubt … No one was going to define Paramore but Paramore,” she said.

“Nearly 20 years later, we find ourselves a pillar of the very scene that threatened to reject us. And me,” said Williams.

She wrote, “I do my best to stay humble. What good is a bloated ego? But beyond the intense devotion of Paramore fans around the world, the reason we made it this far is us. What I really mean to say is — we never banked on trends. Or nostalgia. Or even me, alone. We only did exactly what we knew was real for us. (And sure, I leaned into spite as needed.)”

“Tonight, while we’re running through the lengths of our discography and I’m refraining from singing the word “whore,” know that, inside, I’m celebrating the fact that, as a scene, we’ve come a long way,” Williams noted. “With much further to go. F— the ones who doubted! Hugs to the ones who watched on and even sort of believed. Young girls, queer kids, and anybody of any color … We have shifted this scene together, messily, angrily, heartbroken, and determined. Tonight, for me at least, is about celebrating all the facets of what punk music actually represents. All the things it wasn’t allowed to be when we were young. Can’t wait to see everyone tonight.”

Following Paramore’s headlining slots at When We Were Young Festival, the group will continue on its fall tour. See their currently scheduled dates here.

Lil Baby lands his third No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Oct. 29) as It’s Only Me debuts atop the tally. The set earned 216,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 20, according to Luminate. It also claims the third-largest streaming week for an album in 2022.

Lil Baby previously topped the list with The Voice of the Heroes (a collaborative set with Lil Durk in 2021) and My Turn (2020). The latter finished 2020 as Luminate’s most popular album of that year.

It’s Only Me was announced in early September and marks the rapper’s sixth top 10, all consecutive, on the Billboard 200.

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Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ second album of 2022, Return of the Dream Canteen, enters at No. 3; The 1975’s Being Funny in a Foreign Language starts at No. 7 and Bailey Zimmerman’s debut effort Leave the Light On bows at No. 9.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Oct. 29, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Oct. 25. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of It’s Only Me’s 216,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 209,000 (equaling 288.97 million on-demand officials streams of the set’s 23 tracks — the third-largest streaming week of 2022 for an album), album sales comprise 6,500 and TEA units comprise 500.

Bad Bunny’s former No. 1 Un Verano Sin Ti is a non-mover at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 72,000 equivalent album units earned (down 5%).

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ second album of 2022, Return of the Dream Canteen, debuts at No. 3 with 63,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 56,000 (it’s the top-selling album of the week, debuting at No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 7,000 and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. Return of the Dream Canteen follows the band’s chart-topping Unlimited Love, which debuted atop the list dated April 16.

Notably, on the Top Album Sales chart, the Peppers have scored a pair of No. 1s in 2022 (Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen) – making it the first group with two No. 1 rock albums on the chart in less than 12 months since 2005. That year, System of a Down doubled-up at No. 1 with Mezmerize and Hypnotize. (The Peppers have logged their two 2022 No. 1s six months and two weeks apart; System of a Down notched theirs in 2005 six months and a week apart.)

Return of the Dream Canteen marks the ninth top 10-charting album for Red Hot Chili Peppers on the Billboard 200. The album was led by the single “Tippa My Tongue,” which hit No. 1 on both the Rock & Alternative Airplay and Alternative Airplay charts. On the latter, it’s the 15th No. 1 for the group, extending its record for the most No. 1s in the chart’s history.

Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping Dangerous: The Double Album is stationary at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 (45,000 equivalent album units; down 2%), The Weeknd’s The Highlights is steady at No. 5 (40,000; down less than 1%) and Beyoncé’s former No. 1 Renaissance falls 3-6 (33,000; down 56%).

The 1975 collects its fourth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as the band’s new Being Funny in a Foreign Language bows at No. 7 with 32,500 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 19,500, SEA units comprise 13,000 (equaling 16.24 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 11 tracks) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The album was preceded by a pair of top 20-charting singles on the Alternative Airplay chart (“Part of the Band” and “I’m in Love With You”).

Harry Styles’ chart-topping Harry’s House falls 6-8 with 32,000 equivalent album units earned (down 5%).

Bailey Zimmerman’s debut effort Leave the Light On starts at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 with 32,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 27,000 (equaling 36.19 million on-demand official streams of the set’s nine tracks), album sales comprise 4,000 and TEA units comprise 1,000.

The singer-songwriter initially broke through on TikTok in 2020 and has already notched a trio of top 10-charting hits on the Hot Country Songs chart, all of which are included on Leave the Light On (“Fall in Love,” “Rock and a Hard Place” and “Where It Ends”). All three tracks have additionally reached the top 25 on the all-genre Streaming Songs chart, and the top five of the Country Streaming Songs chart (with “Rock and a Hard Place” hitting No. 1 in June).

Zach Bryan rounds out the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 as American Heartbreak falls 8-10 with 28,000 equivalent album units earned (up 1%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

When tourists and locals walk down Calle Ocho and look up at the 40-foot tower atop Miami’s Tower Theater, many aren’t aware of its history, how for decades it has … Click to Continue »

Stacey Abrams held up a “my body, my choice” sign on stage as Latto performed “Pussy” in Atlanta Saturday night (Oct. 22).

The Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia took the stage at the State Farm Arena, where Latto was opening for Lizzo on The Special Tour. The message on the sign Abrams held high was echoed with a speech given to the crowd.

“I’m not gonna interrupt your fun. I just want to remind you that if you believe in my body, my choice, I need your vote,” Abrams said.

“I need your big energy,” she added. “Let’s get it!”

On Instagram, Abrams posted: “Thank you for sharing your stage with me, @latto777. Time to vote and protect a woman’s right to choose. StaceyAbrams.con/voting.”

Abrams debated with current Republican Governor Brian Kemp earlier this week, as early voting commenced.

“This is a governor who for the last four years has beat his chest but delivered very little for most Georgians,” she said, according to reporting by The Associated Press. “He’s weakened gun laws and flooded our streets. He’s weakened … women’s rights. He’s denied women the access to reproductive care. The most dangerous thing facing Georgia is four more years of Brian Kemp.”

Below, see a clip from Latto’s show shared by Abrams herself, as well as her speech which was captured by a fan at the show.

Madonna‘s 1992 album Erotica, released 30 years ago alongside her then-scandalous Sex coffee table book, paved the way for other female artists expressing their sexuality. Reflecting on that 30-year anniversary, Madonna shared her thoughts about the criticism she faced at the time of their release on Instagram Stories on Saturday (Oct. 22).

“30 years ago I published a book called S.E.X. In addition to photos of me naked there were photos of Men kissing Men, Woman kissing Woman and Me kissing everyone. I also wrote about my sexual fantasies and shared my point of view about sexuality in an ironic way,” she wrote.

“I spent the next few years being interviewed by narrow minded people who tried to shame me for empowering myself as a Woman,” Madonna continued in her note on Instagram. “I was called a whore, a witch, a heretic and the devil.”

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“Now Cardi B can sing about her WAP. Kim Kardashian can grace the cover of any magazine with her naked ass and Miley Cyrus can come in like a wrecking ball,” Madonna said. “You’re welcome b—-es.”

She then shared an interview clip circa 1992 in which she was paired up with an interviewer incredibly uncomfortable with Sex.

“What did you get out of it?” Madonna countered when asked if there was a message in the book.

“I got afraid,” he admitted.

“Why?” she asked, to which he replied, “I’d never seen the likes of it.”

“You have so,” she teased. “You’ve never read Playboy magazine, or Penthouse, or anything like that?”

“Yes,” he said, “But it was different with you. The picture of you astride the mirror, masturbating — I thought that was horrible. It just strikes me as horrible.”

“I think people’s reaction to specific situations in the book was much more a reflection of that person than me,” she pointed out. (The full video, which aired on 60 Minutes Australia in 1992, is up on YouTube.)

“Erotica,” the album’s first single, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Dance Club Songs chart. A remix of the song was included on Madonna’s recent collection Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones.

Rhino Records is releasing a limited-edition Erotica 12″ vinyl picture disc, featuring a toe-sucking photo from her Sex book, for the project’s 30th anniversary.