It’s not often that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson isn’t the most famous person in the room, but that was the case on Sunday during the 2023 Grammys. Attendees includes Beyoncé, Taylor Swift (who worked with the wrestler-turned-actor for her “The Man” music video), Bad Bunny, and Adele. “Someone that I’ve never met that I think I would actually cry is The Rock,” the “Easy on Me” singer once admitted. Her wish came true at the Grammys, providing one of the night’s more delightful moments.
Johnson told Variety how he pulled off the surprise.
“We wanted to do something special for Adele,” he said. “I know that she is a very big fan of mine and has made that clear publicly many times. But I’ve got to tell you, I am a huge fan of hers, as well — her music, her journey, her openness and directness in how she speaks. I’ve always admired that about her.” The Rock went to “great lengths to make sure that Adele was authentically surprised in the moment, and she was.” He also called Adele “a special iconic brilliant inspiring artist who has inspired a generation and who will continue to inspire generations to come. I love that woman.”
If she slips a bottle of Teremana into her next music video, he’ll love her even more.
Being a good award show means juggling a lot of different responsibilities. As three-time Grammys host Trevor Noah put it tonight, in addition to keeping the show moving along and keeping the crowd entertained with riffs between segments, he’s got to know stuff about the audience. Stuff like how much LL Cool J loves breakfast cereal (or so he says).
But not only did Noah have to keep that information handy, but he also got to put it to good use. Noting that pop star Adele is a huge fan of actor Dwayne Johnson but has never met him, Trevor joked that he didn’t have Dwayne Johnson waiting in the wings to pop out on her — but he did have “The Rock,” Johnson’s wrestling alter ego.
It was a pretty sweet — and funny — moment, as Adele is clearly overjoyed to meet her Hollywood hero, popping up to get a nice hug from him. Naturally, fans watching and tweeting along on Twitter all had the same joke about poor Rich Paul, who has been dating Adele since at least the summer of 2021.
Ahead of tonight’s 65th Grammy Awards, the celebrity seating plan has been unveiled. As TMZ reports, both CBS and the Recording Academy have posted photos and videos of the show’s table placements. Some of them find happy (and heavily nominated) couples sitting together as expected. Other pairings are more out of the box, and sure to make for some interesting conversations.
They’re not a married pair, but they have created scores of incredible music together and separately over the years. This is likely why Taylor Swift and producer Jack Antonoff landed beside one another tonight. Elsewhere, Beyoncé and Jay-Z will be keeping each other company – when the mother of three isn’t on stage accepting awards, that is.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé attend the Pre-GRAMMY Gala and GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Sean “Diddy” Combs on January 25, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
On the less expected side are Cardi B and John Legend, as well as LL Cool J and Shania Twain. The formerly mentioned artists each have multiple children (the R&B star just welcomed his third with his wife Chrissy Teigen) which may give them something to talk about. The latter duo, however, may have a more difficult time making conversation.
A seating arrangement that we’re certainly happy to see is Lizzo and Adele. Both singers have previously gushed about the love they have for each other. Their reactions to tonight’s antics are sure to be meme-worthy. Other stars and their table partners include Viola Davis and Queen Latifah, Black Thought and Chris Stapleton, and finally, Chuck D and Flavor Flav.
Interestingly, some others were sitting by themselves on the floor plan. Among them are Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo, and Ice T. Of course, this is all subject to change before the cameras begin rolling tonight.
The seating for the ceremony is certainly interesting. However, what’s really got the internet talking is the rumoured contents of 2023’s gift bag. Attendees are allegedly taking home upwards of $60,000 in luxury prizes following the show, including a gift card for liposuction. According to Page Six, other items on the list are a Bugaboo Fox 3 Stroller for any expecting parents, plus an exclusive pair of TurboFlex sunglasses.
Miage skincare worth over $500, a robotic cleaner, and a $325 ReFa shower are also in the package. Overall, the swag bag consists of more than 50 astounding items, making it almost as impressive as the performances are sure to be.
This year’s list of nominees and presenters is undeniably exciting. Of course, Beyoncé, Adele, and Kendrick Lamar came out on top with their impressive numbers. Several other artists are finally getting the flowers they deserve as well. Additionally, Cardi B, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Jill Biden are among those handing out the prestigious trophies tonight.
Read the full lists of famous faces were expecting to see here and here. Afterward, scroll to the comments to discuss which award you’re most excited to see be handed out, and to whom you think it’ll go.
Her Las Vegas residency is a huge hit, and Adele has shined from one performance to the next. The string of performances initially suffered a delay due to unforeseen circumstances, and it was something that a tearful Adele addressed in a social media post. With that all behind her, the singer may have recently hinted why she had previously pushed back her residency. She spoke about a health condition that causes extreme pain.
The Daily Star shared a blurry snippet of one of Adele’s recent shows where she discussed struggling with a condition that affects her sciatica. She slowly moved from one side of the stage to the other. “I have to waddle these days as I have really bad sciatica,” she told the crowd.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 18: Adele performs onstage during the “Weekends with Adele” Residency Opening at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on November 18, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for AD)
Sciatica pain can last days to weeks as the nerve which runs from the lower back downward may be compressed. People have felt numbing or sharp pains that could be felt in one’s back, legs, or feet.
In 2021, Adele revealed that she hurt her back after sneezing. The event caused her to suffer a slipped disc.
“I’ve been in pain with my back for, like, half of my life, really,” she said at the time. “It flares up, normally due to stress or from a stupid bit of posture.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 08: EDITORIAL USE ONLY Adele performs on stage during The BRIT Awards 2022 at The O2 Arena on February 08, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images )
Meanwhile, it seems Adele and her boyfriend Rich Paul’s romance has been heating up. The couple has faced several allegations of being on the brink of a breakup, but they’ve persevered through the rumors. There has also been gossip about these two potentially being engaged, and when asked, Adele didn’t bring much clarity.
Every #1 song on the Hot 100 in 2022: Easy On Me We Don’t Talk About Bruno Heat Waves As It Was First Class WAIT FOR U Jimmy Cooks About Damn Time BREAK MY SOUL Super Freaky Girl Bad Habit Unholy Anti-Hero All I Want for Christmas Is You
That brings us back to Carey. The 2022 “All I Want For Christmas” run began with the Hot 100 chart dated December 17 and is holding strong through this week. Which song will dethrone it in January and restart the cycle for 2023?
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
After nearly two years in a gridlocked pandemic, this year in music was all about paying homage to nostalgic acts. Pop icon Britney Spears made her triumphant return to music, as did Backstreet Boys. While rock band Blink-182 plans to make their return next year, No Doubt plans to do the same. Musicians weren’t the only ones feeling the throwback energy in the air. According to Billboard, consumers of music felt the same opting for vinyl album purchases in mass this year.
Data and insight company, Luminate, revealed that last week (ending on December 15) was the third-largest week for vinyl sales since 1991 — well that’s when the company began tracking the metrics. Of the albums released on vinyl this year, the company reported, A Charlie Brown Christmas, sold a total of 469,000 pieces of vinyl. Overall, this year’s official vinyl album sales total $39.659 million dollars (or 1.521 million units), a 3.5% increase since last year.
This is quite normal for the 1965 animated TV special, as the document outlines, A Charlie Brown Christmas is consistently among the top-selling holiday album on vinyl annually domestically. Other albums at the top album sales chart include Taylor Swift’s Midnights which currently sits at No. 1 for the eighth consecutive week (a record previously held by Adele’s 30) and Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak at No. 4.
But not all old music technology is being embraced. CD albums sale fell for the second consecutive year. The data should CD album sales only accounted for $33.822 million, which is down 11.3% compared to a year ago.
While performing at her Las Vegas residency show, Adele offered her boyfriend Rich Paul a romantic serenade for his birthday. The Grammy-winning songstress sang happy birthday to the famed sports agent along with the crowd, admitting that she loves him “more than life itself.”
Dressed in a strapless black gown, the “Easy On Me” singer asked her fans, “Can we wish him happy birthday?” adding “his name is Rich.” Adele then sang the classic birthday tune along with the crowd, helping bring in Paul’s 41st birthday.
The pair have been romantically linked since 2021, and have continued to grow their relationship since. Adele also finalized her divorce from ex-husband Simon Konecki that year, though they had split two years prior.
Gushing about her relationship with Paul, the “Someone Like You” singer recently told Elle, “I’ve never been in love like this. I’m obsessed with him.”
Adele shares one child with her ex-husband, while Paul has three kids. On whether she’d be open to having more in the future, the 34-year-old shared with the magazine, “I definitely want more kids. I’m a homemaker and I’m a matriarch, and a stable life helps me with my music.”
Los Angeles, CA – October 19: Singer Adele and sports agent Rich Paul attend a game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers on October 19, 2021 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images).
“But right now, all I got in my brain is Vegas. I wanna f**king nail it.” Adele then added.
Her “Weekends with Adele” residency show kicked off this past November, with the London-born singer’s set going until March 2023.
Singing hits like “Rolling in the Deep” and “Water Under The Bridge,” she is currently performing at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, a popular venue on the Las Vegas strip.
In a recent interview with The Fader, Bree shared a story of a time when she helped out another British superstar. Before fame, Bree worked at a children’s shoe store, however, she had desires to work for Louis Vuitton. So, she started dressing as if she worked for Louis Vuitton, and soon enough, she began pulling VIP clients. One of those was none other than Adele, who came into Bree’s store one day, presumably buying shoes for her son, Angelo.
“I literally blacked out,” Bree said. “I didn’t recognize her until she turned her face a certain way, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s Adele.’ I was just packaging the shoes, like, ‘I can’t breathe. It’s Adele.’ It was just me and her on the shop floor. I was like, [whispering] ‘Don’t say anything, it’s Adele, oh my God. Would you like a receipt? I mean, [loudly] would you like a receipt? [whispering] Did I say that out loud? Oh my God, it’s Adele.’ She was like, ‘Yes, love, I’m Adele. Can I have my shoes, please?’”
The power of manifestation eventually worked out for Bree, as she later ended up working for Louis Vuitton. Perhaps this means a collaboration with Adele may manifest in the future.
Yesterday, a video started making the rounds on Twitter, of a person grinding hard on a man at a nightclub, rubbing their backside on his crotch and straddling him with their leg. One tweet about the video in particular generated some attention, as it has racked up over 80,000 likes and says, “Adele is really for the people.”
Indeed, the person does look like Adele. That said, it is not. It has plenty of people fooled, though, apparently including the Twitter user who shared that tweet, as they later wrote, “Oh my God let me get my glasses.” Somebody else commented, “Lmao I stared at this video hard and long and it didn’t hit me until the very last minute that this in fact was not Adele.” Another user replied, “the way you really gaslighted my brain into seeing adele is crazy.”
So, who is it really? The answer is Kehlani, dancing with their makeup artist, Troye Antonio. The two actually have a habit of doing this, too: A couple months ago, a different video made the rounds, that time with Antonio as the one doing the grinding on Kehlani. Kehlani is also apparently just big on grinding, as they were recently spotted doing it with Letitia Wright.
(@BornAKang)