Pop

HBO’s ‘The Idol’ Has Another New Trailer With Even More Wild Scenes Featuring The Weeknd And Lily-Rose Depp

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While Succession has come to a final series close, HBO is starting a new one up to replace the Sunday night slot with the controversial series, The Idol. Ahead of the show’s June 4 premiere on the streaming service, there is also a new trailer to (hopefully) build some hype for it.

The show features Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp playing a boyfriend and a fictional pop star named Jocelyn.

“You’re the American dream,” Tesfaye says in the clip. “Rags to riches. Trailers to mansions. You are f*cking Jocelyn. Just be you.”

“Easy,” she responds. “I’ll just do that.”

The latest teaser then features scenes of her being critiqued about the backup dancers, recording in the studio, and hinting at some of the wild explicit scenes with Tesfaye. Just a few months ago, a Rolling Stone article alleged that the showrunner, Euphoria‘s Sam Levinson, had created some rough working conditions.

Then, after The Idol held its official premiere, it debuted with a 20% score on Rotten Tomatoes that later fell to the single digits. It now sits at 27%, but still. Variety also described it as a show that “seems calculated to fool audiences into thinking they’re observing how Hollywood operates, when so much of it amounts to tawdry clichés lifted from Sidney Sheldon novels and softcore porn.”

Check out the new trailer for HBO’s The Idol above.

Here Are The Glastonbury Festival Set Times For 2023

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The set times for Glastonbury Festival 2023 have been announced, nearly a month before the five-day festival is due to return to its home at Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset, England on June 21-25. This year’s headliners include Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses, and a special, farewell performance from national treasure Elton John. Further highlights of the event include Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Wizkid, Lana Del Rey, Queens Of The Stone Age, Kelis, Loyle Carner, Christine And The Queens, Phoenix, Fatboy Slim, Rick Astley, and more.

With eleven stages and related events taking place in the surrounding area beginning Wednesday before the festival proper, there is plenty to do for the weekend, and Glastonbury’s website has a full list of just about every official event/set on its website now. In addition to the main festival stages, a sidebar includes links to all of the venues hosting Glastonbury artists as the utterly sprawling festival takes over Pilton.

One artist who won’t be making an appearance is Slowthai, who was dropped from the lineup following news he’d been accused of sexual assault, while the festival’s organizers addressed the festival’s dearth of female headliners shortly after announcing the lineups this year. “We’re trying our best so the pipeline needs to be developed,” said co-organizer Emily Eavis. “This starts way back with the record companies, radio. I can shout as loud as I like but we need to get everyone on board. It’s top of our agenda, and it probably makes it a bit harder because we’ve decided to make that important to us. To be honest, sometimes it’s easier to keep your head down.”

For more information, you can visit Glastonbury’s site here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Beyoncé Is ‘So Proud’ Of Her ‘Sweet Angel’ Blue Ivy For Owning The ‘Renaissance World Tour’ Stage

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Beyoncé has been the subject of universal adoration for decades, and she’s using her Renaissance World Tour to share the love with others, from tributing Tina Knowles-Lawson on Mother’s Day and employing Natalia Bryant as an intern or literally sharing the stage with Blue Ivy, her 11-year-old daughter with Jay-Z.

Last Friday, May 26, the Renaissance World Tour hit Paris. Fan videos circulated online of Blue Ivy joining her mom and the Renaissance World Tour dancers on the Stade De France stage for “Black Parade” and “My Power.”

“Last night I saw my beautiful grandbaby (11) dance in the front of almost 70 thousand people ! She killed it and was as cool as a cucumber! Blue Ivy Carter [five red heart emojis] No Fear [two red heart emojis],” Tina Knowles-Lawson posted to Instagram over the weekend.

Beyoncé added to the praise on Monday, May 29, with her own Instagram post highlighting her daughter’s stellar moment.

“My beautiful first born [prayer hands emoji],” the all-time-most Grammy winner captioned her carousel. “I’m so proud and thankful to be your mama. You bring us so much joy, my sweet angel.”

The Renaissance World Tour is setting up shop at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for five shows, beginning Monday night. The other London concerts are scheduled for Tuesday, May 30; Thursday, June 1; Saturday, June 3; and Sunday, June 4. See all of Beyoncé’s upcoming dates here.

Taylor Swift Broke Down How Her And ‘New Favorite Artist’ Ice Spice Linking Up On ‘Karma’ Came To Be

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Taylor Swift‘s Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition) is out today. This new version of the album includes “Hits Different,” “Snow On The Beach” with more Lana Del Rey, and a “Karma” remix with Ice Spice.

In a new chat with Spotify, the “Anti-Hero” singer discussed how the unexpected collaboration with the “Munch” rapper happened. She reveals that she had been “listening to Ice Spice constantly” to prepare for The Eras Tour and calls Ice her “new favorite artist.”

She said:

“Collaborating with Ice Spice on ‘Karma’ was one of the most natural things. She reached out through her team just kind of saying, ‘Hey, you know, Ice has been a big fan of Taylor since she was a little kid. We’d love to collaborate if that was ever something that came about.’ And I had been listening to her nonstop like getting ready for my tour I was just listening to Ice Spice constantly. So I immediately got her number and said, ‘Hey, would you want to do your version of ‘Karma’? Do you relate to this? And so she jumped in headfirst and getting to know her has been so special because I’m blown away by her. She is — in my opinion — she is the one to watch. Just watching her work ethic and how thoughtfully she approaches her career — she’s like my new favorite artist and I’m so honored that she’s on the song. So, yeah, what a joy!”

It’s been a big past few days in terms of Ice Spice linking up with legends, as she’s also teaming up with Nicki Minaj for a new version of “Barbie Girl.”

The Stacked ‘Barbie’ Movie Soundtrack Will Feature Nicki Minaj, Dua Lipa, Lizzo, And Even Ryan Gosling

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The much-hyped Barbie movie is getting closer and closer, and as it does, we’re learning more about the film’s music. A Dua Lipa song for the soundtrack, “Dance The Night,” will be here in a matter of hours. Now, we know who else will be involved with the soundtrack.

As Rolling Stone revealed today, the project will feature Ava Max, Charli XCX, Dominic Fike, Dua Lipa, Fifty Fifty, Gayle, Haim, Ice Spice, Kali, Karol G, Khalid, The Kid Laroi, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, PinkPantheress, Ryan Gosling, and Tame Impala. That’s not even everybody, as more artists are set to be announced ahead of the project’s release. Mark Ronson is the album’s executive producer.

Gosling on the soundtrack may seem like a surprise to some, but it shouldn’t: Aside from all the singing he did in La La Land, his band Dead Man’s Bones put out a self-titled album in 2009 (and Cat Power covered one of their songs in 2021).

Beyond that, Minaj’s presence is also notable, since she’s long adopted a Barbie persona. Ava Max, meanwhile, previously sampled Aqua’s classic “Barbie Girl” on her own 2017 track, “Not Your Barbie Girl.”

The album is set for release on July 21, the same day the movie premieres.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Tina Turner, The ‘Queen Of Rock ‘N’ Roll,’ Is Dead At 83

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Tina Turner is dead at 83 years old. Reuters reports that according to her representative, the iconic musician died today (May 24). She died “peacefully” after a lengthy illness, at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland (near Zürich).

A post shared on Turner’s official Instagram page confirms the news. It reads, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner. With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow. Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music. All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you dearly.”

Turner first saw success with her music career in the 1960s and early ’70s, charting a number of albums and singles as part of Ike & Tina Turner. She later had a major career resurgence in the ’80s, landing her first No. 1 song with 1984’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It.” She’s commonly referred to as the “Queen Of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” has been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and has won eight Grammy Awards from 25 career nominations.

In her 2018 memoir My Love Story, Turner wrote about dealing with a number of serious health issues during the 2010s. In 2013, she suffered a stroke. She later had early-stage intestinal cancer, and in 2017, she received a kidney transplant from her second husband, Erwin Bach. A 2018 report from The Los Angeles Times noted, “These days, though, Turner, who encouraged people to sign up to be organ donors, undergoes immunosuppressant treatments to prevent her antibodies from attacking the new [kidney]. The side effects include dizziness, forgetfulness, anxiety, and spending more time in the hospital.”

The singer is the subject of a 2021 HBO documentary, Tina. In an interview from the film, Turner said, “Some people say the life that I’ve lived and the performances I gave… the appreciation is lasting with the people and I should be proud of that. I am. But when do you stop being proud? How do you bow out slowly — just go away?” Bach noted shortly after, “She said, ‘I’m going to America and I’m going to say goodbye to my American fans, and I’ll wrap it up.’ I think this documentary and the [musical] – this is it. It’s a closure.”

Ice Spice’s Good ‘Karma’ Landed Her A Feature On Taylor Swift’s New Remix That’s Dropping Soon

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How can she lose if she’s already chose? Following the release of her “Princess Diana” remix with Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice seems to be collecting A-list collaborators like Infinity Stones. Her latest collab comes in the form of a remix to “Karma,” the latest single from Taylor Swift‘s 10th studio album, Midnights.

Swift herself took to social media today (May 24) to confirm the news. The “Karma” remix will arrive this Friday, along with a special edition of Midnights called Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition).

“I’m a massive fan of this brilliant artist and after getting to know her I can confirm: she is THE ONE to watch,” said Swift in her Instagram post’s caption. “So delighted to say that Karma Featuring the incredible @icespice will be out TOMORROW night at MIDNIGHT ET as a part of the new Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition) deluxe album.”

Additionally, Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition) will feature a new version of “Snow On The Beach,” with more vocals from Lana Del Rey, as well as the song “Hits Different,” which was previously only available on the Target CD edition of Midnights.

Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition) is out 5/26 via Republic. Find more information here.

Early Reviews Of HBO’s ‘The Idol’ Have More ‘Softcore Porn’ Comparisons Than They Do Praise For The Show

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Yesterday (May 22), HBO’s upcoming series The Idol premiered at Cannes. Attendees got to view the first two of the upcoming six episodes of the Sam Levinson and The Weeknd-helmed series, which is set to premiere next month.

While anticipation is high for the series — which is said to tell the story of a pop star named Jocelyn (Lily Rose Depp) who falls in love with a cult leader named Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye) — the show appears to have been panned by critics. We’ll spare some of the more graphic details, but we’ve included portions of some of the reviews below.

Rolling Stone, who published an exposé about the show’s allegedly harsh production conditions, said that The Idol was even more scandalous than they imagined.

“The double-dose the festival screened felt nasty, brutish, much longer than it is, and way, way worse than you’d have anticipated,” read the review.

Variety described The Idol as a “sordid male fantasy” and said the show’s script “seems calculated to fool audiences into thinking they’re observing how Hollywood operates, when so much of it amounts to tawdry clichés lifted from Sidney Sheldon novels and softcore porn.”

The Hollywood Reporter called The Idol “an HBO series that’s more regressive than transgressive.”

Following the Cannes screening, the series has debuted with a 20 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Idol premieres on 6/4 on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.

Lupita Nyong’o Addressed The Rumors Than She And Janelle Monáe Used To Date: ‘I Was Not Surprised’

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Janelle Monáe and Lupita Nyong’o are great friends, so much so that there have been rumors the two dated each other. Now, speaking to Rolling Stone for a new feature on Monáe, Nyong’o talked about it.

“She has magnetism that they were obviously picking up on,” she said. “She is that enigmatic. People are curious about enigmatic people. I was not surprised. And I don’t mind being associated with her in any capacity.”

Nyong’o also spoke about first meeting Monáe at the Met Gala, following her breakout role in the 2013 movie 12 Years A Slave. She said, “This world is still extremely new to me and unbelievable. [Monáe] came up to me and just gave me the realest hug. I think we may have swayed to the music. She was just like, ‘I’m so proud of you, and just thank you for being you.’ […] At some point, [Monáe] asked me for my phone, put her number in, and said, ‘Let’s stay in touch.’ She was like, ‘I really mean it. If you need anything, I’m here for you.’”

She also said despite their friendship, she doesn’t necessarily feel like she truly knows Monáe: “Just because you’re a close friend of hers doesn’t mean you get to know everything about her. I think that’s what makes her interesting as an artist.”

Read the full feature here.

Janelle Monáe Has A Good Reason For Her Recent NSFW Moments: ‘I’m Much Happier When My Titties Are Out’

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Janelle Monáe has been one of the most talked-about pop culture figures in recent weeks, due largely to the skin-bearing rollout of her upcoming album, The Age Of Pleasure, and how it contrasts her previous style era, which featured her mostly covered up in suits. Now, Monáe has talked about what’s going on here.

In a new Rolling Stone feature, Monáe offered some succinct reasoning behind her skimpier outfits as of late, saying, “I’m much happier when my titties are out and I can run around free.”

The piece explores the regular parties Monáe hosts and opens with an anecdote about them showing their butt to their friends at one of them. Monáe said of how these events inspired “Lipstick Lover,” “I have a whole spreadsheet with 50 to almost 100 experiences that I had at this party. I’ve been a Lipstick Lover. I wear red lipsticks at the parties. I’ve had moments where if me and a girl or an energy want to engage, you’re going to see lipstick. […] I remember how it felt when I got kissed on my neck with red lipstick. I remember how I went to bed feeling. It was a deep rouge. It wasn’t matte. I remember the way the person looked. And I was like, ‘That’s a f*cking song.’”

Monáe also revealed that even when they were publicly more buttoned up, their lifestyle off-camera wasn’t necessarily that way: “Even when I was really, really wearing only suits, I was either in a suit or you would find me at my own parties naked. It was no in-between.”

Read the full feature here.

Janelle Monáe is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.