The start of 2023 could be an enormous run for Rihanna. With the Super Bowl performance already booked, Rihanna could soon be an Academy Award winner.
Rihanna is one of the multiple artists nominated for Best Original Song at the 95th annual Oscar awards. The nomination is for co-writing “Lift Me Up,” which was featured on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
According to Billboard, Rihanna is rumored to be a performer on the biggest night in Hollywood. The performance would make her the first person to perform at the Oscars and Super Bowl in the same calendar year since Phil Collins did the same in 2000.
Joining Rihanna as nominees are Lady Gaga, David Byrne, Ryan Lott, and more. You can see the full nominees for Best Original Song below.
Best Original Song
“Lift Me Up”; Music by Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, Rhianna, Tems; Lyric by Coogler and Tems; Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Studios
“This Is a Life”; Music by David Byrne, Ryan Lott, Mitski; Lyric by Lott and Byrne; Everything Everywhere All at Once, A24
“Naatu Naatu”; Lyric by Chandrabose, Music by M. M. Keeravani; RRR, Variance Films
“Applause”; Music and lyric by Diane Warren;Tell It Like a Woman, Samuel Goldwyn Films
“Hold My Hand”; Music and lyric by BloodPop (Michael Tucker) and Lady Gaga; Top Gun: Maverick, Paramount Pictures
Today (January 24), the nominees for the 95th Annual Academy Awards were unveiled live, and there were a ton of surprises. For the category of Best Original Song, there were five total nominations.
Most notably, Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earned Rihanna her first ever nod for an Oscar. The music was done by her, Tems, Ryan Coogler, and Ludwig Goransson.
“It’s her experience with loss in there, and her being a mother. She’s a new person now,” Coogler revealed to Collider about Rihanna’s impact on the song. “I hear it in her voice. It’s her, but it’s a new her.”
Lady Gaga also was a big-name nominee, as her “Hold My Hand” collaboration with Bloodpop from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack earned the Academy’s attention.
Rounding out the category, Diane Warren’s “Applause” from Tell It Like A Woman; M.M. Keeravaani and Chandrabose’s “Naatu Naatu” from RRR; and Ryan Lott, David Byrne, and Mitski’s “This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All At Once were nominated, too.
Just a few weeks ago, “Naatu Naatu” won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song, making it the possible frontrunner for the Oscars race as well. Fans in the Academy’s replies also seem intensely happy that the song got a nod.
The Oscars ceremony will be held on March 12 at 8 p.m. ET, where the winners — including for this category — are revealed live.
Continue scrolling for some fan reactions to the 2023 Best Original Song Oscar nominees.
Following yesterday’s (January 23) hilarious Razzie Award nominations announcement comes this roster of potential winners for the upcoming 95th Academy Awards. Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams had the honour of announcing the lengthy list his morning, and it looks like plenty of our favourites could be taking home trophies.
Rihanna attends Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever” Premiere at Dolby Theatre on October 26, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
“Look, Rihanna has given us a whole career and a whole catalog of music,” the songwriter said at the time. “And now she’s given us makeup and clothing, and I think the world would understand if she hung up her mic. I completely understand because I love her music so much, but I feel like she’s given all that you could ask for. But the truth is we were looking for a great artist who could tell the story of the film, embrace the themes of the film, and present them to the audience in a different packaging.”
He went on, “It was really the trailer, I think, when [Rihanna] saw the performances that everybody was putting down. That was what kind of put her over the edge and [made her] say, ‘Hey, I want to see this film. I want to see if I can figure this out.’ …But the truth is, once she played us the record, she said straight up, ‘I did this for Chad.’”
As PEOPLE reports, the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts, Bill Kramer, previously confirmed that all 23 categories will be announced during the live show. In the past, eight awards were cut due to time constraints and given out ahead of the ceremony, with pre-recorded acceptance speeches making it into the broadcast.
Jimmy Kimmel will be on hosting duty for the main event after successful stints in 2017 and 2018. The ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 12 at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre.
Of course, last year’s Academy Awards saw the unforgettable moment when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock. Due to the chaos that was caused, it’s unlikely we’ll see similar shenanigans play out this time.
Scroll further to read the full list of 2023 Oscar nominations, including Brendan Fraser, Angela Bassett, Rihanna, and Tems.
Best Picture
All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water The Banshees of Inisherin Elvis Everything Everywhere All at Once The Fabelmans Tár Top Gun: Maverick Triangle of Sadness Women Talking
Best Actor
Austin Butler (Elvis) Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin) Brendan Fraser (The Whale) Paul Mescal (Aftersun) Bill Nighy (Living)
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett (Tár) Ana de Armas (Blonde) Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie) Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans) Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Best Supporting Actor
Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin) Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway) Judd Hirsch (The Fabelmans) Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin) Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Best Supporting Actress
Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) Hong Chau (The Whale) Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin) Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once) Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Best Animated Film
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio Marcel the Shell with Shoes On Puss in Boots: The Last Wish The Sea Beast Turning Red
Best Director
Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin) Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once) Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans) Todd Field (Tár) Ruben Östlund (Triangle of Sadness)
Best Adapted Screenplay
All Quiet on the Western Front – Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Rian Johnson Living – Kazuo Ishiguro Top Gun: Maverick – Screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks Women Talking – Sarah Polley (based on the book by Miriam Toews)
Best Original Screenplay
The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh Everything Everywhere All at Once – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert The Fabelmans – Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner Tár – Todd Field Triangle of Sadness – Ruben Östlund
Best Cinematography
All Quiet on the Western Front Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths Elvis Empire of Light Tár
Best Film Editing
The Banshees of Inisherin Elvis Everything Everywhere All at Once Tár Top Gun: Maverick
Best Original Score
All Quiet on the Western Front Babylon The Banshees of Inisherin Everything Everywhere All at Once The Fabelmans
Best Original Song
“Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman (Music and Lyric by Diane Warren) “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick (Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga and BloodPop) “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; Lyric by Tems and Ryan Coogler) “Naatu Naatu” from RRR (Music by M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric by Chandrabose) “This Is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once (Music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; Lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne)
Best Visual Effects
All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water The Batman Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Top Gun: Maverick
Best Sound
All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water The Batman Elvis Top Gun: Maverick
Best Costume Design
Babylon Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Elvis Everything Everywhere All at Once Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
All Quiet on the Western Front The Batman Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Elvis The Whale
Best Production Design
All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water Babylon Elvis The Fabelmans
Best Documentary Feature
All That Breathes All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Fire of Love A House Made of Splinters Navalny
Best Documentary Short Subject
The Elephant Whisperers Haulout How Do You Measure a Year? The Martha Mitchell Effect Stranger at the Gate
Best Animated Short
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse The Flying Sailor Ice Merchants My Year of Dicks An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It
Best Live-Action Short
An Irish Goodbye Ivalu Le Pupille Night Ride The Red Suitcase
Best International Film
All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) Argentina, 1985 (Argentina) Close (Belgium) EO (Poland) The Quiet Girl (Ireland)
Do you think Rihanna will take home her first Oscar this year? Let us know who your early picks to win are down below, and check back later for more pop culture updates.
Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to people getting mad at him. Having said that, Smith learned this week that Dallas Cowboys fans tweeting their displeasure at him for saying the team will choke in the postseason has nothing on Rihanna fans getting mad at him for what he, assuredly, thought was a throwaway line on Sherri.
“I don’t wanna say I’m not excited,” Smith said. “She’s fantastic. That’s not where I’m going with this. Ladies and gentlemen, she’s a lot of things. She’s spectacular, actually. And congratulations on new-momma-hood. There’s one thing she’s not. She ain’t Beyoncé.”
Smith issued an apology over the whole thing, but it led to him getting repeatedly dragged, both on Twitter and, on Thursday night, by Leslie Jones as she guest hosted The Daily Show. Fast forward to Friday morning and Smith addressed the whole thing on First Take by having a bit of a meltdown.
Stephen A. Smith just lost it over his “ridiculous” Rihanna vs Beyoncé controversy pic.twitter.com/LtgEztVKxv
“It’s ridiculous,” Smith said. “This is the controversy here. All the stuff going on in the world, I’m being accused of Black-on-Black crime, because I happen to like one artist more than another. I mean, you got to be kidding me! I mean, handcuff me now! Put it behind my damn back! Y’all gotta be kidding me … Leslie Jones, I love you! Damn, I couldn’t wait to watch you on Comedy Central and she calling me out! Why?”
Smith went on to say that “I apologize to Rihanna, because this nonsense was not my intent. It was not necessary, it was all done in fun, me debating with Sherri Shepherd for fun, just having laughs. That’s all. Rihanna’s phenomenal, she’s fantastic.”
On Monday, Stephen A. Smith probably thought the lowest point in his career was having to publicly clarify that he has never had his ass eaten after insinuating as much while appearing on Jake Paul’s sports show (though most people would have stopped short of “appearing on Jake Paul’s sports show”). But that was before the fiery ESPN host messed with the Rihanna Navy — with Leslie Jones as their leader.
Jones guest-hosted Thursday’s episode of The Daily Show, where she called out Smith for his rather unenthusiastic response to the news that Rihanna will play this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. While appearing as a guest on Sherri, host Sherri Shepherd asked Smith whether he was excited that Riri would be performing at this year’s Super Bowl. His response was… disappointing.
“I don’t want to say I’m not excited. She’s fantastic,” Smith explained… then unfortunately added: “There’s one thing she’s not: She ain’t Beyoncé.”
Jones was NOT having it:
DUDE! NO! Why would you do this to yourself? You know what, Stephen A. Smith? You need to act like your hairline and back the f*** off!
Now, the good news is that he did apologize. The bad news is his apology.
Smith posted a video, which seemed to be shot in the back of an empty party bus, where he addressed Rihanna directly to let her know that she’s a “superstar” and “sensational.” Then came his sign-off: “Good luck, sweetie. Looking forward to see you perform.”
That’s when Jones lost it again: “Oh how DARE you call Rihanna ‘sweetie’! You calling her ‘sweetie’ like you know her. She don’t know you. But you know who she does know? Beyoncé!”
Stephen A. Smith might have no problem going toe to toe with athletes, current and former, but now he might have to take on Rihanna’s fan base.
The 55-year-old sports commentator recently shared his thoughts on Rihanna’s upcoming Super Bowl LVII performance while visiting Sherri Shepherd’s daytime talk show Sherri. While he said that he is excited about her performance, he made sure to stir the pot, saying that the Barbadian pop star is no Beyoncé.
“I don’t wanna say I’m not excited,” he said in response, with the ensuing moments including audible reactions from the audience. “She’s fantastic. That’s not where I’m going with this. Ladies and gentlemen, she’s a lot of things. She’s spectacular, actually. And congratulations on new-momma-hood. There’s one thing she’s not. She ain’t Beyoncé.”
He went on to elaborate on his statement, saying, “Hold on. … The only reason I brought up Beyoncé is because Beyoncé recently performed at the Super Bowl, with and without Bruno Mars and Coldplay,”
Sherri pushed back, saying that Beyoncé had her time, and now it’s Rihanna’s time to perform at a Super Bowl. Stephen A. Smith, however, applied Sherri’s argument to television, saying that Shepherd was in a league of her own and then there’s “everybody else.” Likewise, he believes that Beyoncé is in a league of her own, then there’s everybody else.
“Rihanna’s music is fantastic,” Smith said. “She’s great. She’s a sister. I love her dearly. I listen to her music. I’m gonna support her until the cows come home. I’m just telling you: for me, there’s Beyoncé and there’s everybody else. Just like there was Michael Jackson and there’s everybody else.”
You can watch Stephen A. Smith’s full remarks below.
ESPN’s Stephen Smith apologized after his interview on the Sherri Show with Sherri Shepherd where he said, “although Rihanna is great,” he didn’t think she could match Beyoncé’s 2016 Super Bowl show. Stephen A. Smith apologized to Rihanna after the backlash of comparing her to Beyoncé as Riri gears up to perform at this year’s […]
Stephen A. Smith might be a loudmouth with occasionally boneheaded opinions but he’s no fool. Just hours after risking the ire of two of music’s biggest fan bases, he’s already walking back his comments negatively comparing Rihanna to Beyoncé. In a video posted on his Twitter account, Stephen A. apologized to Rihanna and admitted that “I need to be more careful” in the future.
“I’m gonna own it,” he said, before tossing a little shade at the outlets that highlighted his faux pas. “I know what y’all trying to do. But I’m gonna own it because I get paid to speak for a living so I need to be more careful.” He then turned his attention to clearing the air with Rihanna, saying, “I want Rihanna to know: You’re a superstar. You’re sensational. You’re spectacular. You’re no joke, and you’re a worthy person to be doing the Super Bowl Halftime Show.”
He also elaborated on what he meant by “she ain’t Beyoncé.” “I’m a Beyoncé fan,” he explained. “I think Beyoncé is not only a phenomenal performer; she’s thee phenomenal performer. The only reason any kind of comparison came into play is because Beyoncé performed at the Super Bowl… and I thought those were two of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen. Anybody has to measure up to that.”
He also pointed out that he compared last year’s Dr. Dre performance with Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige to Beyoncé’s before going full Stephen A. and asserting that even a Michael Jackson reprise would have to measure up to her and… well. It’s Stephen A. Smith. You couldn’t have been expecting a totally contrite response.
Smith made sure to show love to both Bey and Rih before saying he wished no disrespect to either, encouraging Rihanna to “do your thing.”
The chatter about this year’s Super Bowl halftime show increases as we inch closer to Rihanna’s huge performance. The singer has been keenly focused on growing her Fenty brand into the billions. Despite the pushback she’s received for the delay in her next album, her fans are still excited about each new venture. A$AP Rocky recently spoke about the singer’s upcoming display and looks forward to the finished product.
“Oh, man. I’m just as excited as you guys, if not more,” Rocky told Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1. “Yeah, I’m super excited. This is as huge. This is incredible. I’m so glad that my lady’s back making music again and whatnot, and getting back out there.”
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 26: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky attend Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever” Premiere at Dolby Theatre on October 26, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
“It’s just incredible. Especially for both of us, it is a good year for both of us to be more active and be out there,” he also shared. “But the Super Bowl is huge, and her being the creative she is she going to bring it, man. I’m excited. I’m more excited than everybody else, honestly.”
Rocky and Rihanna welcome their baby boy in May 2022, and according to the rapper, fatherhood has significantly changed his life.
“It’s so unexplainable. It’s just one of those things. I’m a member of our club now, like the dad club,” Rocky said. “You see a dad, you see me. I’m playing on, I’m a full dad now. Being outside and working and being creative, it drives more energy for you, to obviously, to think and soak things up like a sponge now that I’m a dad, because I have a whole nother perspective.”
The couple has shared few images of their little one with the public. With two high-profile parents, the baby will need all the privacy he can get in his early years. Additionally, this new “perspective” Rocky speaks of has its benefits.
“But it honestly helps you get home to your family and get home to your baby,” he further stated. “And I can’t even explain it, man. You come home to heaven every day. I’m so thankful. God is good, man.”
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