Category: News

Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny were all smiles at the 2023 Grammys on February 5, and Forbes shed light on one possible reason for their cheery spirits.

The publication shared its annual list of the world’s top 10 highest-paid entertainers today, February 12, and Swift made the cut for the sixth time in her career, including the No. 1 spot in 2019. This year, Swift ranks No. 9, but she’s also notably the only woman on the list.

“Despite the success of Midnights and the anticipation for Eras (which hints at an even better 2023), the pop icon scored most of her $92 million in earnings from music she’d released in years past,” Forbes wrote. “The 33-year-old’s back catalog made up an estimated 70% of her pay, including profits from streaming and album sales. (Universal Music Group, which gets 3% of its revenue from Swift, sold $50 million worth of physical albums in 2022, per a JP Morgan analyst report).”

Right below Swift is Bad Bunny in tenth:

“The only true newcomer to this year’s list: Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, who sold $400 million worth of tickets to his two tours — the first in the spring in the US, the second in the fall across the States plus Latin America — according to concert tracker Pollstar. His second tour, dubbed The World’s Hottest, was an expensive affair. It took 35 to 40 trucks to cart gear and crew from venue to venue across the U.S. and then used three planes — including a 747 cargo jet — to transport everything for the Latin American leg, according to sources with knowledge of the tour. That kind of spectacle may have helped sales but meant fewer dollars in the star’s pocket. Including endorsements, Bad Bunny earned $88 million.”

Unlike Bad Bunny and Swift, Forbes‘ highest-earning entertainer isn’t exactly at the forefront of the 2023 cultural zeitgeist. Genesis reportedly pocketed $230 million followed by Sting in second place at $210 million.

The rest of the list rounded out as follows: Tyler Perry ($175 million), South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone ($160 million), The Simpsons co-creators James L. Brooks and Matt Groening ($105 million), Brad Pitt ($100 million), Rolling Stones ($98 million), and James Cameron ($95 million).

Swift is readying to start her expansive Eras Tour on March 17 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Conversely, Bad Bunny told Billboard in December that he views 2023 as a time to rest “for my physical health, my mental health, my emotional health, enjoy all my achievements.” But it won’t totally be an off year, as he’s scheduled to become the first-ever Latin headliner at Coachella.

The Boys‘ social media game stays consistent with the show’s rollicking attitude. That includes a recent intentionally janky photoshop that was meant to mess with fans regarding Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s mystery role. In embarking upon this adventure, Morgan is pulling a Supernatural reunion with The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke, who recently did the same with Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy. With Morgan, however, no one will spill who he’s portraying (although it seems likely that this will be a smaller role, considering how busy Morgan is with The Walking Dead universe), and the same goes for details about the Season 4 release date.

Kripke is cool with not-teasing that aspect of the production. However, he does reveal that Season 4 will not be the final rodeo for Homelander and frenemies. “Cause you’re asking!” he tweeted. “We’ve been shooting since late August. I’m here to prep & direct the Season 4 finale. No, not the series finale, there will be more! Most importantly, S4 premieres… at some point in the future in our discernible reality.”

So there you have it. Kripke is steering clear of making any release-date promises, but hang tight because the college-age spinoff that freaked out Arnold Schwarzenegger will also be coming. That project’s Twitter account revealed that Gen V will definitely arrive in 2023, and it feels fair to guess that The Boys will be coming in 2024. Whatever the case, fans will be all over it.

The Boys is currently streaming Seasons 1-3, along with one season of the Diabolical animated spinoff, on Amazon.

For her Super Bowl halftime show, Rihanna performed over 60 feet in the air on a wobbly platform dangled above thousands of football fans, and she pulled the whole thing off while noticeably pregnant. (The singer confirmed she has a second baby on the way following the performance.) The spectacle was pretty darn impressive unless, of course, you ask Howard Stern.

The shock jock apparently wasn’t blown away by Rihanna’s aerial feats while pregnant, and he griped during his Monday morning show that she seemed to be lip-syncing. “I don’t even know why she bothered showing up. I gotta tell you. I love Rihanna’s voice. I think it’s a wonderful voice,” Stern said before sharing his theory with co-host Robin Quivers about how Rihanna only seemed to be actually singing when she was on stage with her band. Via Mediaite:

“But I would say now, again, I could be wrong, but I — in my opinion, 85 percent of that performance was lip sync,” Stern added.

“Well, the big giveaway — the big giveaway might be when she puts the microphone down by her knees and her lips aren’t moving. And the other voices are going,” Stern said.

The conversation then took a very Howard turn when he theorized on who was really singing during Rihanna’s halftime show. (Hint: It was her “special guest.”)

“I had a theory, Rihanna was not lip-syncing, but she put the microphone near her vagina so the new baby could sing,” Stern joked. “The baby was singing backup.”

(Via Mediaite)

Every once in a while, the internet likes to remind you of a viral performance that you’ve already seen 35 times by making it go viral again. After all, the internet is just an echo chamber, anyway. But when you’re scrolling with nothing else to do, you might as well re-watch Beyonce’s Coachella video whenever it pops up. It’s kind of the only thing to do. And the same goes for that one video of Tom Holland performing Rihanna’s “Umbrella” while on Lip Synch Battle, which was the absolute peak of entertainment in 2017.

Contextually, the video has only gotten better. At the time, Holland and Zendaya were promoting Spider-Man: Homecoming, which hadn’t hit theaters yet, though it went on to become one of the biggest movies of the year. The pair were also rumored to be dating, even though it wasn’t confirmed for another four years. The performance features Holland going all-out while singing the rain anthem, blissfully unaware that he was about to become a huge star and that this clip would haunt him for the rest of his life.

And like clockwork, the video is once again resurfacing, though this time it’s because of Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, where she, unfortunately, did not bring Holland out to perform. But what a moment that would have been. Still, fans took to the internet to remind everyone that Holland can really channel Rihanna with surprising accuracy and enthusiasm… while also being upset that Rihanna didn’t invite him on stage.

Noted Rihanna fan Zenndaya also re-posted her infamous reaction image from Holland’s performance on Instagram.

And with a little bit of savvy editing work, Holland himself finally appeared at the Super Bowl! Go team.

Even though Holland didn’t appear at the big game, the actor is slated to appear as Fred Astaire in the upcoming biopic from Paul King, mayor of the Paddington universe. At least he will be able to use his singing and dancing skills there, where they won’t be overshadowed by Rihanna.

Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show still has fans buzzing, whether it’s over her ASL interpreter’s awesome accompaniment, her newly-announced second baby’s front-row experience, or her video game-like set design.

Another aspect of the show that’s captured fans’ attention is Rihanna’s wardrobe, which consisted of a bright red coverall with a matching molded breastplate underneath it. Meanwhile, Rihanna could be seen touching up her makeup just before the performance, applying (of course) a little powder from her own Fenty Beauty line.

Obviously, the question on plenty of fans’ minds is, “Where can I get that look?” Well, while much of the ensemble was custom, there’s good news: Most of the pieces are readily available for public consumption — although they aren’t cheap.

Rihanna’s two coats (she changed midway through the performance) were Alaïa originals according to Russh. Meanwhile, the jumpsuit and vinyl bustier were designed by Spanish brand Loewe. Her sneaker, were Maison Margiela X Salomon. The MM6 Cross Low retails for $360, while the Fenty Skin collection (Fenty Skin’s Pre-Show Glow Instant Retexturizing 10% AHA Treatment, Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer with SPF 30, Pro Kiss’r Lip-Loving Scrubstick, and Plush Puddin’ Intensive Recovery Lip Mask) will run a little over $100 according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Kansas City Chiefs put on an offensive clinic in the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles to win their second Super Bowl title in four years, scoring on every single possession after trailing 24-14 at the break.

Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy identified what the Eagles were doing and pushed on Philly’s pressure points until they broke, most notably running the same exact play for their last two touchdowns of the game. The first time was to Kadarius Toney on the right side of the formation, as he motioned in like he was going on a jet sweep before pivoting back outside at the snap, ending up wide open while the Eagles defense was scrambling to communicate how they’d switch the motion.

On the next possession they got down to the same spot in the red zone and dialed it up for a second time, this time to Skyy Moore on the left side of the formation, resulting in the exact same breakdown from the Eagles defense.

Given how complex most of the verbiage is around the NFL for offenses, you’d expect this to have a pretty elaborate playcall name. You would be wrong, because that’s not how Andy Reid rolls. The play that effectively destroyed the Eagles defense is simply called: Corn Dog.

Reid: It’s called Corn Dog.
King: It’s called what?
Reid: It’s called Corn Dog.
King: It’s not called Corn Dog.
Reid: Oh yeah it’s Corn Dog.
King: Is it called Corn Dog?
Reid: There’s nothing better than a good corn dog with some mustard and ketchup.
King: But he doesn’t step into the huddle and say “Corn Dog.”
Reid: Oh no, he says Corn Dog.

I love Peter King’s disbelief, because it really does seem like Andy Reid is messing with him. But Reid insists this is just Corn Dog. There’s not some wild, 20 word long call in the huddle for it. Patrick Mahomes just strolls into the huddle and tells the fellas “Corn Dog on 1” and off they go, scoring touchdowns and winning Super Bowls.

Sheryl Lee Ralph owns the limelight. The Abbott Elementary standout soaked up her first career Emmy win last fall, accepting flowers from Kid Cudi and another gift from Beyoncé. Ralph didn’t let 2022 before asserting her star power in different way, as she starred in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Vol. 4 show.

And so, no, Ralph was not here for anyone trying to dim her light at Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, February 12. She performed “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” the Black national anthem, before the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off against the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Ralph was extremely excited to be part of such a historic moment, boosted by the fact that Super Bowl LVII was the first-ever Super Bowl to feature two Black quarterbacks in Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Philly’s Jalen Hurts:

But there were a few haters who speculated that Ralph lip-synced her powerful performance.

“Does it matter? Does it matter? No. Thank you,” Ralph told The Hollywood Reporter in response to the criticism.

She added, “It’s just so amazing that they chose me. And then the Eagles are in the Super Bowl. I mean, come on. You know God must be a woman because all of this is just too perfect.”

Ralph noted to THR that the significance of signing in a Super Bowl in which the Eagles were competing in mattered to her because “Abbott Elementary takes place in Philadelphia. My husband is a senator in Philadelphia. And this year the Eagles [went] to the Super Bowl — I had already been chosen to sing.”

Unfortunately for Ralph and all Philadelphians, the Eagles fell to the Chiefs 38-35.

Ahead of the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, there was a lot of discussion about the field the teams would be playing on. Arizona is one of two stadiums (Vegas being the other) that have a retractable grass field that lives outside of the dome before being rolled in for gameday, but despite not being fake turf, it is routinely considered one of the worst surfaces in the league.

The NFL tried to get ahead of that problem by investing a ton into the Super Bowl field, spending $800,000 and two years growing a new hybrid of grass at a Scottsdale sod farm specifically for this event.

Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the playing surface from being a considerable talking point during and after the game, as players were routinely losing their footing on what appeared to be an incredibly slick surface.

During halftime, Terry Bradshaw ripped the NFL for painting so much of the field, suggesting that all of the logos painted on the field were contributing to the issues. Rihanna’s halftime show stage only exasperated issues, as field staff tried desperately to fill in divots from the stage and dancers before the teams came back on the field. After the game, players on both sides said the field was a disaster, although they all noted it didn’t really hinder one team more than the other because everyone was dealing with the same issues — via The Athletic.

“I’m not going to lie: It was the worst field I’ve ever played on,” Reddick said.

Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata said he was no grass expert, but the field was “definitely subpar.”

Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark called the field conditions “kind of terrible” and said as the game unfolded, he just started digging his feet into the turf to help his footing because he was slipping so much.

The field was likened to a water park, which shouldn’t come as a huge surprise given the location of the field. Out in the desert, the only way to get lush, green grass is to oversaturate it with water to compensate for how quickly it can dry out. In this instance, it’s less likely it was an issue of the grass hybrid type or the retractable field system, but just too much water being used to get the right aesthetic of a green field in a place that can bake out grass if it’s not heavily watered. Ask anyone who’s played golf on a desert course with grass that looks as green as the field did Sunday night, and they won’t be surprised to find out players found it slick and soft.

The NFL could’ve undoubtedly done better with the handling of the grass, but at the same time, if the field was showing signs of browning and drying out, they would’ve gotten buried for that too by fans — although it likely would’ve been far superior to play on for the players.

Conservatives were bound to be upset about the Super Bowl musical performances. Unsolicited opinions are still volleying through the air, and that includes Donald Trump’s distaste for Rihanna’s halftime show. Likewise, Marjorie Taylor Greene complained about too much National Anthem “wokeness” while seemingly not realizing that country singer Chris Stapleton has expressed wholehearted support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

As well, the Super Bowl opened with the a performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (regarded by the NAACP as the Black National Anthem) from Sheryl Lee Ralph along with an all-female pilot team doing Navy flyover duties. So, it’s no wonder that the right-wing didn’t love it, but White House physician and current Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) made clear that he wasn’t a fan of the halftime show in particular.

Jackson didn’t explain his reasons but simply tweeted, “Ted Nugent would’ve been a MUCH BETTER halftime performer!!”

Jackson’s lack of specificity didn’t help matters, but soon enough, his replies filled themselves with references to a CNN report about watchdog findings that Johnson had uttered “sexual and denigrating” remarks during the course of his White House duties. The report also detailed how Jackson had “violated the policy for drinking alcohol while on a presidential trip” among other offenses. In response, Twitter users wondered if, perhaps, alcohol was involved with Johnson’s wish for Ted Nugent on the Super Bowl field, but perhaps he would have tweeted the same sentiment, alcohol or not.

Also, Johnson probably wasn’t wild about this:

Usually, when you think of NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts, you tend to think of rappers, singers, and other vocalists. Although it’s a live band music series, the focus is usually on the frontmen, women, and people, rather than on the musicians that make up the band or the producers who create the music.

However, that doesn’t mean there’s no place for producers at the forefront. Kenny Beats, who is best known for providing pounding hip-hop bangers to rappers like Denzel Curry, Rico Nasty, and Vince Staples (who he previously played a Tiny Desk with), sits on the backline for his Tiny Desk performance, but there’s no doubt that he and the soulful production from his debut solo album Louie are the stars of the show.

In a pretty cool flip of the usual dynamic, Kenny plays the backbeat on drums while his backup singers soulfully reproduce the samples that populate the album. Kenny also brings in a few guest performers, including Jpegmafia, who raps on “Still” and Remi Wolf, who sings on “Last Words.” Nami closes out the set with “Rotten.”

Kenny’s album is dedicated to his dad, and he addresses the complexity of making music for your family. “This is an album about family I made with my friends,” he explains. “Usually, music about familly is about how much you love them, how much you care about them… everybody knows family is a much more difficult thing to explain in 2-3 minutes.”

Watch Kenny’s Tiny Desk performance above.