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Everybody was excited when Dolly Parton was announced as Miley Cyrus’ co-host for the second edition of her NBC special, Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party. It’s not a knock on Pete Davidson. It’s Dolly Parton. The recent Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee has an unmatched rapport with Cyrus, her goddaughter. That extends to how incredible they sound together.

Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party started on Saturday night, December 31, with Cyrus and Parton strutting on to the stage in Miami to perform “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” in leopard-print outfits. But the highlight may have been just before midnight, when they gifted the audience a flawless medley of “Wrecking Ball” and “I Will Always Love You.”

After the six-minute mashup was over, Cyrus said, “Well, Aunt Dolly, we’ve got about a minute until midnight, until it’s 2023.”

Parton played to the crowd, in typical Parton fashion, and replied, “Well, first of all, we wanna say, have you had a good time tonight? I tell you, this is the thrill of my life to get to host the show with Miley. We know how much I’ve loved her since she was a little ol’ bitty thing. Now, she’s a big ol’ thing, and I still love her. I will always love you.”

Cyrus echoed Parton’s sentiment, and they counted down from 10 to midnight before holding hands and taking in the immaculate fireworks show.

That wasn’t the last viewers saw of Cyrus and Parton, though. The two-hour show wrapped with a jazzy rendition of Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” and a charged performance of Parton’s legendary hit “Jolene.”

Watch the highlights below.

Rae Sremmurd dropped the video for “Torpedo” on Friday, December 30. It’s the latest single, following “Denial” and “Community D*ck” featuring Flo Milli, to amplify buzz that SREMM4LIFE is coming sooner than later. The buzz only got louder when Rae Sremmurd performed “Torpedo” on Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party last night, December 31. The NBC special aired live from Miami.

The two-hour show opened with Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton, her co-host and godmother, singing “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” in matching leopard-print outfits. Up next: Rae Sremmurd, who started a medley with their 2016 No. 1 song “Black Beatles” before hitting “Torpedo.” They finished by venturing into the crowd for “No Type.”

Later in the show, Swae Lee returned to the stage for a “Party Up The Street” duet with Cyrus. Swae Lee, Cyrus and Mike Will Made-It, who co-produced with Andrew Watt, dropped the vibe-inducing song as part of Cyrus’ 2019 six-track EP She Is Coming.

In January 2022, Cyrus posted photos from the studio with Rae Sremmurd, Mike Will Made-It, and others. Andrew Watt, meanwhile, shared all the way back in June 2021 that he was planning on working on another album with Cyrus. Watt told Guitar World that the album was “still in the planning stages,” but it appears we’re close to Cyrus’ Plastic Hearts followup.

Cyrus confirmed during Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party and across her social media platforms that a new single, “Flowers,” is arriving on January 13, which may or may not purposely be on Liam Hemsworth’s birthday. Either way, we’re here for it.

For the first time since the College Football Playoff began, we were treated to two highly entertaining and competitive semifinal games on Saturday, as 2022 finished with a flourish as TCU and Georgia each won in thrillers over Michigan and Ohio State, respectively.

The second of those games saw the Dawgs erase a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter, rallying to take a 42-41 lead with a minute to play as Stetson Bennett led an impressive drive for a touchdown that even he admitted might’ve happened too fast. C.J. Stroud and the Buckeyes would quickly get across midfield to set up a game-winning field goal attempt, but they could not get any closer than the Georgia 33 yard line, meaning they needed a 50-yarder to win.

All of this was happening as the clock edged towards midnight on the East Coast, and a Georgia timeout to ice Noah Ruggles at 11:59 p.m. ET ensured that the kick would coincide with the stroke of midnight and the start of 2023 for fans of both teams. Ruggles hooked the kick well left as the clock struck midnight, which produces a rather incredible side-by-side of the kick and the Times Square ball drop celebration, that makes it seem like all of New York was pulling for the Dawgs.

In Columbus, it was a very different vibe, as the kick hooking left created some awkward scenes for those bars hosting simultaneous New Year’s parties and Buckeyes watch parties, as it put a real damper on the celebration and led to some objectively hilarious scenes, as witnessed by our very own Bill DiFilippo.

I think we should get a game-winning kick in the air at midnight every year, because it is a truly incredible way to start the year as it guarantees one fan base will be miserable and the other ecstatic as the new year starts.

Andy Cohen confirmed to Page Six that he and co-host Anderson Cooper wouldn’t drink during CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast, much to viewers’ dismay and Ryan Seacrest’s delight. But Cohen didn’t need liquid courage to ask Nick Cannon the most obvious question(s) after Cannon welcomed Halo Marie Cannon earlier this month, his 12th child and second with Alyssa Scott.

“Nick, I mean, you are singlehandedly repopulating the Earth. I give it up to you, man. What is your plan here? What is your endgame with the kids? You just want to keep going, or is there a number? Do you want to hit 20? Where are we going with this?” Cohen asked.

After shrugging and laughing it off, Cannon responded, “Andy, clearly I don’t have a plan. Honestly, man, it’s just so much joy and elation to have the family that I have. I embrace it, and I love it, but I don’t have a plan. That should’ve been clear from the jump.”

Cannon jokingly bucked against Cohen’s suggestion to get a vasectomy — “my body, my choice” — and gave advice to other fathers: “Just operate out of love. Some people may say that’s what got us here in the first place, but that’s what I would always do, and always do it with a smile.” Cannon has been a good sport about all of the jokes about his proficiency in fatherhood, even making a video about the stress of buying so many Christmas gifts.

To start the remote interview — Cannon videoed in from the Bahamas — Cohen also asked Cannon about his recent hospitalization for pneumonia. “I’m doing a lot better,” Cannon said. “With my condition in lupus and everything, it takes longer to get better than normal, but I’m surrounded by … energy here in paradise and bringing in the new year the right way. So, I feel amazing right now.”

Watch Cannon’s appearance on CNN below.

Miley Cyrus delivered on her promise. On December 19, she acknowledged mysterious posters that had been popping up globally and simply relaying, “New Year, New Miley.” She added a countdown clock to her official website, and when the clock hit zero last night, December 31, Cyrus confirmed that her new single, “Flowers,” will arrive on January 13.

The two videos feature what figures to be the song’s hook: “I can love me better than you can.”

People immediately connected the dots. The “Flowers” release date is also Liam Hemsworth’s birthday, Cyrus’ ex-husband. Cyrus’ fans only love her more because of it.

In March, Cyrus quipped about her longtime relationship and brief marriage to Hemsworth during her set at Lollapalooza Brazil. After helping fans get engaged on stage, she said, “Honey, I hope your marriage goes better than mine. Mine was a f*cking disaster.”

Cyrus rang in 2023 with her second Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party special on NBC, co-hosted with Dolly Parton, her godmother. She and Parton opened the show by performing Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” in matching leopard-print outfits. Thirty minutes in, delivered her Plastic Hearts rocker “Midnight Sky” with Fletcher.

Cyrus also shared the stage with Swae Lee, Paris Hilton, Sia, and David Byrne. Of course, midnight couldn’t strike without a vintage Cyrus performance of “Party In The USA” and a Cyrus-Parton medley. Watch clips of all the performances below.

Drake doesn’t merely follow trends; he either adds wrinkles to them or sets new trends altogether. The most popular New Year’s Eve trend is to post a highlight reel from the year. Drake participated on Saturday, December 31, by posting a carousel to Instagram. The first photo is of him and 21 Savage, which makes all the sense in the world, given their recent record-setting No. 1 collaborative album, Her Loss. But as soon as you click the right arrow, you’re reminded that it’s Drake we’re talking about.

The second slide of Champagne Papi’s Instagram carousel is a video that many are linking to his reported detainment by Swedish police in July. Drake, in a red sweatsuit, is being led to a “polis” car while someone off-camera asks, “Who’s in charge here?” And then, the rest of the carousel is filled by harmless, star-studded snaps from yet another successful year in Drake’s life.

“The funds are useful / The lyrics are truthful / The suspects are usual / The opps are delusional / The finish line is beautiful / And the disrespect is mutual,” Drake wrote as the caption. “See you in 23.”

In July, rumors swirled that Drake had been arrested by Swedish authorities for possession of marijuana, but Drake’s team quickly shut it down. Philip Lewis of The Huffington Post relayed at the time that Swedish police had told him Drake was “not currently in their custody,” and Drake’s team stated to him, “Drake is at his hotel and has not been arrested.”

Days later, however, Drake cracked the door back open on the possibility that something happened in a since-deleted Instagram post. As captured by Page Six, Drake had shared a paper handout headlined “Information For Those Suspected Of A Crime And Subsequently Detained” that went on to detail a detainees rights.

Even after Drake’s latest video footage, skepticism is understandable. Drake and 21 Savage showed us that they’re capable of clever deception by rolling out Her Loss with a photoshopped Vogue cover, fake Saturday Night Live and NPR Tiny Desk performances, and spoof Howard Stern interviews.

Modest Mouse closed 2022 on the most somber of notes. The band confirmed across social media on Saturday night, December 31, that co-founder and drummer Jeremiah Green has died. He was 45 years old. The news comes just four days after it was publicly revealed that Green was battling stage 4 cancer.

“I don’t know a way to ease into this: Today we lost our dear friend Jeremiah. He laid down to rest and simply faded out,” reads the caption of Saturday’s Instagram post. “I’d like to say a bunch of pretty words right now, but it just isn’t the time. These will come later, and from many people. Please appreciate all the love you give, get, have given, and will get. Above all, Jeremiah was about love. We love you.”

Last week, Carol Namatame, Green’s mother, wrote on her Facebook, “Please send healing vibes for my son, Jeremiah Green, who is battling stage 4 cancer. He’s is so strong and so brave and hanging in there!” By December 28, Modest Mouse lead vocalist Isaac Brock addressed Green’s cancer diagnosis on the band’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.

“Hi. Some of you may have already heard, but I figured it would be good to hear the news directly from our camp. Jeremiah was diagnosed with cancer a short while ago, and he’s currently in treatment,” Brock wrote. “It seems to be going smoothly and making a positive difference. Jeremiah, as am I, are believers in the power of positive energy, so if you would be so kind as to send ‘good vibes’ (to quote Jeremiah) in the direction of Jeremiah and his family, that’d be great. Thank you and love, Isaac Brock.”

Brock and Green co-founded Modest Mouse in 1992 in Issaquah, Washington, outside of Seattle. Bassist Eric Judy soon joined the group, and they relocated to Portland, Oregon. Modest Mouse released The Golden Casket, their seventh studio album, in June 2021 and embarked on a North American tour to close out 2022 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of The Lonesome Crowded West.

Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. Avatar (20th Century Fox/Disney movie streaming on Amazon and VOD)

The sequel has already racked up over a billion dollars at the global box office. I’m both pleased (because the box office needs help) and surprised (same reason) that this has happened, and if you’re down to get down with the Na’vi some more, the original movie will take you back to a more innocent time at theaters. Perhaps this edition won’t make you sh*t your pants like the sequel meant to do, but James Cameron is still “king of the world,” as Leonardo DiCaprio once shouted from within a massive water tank.

TIE: 10. The Recruit (Netflix series)

Noah Centineo is probably ready to shake his notoriety as one of the Internet’s Boyfriends, and this espionage-loaded show might do the trick, even the Netflix audience is probably tuning in because of that sweet romcom trilogy that he did. He portrays a fresh-faced CIA lawyer who (as is the case in all these stories) ends up being pulled into a web of international intrigue. Bourne Identity director Doug Liman also directed the pilot, and Centineo gets to stretch his action legs.

9. The Witcher: Blood Origin (Netflix series)

This prequel series should have been the toast of Christmas-New Year’s week, but that hasn’t turned out as planned. Franchise completists will want to watch, even though this show’s admittedly a meandering mess, even as the first Witcher prototype emerges, and we receive some background lore on the Elven golden age. A few pluses do exist: this won’t swallow up too much of your time since it’s only four episodes long, and at least we get some Jaskier, although not nearly enough of him.

8. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (Amazon Prime series)

John Krasinski recently stepped behind the camera with great success for the A Quiet Place sequel, but that doesn’t mean that he’s abandoned acting. Rather, his espionage-heavy turn as the CIA’s finest continues to drive a heavy audience with one more season in the cards. This time around, Tom Clancy fans should enjoy our protagonist following up on his Venezuela stint by running from the Russians. If there’s ever a time that we needed more Russian-villain content, it’s now.

7. Fleishman Is In Trouble (FX series on Hulu)

The season finale delivers a pretty good punch to the gut while wrapping up what, exactly, is going on with Rachel after a tour de force performance from Claire Danes. As a bonus, Jesse Eisenberg’s Toby takes on more dimension before the story ends, and god only knows if Lizzy Caplan’s Libby will get her sh*t together. Author Taffy Brodesser-Akner (who adapted her own novel) did the tough job of adding and subtracting elements to fit the TV medium, and this is so much more than a sad-marriage story or (as the first few episodes suggested) an Eisenberg-as-Hot-Single-Dad show.

6. 1923 (Paramount+ series)

The cowboys, they cannot be stopped and are taking over TV, courtesy of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe. In this latest prequel, Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren play early Duttons who are dancing through a whole array of historical difficulties. That includes the Great Depression and Prohibition, and then on a more individual level, they must defend their ranch and preserve their legacy for posterity. This franchise can’t seem to miss, so expect plenty more of the Western resurrection.

5. Bullet Train (Sony movie streaming on non-basic Netflix and VOD)

The streaming audience cannot resist clicking “play” on a good, old fashioned Brad Pitt actioner. He’s accompanied by Joey King and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in this story about five assassins on (as the title suggests) a train to Kyoto. These hired guns figure out that their missions might be more related than they’d like, for comfort’s sake, and that should clue you in to this not being a remake of the 1975 Japanese film of the same name. Co-stars include Bad Bunny, Sandra Bullock, Michael Shannon.

4. Alice In Borderland (Netflix series)

In a post-Squid Game TV landscape, one had best not sleep on dystopian Asian Netflix series, and this show now arrives for a second season. The story bases itself upon a popular survival manga book series and follows a gamer who wanders out into parallel, ghost town version of Tokyo. There are games with the highest of stakes to be fought, and mysteries compound atop each other while they hope to find their way back to reality, if that even exists anymore.

3. Emily In Paris (Netflix series)

Lily Collin’s blissfully non-French speaking protagonist persists with audience success, and I think (at this point) her French class may have helped? She continues to inexplicably charm Europe, including Hot Chef Gabriel, and that love triangle gets truly nuts this season. It’s hard to resist or even deny enjoying this show, which is really a stress-free sugar cookie, and everyone could use a treat like that on occasion.

2. Violent Night (Universal Pictures film on VOD)

David Harbour’s Santa one-ups the bad-boy version from Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa here. The film arrives courtesy from producers of John Wick, Deadpool 2, and Nobody, so you know that you’re in for a wild ride, and Santa has no patience for mercenaries that decide to ruin one family’s Christmas Eve. Don’t f*ck with St. Nick, y’all, and if you’re itching for another fix of Edi Patterson (while we’re in between Righteous Gemstones seasons), there’s yet another reason to give this a whirl.

1. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix film)

Daniel Craig is having the time of his career as Benoit Blanc, and he and Rian Johnson pick right up to deliver another hit. Another stellar cast — including Janelle Monáe, Dave Bautista, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn — pick up as potential murdermakers, and there’s an endless buffet of cameos (including Hugh Grant) up for grabs. The film runs long (over 2 hours), but you’ll barely mind, especially since you’ll be watching at home. You’ll also get to see one of TV’s greatest murder detectives make an appearance. It’s a near-perfect followup film, and there’s another one coming.

The Houston Rockets dropped to 10-26 on the season with a dismal performance against the Knicks on Saturday night, closing out 2022 with a 108-88 loss.

While it was expected to be another year out of playoff contention for the young Rockets, the hope was to see some steps forward from the players they hope will make up their core of the future. Instead, they’ve continued to play inconsistent ball featuring a number of mistakes that Rockets fans (and the organization) hoped to see cleaned up over the course of the year. After the loss to the Knicks, one of the lone veterans on the roster, Eric Gordon, was asked what improvements he’s seen over the course of the season and he gave a very brief (and blunt) answer.

That’s not great! You don’t normally get this kind of brutal honesty from someone on the team, but Gordon is likely on his way out of Houston, as trade rumors swirl for the third straight season, so he has no reason to sugarcoat things right now. Compared to other teams in similar situations like the Magic and Thunder, the Rockets have felt fairly disappointing even considering low preseason expectations, and it seems Gordon is among those frustrated with the lack of progress shown by his young teammates. There’s still time for things to improve, but for now, there aren’t exactly great vibes in Houston going into 2023.

Avatar: The Way Of The Water, James Cameron’s years-in-the-making Avatar sequel, only arrived in theaters about two weeks ago, yet it’s already become the second highest-grossing movie of the year, with a global box office of about $1.2 billion (less than $300 million shy of Top Gun: Maverick’s nearly $1.5 billion). While critical reviews of the film have been mixed, audiences have readily reimmersed themselves in the plight of the Na’vi, a.k.a. those Blue People. But there’s one plot point in particular that has caused some discord and anger amongst fans: Spider’s (Jack Champion) decision to save his father, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang).

While fans of the original 2009 film undoubtedly remember Quaritch as the villainous chief of security for Earth’s Resources Development Administration (RDA), Spider — Quaritch’s human son, who was abandoned on Pandora and taken in by Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) — is a new character in the film.

Though he has spent his life living among the Na’vi, Spider is forced to work against them when he is kidnapped by his father’s unit to act as a guide and translator. Ultimately, this complicated familial dynamic causes problems for both men, which leads to a life-or-death moment where Quaritch is drowning and his son is forced to choose whether to save his tormentous pops or let him die. After some deliberation, he opts for the former — a decision that has angered many viewers. In an interview with Variety, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, The Way of the Water’s husband-and-wife screenwriting team, explained why they love that the moment had such an emotional impact on viewers — even if they disagreed with their decision.

“The movie allows Spider to explore these ambivalent feelings he’s having,” Silver told Variety of the moment where he must decide whether to let his father live. “I mean, I think it’s fine that the audience is like, ‘Don’t rescue him!’”

Still, both writers stand by their decision from a storytelling perspective. “[T]he idea that Spider is compelled to rescue Quaritch is interesting from a character point of view,” said Silver.

“It’s this father-son theme that we dive so deeply into,” added Jaffa, “no pun intended.”

(Via Variety)