Thomas (Tommy) Castellanos is ready for the big leagues…
The 22-year-old Afro-Cuban American college football quarterback for Florida State University has declared for the National Football League (NFL) draft after dropping his appeal for another year of college eligibility.
Castellanos thanked family, friends, coaches and teammates and “everyone who has supported me along this journey” in a statement posted on social media.
Just Win Management Group, which represented Castellanos during his legal fight, said it supported his decision.
“While the unique facts and circumstances surrounding the petition for an additional year of eligibility did create a path of viability, after careful review and consideration, we fully support Mr. Castellanos’ decision to forego that continued pursuit and focus his attention on preparing for the 2026 NFL Draft,” the agency said in a statement.
The NCAA initially denied Castellanos’ waiver request for a fifth season.
Castellanos, who transferred to Florida State last December after one year at Central Florida and two at Boston College, argued that college football’s sanctioning body should grant him another season because he played in only five games with the Knights in 2022.
Castellanos played against Tulane in the American Athletic Conference title game after starter John Rhys Plumlee aggravated a hamstring injury. Backup Mikey Keene opted out of the game because he wanted to preserve a year of eligibility before entering the transfer portal.
It’s moot now, with the 5-foot-11 Castellanos turning his attention toward preparing for the draft.
Castellanos completed 58.3% of his passes for 2,760 yards this season, with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also led the Seminoles (5-7) with 557 yards rushing and nine scores.
The 31-year-old Puerto Rican singer-songwriter is celebrating her first No. 1 on a Billboard chart as her collaboration with Bad Bunny, “Perfumito Nuevo,” claims the top spot on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart.
The track rises 4-1 after two weeks in the top 10.
“Perfumito Nuevo” secures the No. 1 spot with the Greatest Gainer honors, after registering 6.3 million audience impressions, up 30%, earned during the tracking period.
Plus, the song flies 21-6 on the overall Latin Airplay chart for its first week in the top 10.
For Benito, the new win adds a 37th top 10 to his ledger, RaiNao scores her first.
Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You, ” is extending its record on Billboard’s Billboard Global 200, rebounding a spot to the summit for the 20th time.
The 56-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer’s 1994 modern classic widens its lead over HUNTR/X’s “Golden” and Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile,” each in second place with 18 weeks on top, for the longest command since the chart began in September 2020.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” tops the Global 200 with 101.6 million streams (up 8% week-over-week) and 7,000 sold (up 2%) worldwide in the week ending December 18.
The Billboard Global 200 ranks songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data.
Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
Bad Bunny is inching closer to another Latin music record…
After securing his record-extending seventh consecutive win atop Billboard’s year-end top Latin Artist of the year in 2025, the 31-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning superstar is thisclose to another record.
His hit “DTMF” logs its 41st week at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart dated December 27, tying for the second-most weeks at No. 1 with Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailando” (featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona), which concluded its 41-week streak atop the chart in February 2015.
The songs trail only Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” (featuring Justin Bieber), which continues to lead with 56 weeks at No. 1.
The Hot Latin Songs chart launched in 1986.
“DTMF,” the fourth single from Benito’s album Debí Tirar Más Fotos, banks its 41st week at the summit on Hot Latin Songs fueled by 6 million official U.S. streams and 2.6 million in radio airplay audience during the December 12-18 tracking week, as reported by Luminate.
It’s the second song from the album to have achieved the No. 1 slot, following “Nuevayol” (one week in January), which sits at No. 5.
Additionally, two other tracks hold strong on the chart’s top 10: “Baile Inolvidable” at No. 3 and “EOO” at No. 4.
In the 39-year history of the Hot Latin Songs chart, 11 songs have logged 20 or more weeks at No. 1. Among those artists with more than one track achieving the feat are Bad Bunny, J Balvin and Iglesias.
Here are the longest-leading No. 1s on Hot Latin Songs since its inception:
Weeks at No. 1, Title, Artist, Peak Date 56, “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee, feat. Justin Bieber (Feb. 18, 2017)
41, “DTMF,” Bad Bunny (Jan. 25, 2025)
41, “Bailando,” Enrique Iglesias, feat. Descemer Bueno & Gente de Zona (May 17, 2014)
30, “El Perdón,” Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias (March 21, 2015)
27, “Dákiti,” Bad Bunny & Jhayco (Nov. 14, 2020)
26, “Pepas” Farruko (Aug. 28, 2021)
25, “La Tortura,” Shakira, feat. Alejandro Sanz (June 4, 2005)
24, “RITMO (Bad Boys for Life),” Black Eyed Peas & J Balvin (January 4, 2020)
22, “Ginza,” J Balvin (Oct. 17, 2015)
20, “Me Porto Bonito,” Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone (May 28, 2022)
20, “Te Quiero,” Flex (April 5, 2008)
The 56-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” adds a record-extending 21st week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Carey claims her unprecedented and milestone 100th career week at No. 1 on the Hot 100, having accumulated her haul over 19 leaders, dating to her first, “Vision of Love,” in 1990.
Rihanna ranks second with 60 weeks at No. 1, followed by The Beatles (59) and Drake (56).
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” secures another notable record as it logs its 78th week on the Hot 100, surpassing Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” as the longest-charted title ever by a woman artist.
Two weeks earlier, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” returned to No. 1 on the Hot 100 to lead in a record-extending seventh holiday season.
It arrived on Carey’s album Merry Christmas in November 1994 and, as streaming grew and holiday music became more prominent on streaming services’ playlists, it first hit the top 10 in December 2017 and the top five in the 2018 holiday season.
It led at last, prior to its three weeks this season, over the holidays in 2019 (for three weeks), 2020 (two), 2021 (three), 2022 (four), 2023 (two) and 2024 (four). (Older holiday songs are eligible to appear on the chart each season.)
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You,” on Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings, drew 43.6 million streams (up 10%) and 28 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 24%) and sold 3,000 downloads (up 1%) in the U.S. December 12-18, according to Luminate.
The single holds for a record-extending 25th week atop the Streaming Songs chart; dashes 23-15 on Radio Songs, where it has hit a No. 7 best; and stays at No. 5 on Digital Song Sales, following six weeks on top.
Here’s a rundown of all of Carey’s Hot 100 No. 1s and their weeks spent at the summit:
21, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (2019-25)
16, “One Sweet Day,” with Boyz II Men (1995-96)
14, “We Belong Together” (2005)
8, “Fantasy” (1995)
8, “Dreamlover” (1993)
4, “Hero” (1993-94)
4, “Vision of Love” (1990)
3, “Honey” (1997)
3, “Emotions (1991)
3, “Love Takes Time” (1990)
2, “Touch My Body” (2008)
2, “Don’t Forget About Us” (2005-06)
2, “Heartbreaker,” feat. Jay-Z (1999)
2, “Always Be My Baby” (1996)
2, “I’ll Be There” (1992)
2, “I Don’t Wanna Cry” (1991)
2, “Someday” (1991)
1, “Thank God I Found You,” feat. Joe & 98 Degrees (2000)
1, “My All” (1998)
Longest-Charted Hot 100 Hits by Women (in lead roles): 78 weeks, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Mariah Carey (No. 1 peak for 21 weeks, 2019-25)
77, “Levitating,” Dua Lipa (No. 2, 2021)
72, “Wildflower,” Billie Eilish (No. 17, 2024)
69, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Brenda Lee (No. 1, three weeks, 2023-24)
69, “How Do I Live,” LeAnn Rimes (No. 2, 1997)
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” concurrently tops Billboard’s multimetric Holiday 100 chart for a 70th week, of the chart’s 78 total weeks since the survey originated in 2011.
It leads the Holiday Streaming Songs, Holiday Airplay and Holiday Digital Song Sales charts concurrently for the first time this season, and triples up as the top Yuletide title in all three metrics simultaneously for a record 28th time. Since the three charts began coexisting in December 2013, no other song has led them all at the same time even once.
The 44-year-old Dominican American singer-songwriter has logged his 23rd No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart with “Lokita Por Mí,” alongside Prince Royce, extending his own record for the most No. 1s among acts that primarily record tropical music.
The track surges 5-1 on the chart dated December 27.
Royce, meanwhile, banks his 20th champ.
“Lokita Por Mí” was released on November 28 on I Love Amiguita/Sony Music Latin, as one of 13 bachatas on Santos and Royce’s collaborative album Better Late Than Never.
The set debuted at No. 1 on the Top Tropical Albums and at No. 2 on the Top Latin Albums charts (dated Dec. 13).
“Lokita Por Mi” rises to No. 1 after an 11% increase in audience impressions, to 8.2 million, earned in the United States on the December 12-18 tracking week, as reported by Luminate.
t sends Feid’s “Se Lo Juro Mor” to No. 7, after the latter’s 32% dip in impressions (to 6.1 million).
With the latest achievement, Santos strengthens his record for the most No. 1s among tropical acts, with 23 champs. This comes just eight months after his “Khé?” with Rauw Alejandro, claimed the top spot for a week in March.
Royce, meanwhile, holds the second spot among tropical acts with 20 No. 1s. He also ties with Karol G for the 10th-most No. 1s across all genres.
Additionally, the song climbs from No. 3 to No. 1 on the Tropical Airplay chart.
Here are the 11 acts with the largest collection of No. 1s on the overall Latin Airplay chart since its inception in 1994:
Count, Artist
39, J Balvin
36, Ozuna
32, Enrique Iglesias
30, Bad Bunny
29, Daddy Yankee
25, Maluma
24, Shakira
24, Wisin
23, Romeo Santos
20, Karol G
20, Prince Royce
Berlin-based production and finance company Kodachrome has boarded Bobby Moresco’s Maserati: The Brothers, which stars the 69-year-old Cuban actor, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Jessica Alba and Michele Morrone.
The film, spearheaded by Italian producer Andrea Iervolino, revolves around Alfieri Maserati, the visionary engineer whose name would become synonymous with innovation and performance in the automotive world.
Michelle Alexandria of Light Year Pictures and the film’s executive Stephanie Garvin, founder of Hollywood Expansion Corporation negotiated the deal on behalf of Kodachrome.
Production is currently underway, with Kodachrome contributing financing and strategic production support, particularly in European territories.
“We’re honored to be part of a project that combines cinematic storytelling with one of the most iconic names in racing history,” said Michael Müllner, managing director at Kodachrome. “The name Maserati evokes success, emotion, daring design, and pure racing power; all the ingredients for great cinema.”
Mariah Carey is all in her feelings after earning another chart-topper…
The 56-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer’s 2025 single “In Your Feelings” rises from the runner-up spot to crown Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart dated December 27.
The track, released and promoted through MARIAH/gamma., ascends as the most-played on U.S. panel-contributing adult R&B radio stations for December 12-18, according to Luminate.
It improved 19% in plays compared to the previous week and wins the Greatest Gainer honor for the list’s largest increase.
With “In Your Feelings,” Carey celebrates a fourth Adult R&B Airplay No. 1. She first claimed the summit via “We Belong Together,” which stitched an eight-week rule in 2005, and followed with six-week champ “Fly Like a Bird” the following year.
After that pair, she closed a 19-year gap between leaders when “Type Dangerous” scored three weeks in charge this August. (She first topped many Billboard tallies when her debut, “Vision of Love,” led the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts dated August 4, 1990.)
“We Belong Together” and “Fly Like a Bird” are from Carey’s 2005 album, The Emancipation of Mimi, while “Type Dangerous” and “In Your Feelings” appear on her latest project, Here for It All.
The set was released in September and debuted at No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart.
Plus, as Carey had two other Adult R&B Airplay hits — “Shake It Off” (No. 6) and “Don’t Forget About Us” (No. 12) — in between the “We Belong Together” and “Fly Like a Bird” coronations, the “Type Dangerous”/“In Your Feelings” combo marks her first linking of consecutive leaders on the list.
Elsewhere, “In Your Feelings” pushes 17-12 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs from combined audience totals from adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations. There, it improved to 5.5 million in audience, up 21% from the prior week’s total, and captures the chart’s Greatest Gainer prize.
Carlos Santana’s lifetime of achievements is being recognized…
The Recording Academy has announced the recipients of its 2026 Special Merit Awards, with the 78-year-old Mexican guitarist and founding member of the rock band Santana to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
For nearly six decades, Santana has been a pioneering force in music, fusing Afro-Latin, blues, rock, and jazz into a sound that transcends genre, culture and generation. He and his band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. They made Grammy history in 2000, receiving eight Grammys in a single night, tying Michael Jackson for the single-year Grammy record. Their haul included album of the year for Supernatural and record of the year for “Smooth,” a propulsive smash featuring Rob Thomas.
A 10-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy winner, Santana received Billboard‘s Century Award in 1996 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2013.
His Las Vegas residency at House of Blues is now in its 14th year.
Santana will receive the lifetime achievement award alongside fellow honorees Chaka Khan, Cher, Fela Kuti, Paul Simon and Whitney Houston.
Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented to performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. Trustees Awards are presented to individuals who have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording. Both are voted on by the academy’s national trustees.
“It’s a true honor to recognize this year’s Special Merit Award recipients — an extraordinary group whose influence spans generations, genres and the very foundation of modern music,” Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Each of these honorees has made a profound and lasting impact, and we look forward to celebrating their remarkable achievements.”
The ceremony will be held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday January 31, the afternoon before the 68th annual Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena in downtown L.A.
In a battle of former UFC champions, the 50-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional boxer scored a second-round stoppage win over Tyron Woodley on Friday night in a cruiserweight contest scheduled for six rounds on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua at the Kaseya Center.
Silva blasted Woodley with an uppercut in Round 2 and put him down with a series of punches.
Woodley made it back to his feet, but his body language suggested he’d had enough, leading his corner to throw in the towel at the 1:33 mark.
“I just tried to take my time and use my distance,” Silva said. “I’m lucky.”
This was far from luck for Silva.
The longest reigning champion in UFC history at 2,457 days, Silva (4-2, 3 KOs) transitioned to boxing full time in 2021 when he was released from his UFC contract after winning only one of his last nine MMA fights. He defeated former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and knocked out Tito Ortiz in 2021 but dropped a unanimous decision to Paul in 2022.
In his first fight in over three years, Silva was originally slated to face Chris Weidman, who ended his legendary championship reign in the UFC. But an arm injury forced Weidman out of the fight, and he was replaced on short notice by Woodley.
Woodley (0-3) was the UFC welterweight champion from 2016 to 2019 but left the promotion when his contract ended in 2021. He ended up facing Paul twice, losing a narrow split decision in August 2021 before being violently knocked out in the rematch four months later.
Woodley was no match for Silva on Friday night and struggled with his opponent’s 5-inch height advantage. Silva patiently waited for Woodley to attack in the first round as boos began to fill the arena due to the lack of action. That all changed in Round 2 when Silva closed the distance, cut an angle and fired the uppercut that rocked Woodley. With Woodley in trouble, Silva bounced combinations off his opponent until he went down to the canvas.
Afterward, Silva said he wants to become a police officer in Beverly Hills, California, where he now resides, but that he’s not finished with his boxing career. He said he wants to revisit a fight with a foe he calls the “Venom” to his “Spiderman.”
“Chris Weidman,” Silva responded when asked who he wanted to fight next. “Chris, I know you hurt your arm, and I’m waiting. I’m waiting for you to get better. Let’s go show how the ex-UFC fighters can do a good job in boxing and respect the boxing community. I’m waiting for you.”
