Karol G to Co-Headline This Year’s Rock in Rio Festival

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Karol G is ready to rock…

The 33-year-old Colombian Grammy-winning singer/songwriter will co-headline this year’s Rock in Rio, one of the biggest music festivals in Brazil.

Karol G has been added to the line-up, which will include performances from Mariah Carey, Ludmilla and many other artists.

The very first Rock in Rio festival took place in 1985. The line-up included music icons like Queen, Tina Turner, AC/DC, Rod Stewart and Iron Maiden. Since then, many other global stars like Britney Spears, Shakira, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Paul McCartney and Drake have performed at the multi-day festival.

This year, Rock in Rio will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the festival in a big way. The event will take place over two weekends, Sept. 13 to 15 and 19 to 22, at the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro.

Karol G was added as a co-headliner to the September 20 date. She’s currently touring Latin America with her Mañana Será Bonito Tour. The tour will visit Brazil on May 10 in São Paulo. Her fans in Brazil will get a second chance to see her in Rio de Janeiro for Rock in Rio. She’ll headline the Palco Mundo (World Stage) that day with Katy Perry, Cyndi Lauper and Ivete Sangalo.

Brazilian superstar Ludmilla is one of the co-headliners on the September 13 date. She recently performed on the main stage of the Coachella music festival. Travis Scott, 21 Savage, and Matuê, Teto & Wiu will also headline the Palco Mundo. Mariah Carey will headline the Palco Sunset (Sunset Stage) on September 22. Other performers to look out for over those two weekends include Lulu Santos, DENNIS, Gloria Groove, Iza, Ed Sheeran, Charlie Puth, Imagine Dragons and One Republic.

Next month, the 2024 Rock in Rio Lisboa will first take place. From June 15 to 16 and 22 to 23, Camila Cabello, Jonas Brothers, Aitana, Doja Cat, Sheeran and many others will perform at the precursor festival to the one later happening in Rio de Janeiro.

Netflix to Begin Streaming Britney Spears’ “Crossroads,” Co-Starring Zoe Saldana, in February

Posted on January 28, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Zoë Saldana is back at a crossroads…

Britney Spears’ first film Crossroads, which co-starred the 45-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress, is headed to Netflix.

The 2002 film will hit the streamer on February 15.

The film hasn’t been on streaming platforms or available from digital retailers since its release.

Crossroads features Spears as “Lucy,” a character who reunites with her childhood best friends Kit (Saldana) and Mimi (Taryn Manning). A cross-country road trip ensues with Mimi’s friend Ben (Anson Mount).

The film was written by Shonda Rhimes.

It returned to theaters last year for two nights in October to coincide with the release of Spears’ memoir, The Woman in Me.

Director Tamra Davis said at that time, “I recently rewatched Crossroads and was so enthralled with the time capsule of nostalgia that this incredible ensemble cast brings to the screen. Britney is absolutely breathtaking to watch, and Shonda is showing us her early expertise in writing complicated female characters.”

Netflix announced the news on social media. “The first movie to ever star the one and only Britney Spears has never been available on streaming… but that’s about to change!” the streamer wrote. “We’re thrilled to announce that Crossroads will finally be available on Netflix — GLOBALLY — starting February 15.”

Crossroads also stars Kim Cattrall, Justin Long, Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lynn Spears, who plays the younger version of her sister Britney’s character.

Bad Bunny Appears as a Lifeguard In His First-Ever Pepsi Commercial

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunny is officially on guard…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican global superstar become a pool lifeguard in his first-ever Pepsi commercial, which was released today (June 1).

Directed by Dave Meyers and co-directed by Mia Barnes, with choreography from Sherrie Silver, the 90-second spot shows the Puerto Rican rapper overlooking a community pool where everyone is tired and drained from the summer heat. In an effort to get the vibes going, he discovers that his latest single “Where She Goes” easily turns up the party once a bottle of Pepsi is opened.

The summer-themed commercial is part of Pepsi’s latest “Press Play On Summer” campaign with Apple Music that offers new and qualified returning subscribers up to three months of free, unlimited listening on the music streaming platform. The campaign, available in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, also includes over 100,000 instant prizes and the opportunity to travel with the purchase of select limited-edition PepsiCo beverages.

“Pepsi has a rich heritage of creating iconic music video style commercials with some of the world’s biggest artists – from Britney Spears to Ray Charles, Madonna to Dr. Dre, Beyonce to Chloe Bailey and so many more,” said Todd Kaplan, CMO of Pepsi, in a statement. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Bad Bunny to the Pepsi family with his very own spot, bringing in all the summer vibes with his newest track ‘Where She Goes.’ This song is already the soundtrack of the summer, so it is a perfect way to kick off our Press Play on Summer program that gives fans up to three free months of Apple Music with every 20oz ice-cold Pepsi.”

Bad Bunny’s Jersey Club-inspired track debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, becoming his third leader on the chart, after “Un x100to,” with Grupo Frontera, two weeks earlier in May, and “Dakiti,” with Jhay Cortez (now Jhayco), for three weeks in November-December 2020. He also becomes the first soloist with three Global 200 No. 1s; overall, he’s second only to BTS, with six. Justin Bieber, BLACKPINK, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift each boast two.

Barbie Ferreira to Star in the Drag Comedy Feature “The Young King”

Posted on October 22, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Barbie Ferreira has landed a royally exciting role…

The 25-year-old Brazilian American actress will star in the drag comedy feature The Young King.

Ferreira will star opposite Michael Shannon and Kiersey Clemons in the film.

Set in the 1990s drag king scene of 1990s Las Vegas, the feature from Mister Smith Entertainment is the directorial debut of Larin Sullivan.

Clemons stars as Jules, an aspiring drag king who comes to Las Vegas to reconnect with her estranged dad Mick (Shannon), a legendary gambler and part-time children’s party clown, and to make her debut performance in the U.S.’s biggest drag king revue. Mick is less than excited to see his daughter ‘Julia’ presenting as masculine, wearing suits and chasing after Ronnie (Ferreira), a no-nonsense dancer.

Sullivan wrote the script for the film, which Corporate Witchcraft’s Kim Bailey and Isabel Marden are producing alongside Clemons. Songwriter Justin Tranter, who has worked with Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and others, serves as Executive Music Producer and is creating original music for the film.

Production begins in Vegas in the first quarter of 2023.

The project has received support from GLAAD, Sundance Institute, IFP’s Project Forum, Tribeca Film Institute, and Inside Out Toronto.

Mister Smith Entertainment’s CEO David Garrett stated: “We are delighted to present Larin’s fresh twist on a classic Vegas story by shining a light on the drag king scene, which has rarely, if ever, been explored on the big screen. Led by our stellar cast, this is an incredibly emotional father-daughter story that will resonate with buyers and audiences.

Ferreira most recently appeared in the Jordan Peele thriller Nope. She’s best known for HBO’s Euphoria and previously appeared on the network in Sarah Jessica Parker-starring HBO series Divorce. She’s currently filming psychological drama House of Spoils, opposite Ariana DeBose. She also starred in HBO Max’s film adaptation of Unpregnant.

Selena Gomez Teases New Music

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Selena Gomez is back in the studio…

This week, the 29-year-old Mexican American singer/actress shared a clip of herself inside the vocal booth on TikTok, simply captioned “New.”

The catch? The TikTok comes virtually without any sound, so Selenators aren’t able to get an audible sneak peek of what Gomez is cooking up.

Whatever music she’s making, though, will be a follow-up to her 2021 Spanish-language EP Revelación, which peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and earned Gomez her first-ever Grammy nomination, for best Latin Pop Album, at the 64th annual Grammy Awards in April.

Gomez’s most recent full-length studio effort, meanwhile, was 2020’s Rare, which contained No. 1 hit “Lose You to Love Me,” as well as follow-up singles “Look At Her Now,” “Rare” and “Boyfriend.”

Gomez’s behind-the-scenes TikTok isn’t the first time she’s teased new music in the last few weeks, either.

During a celebration event for her cosmetics brand Rare Beauty, she hinted at the prospect during a rapid-fire Q&A session with TikTok makeup artist Mikayla Nogueira.

Of course, the onetime Disney Channel starlet has had plenty of other commitments on her plate in between albums: Season 2 of her hit series Only Murders in the Building just premiered on Hulu and she also took time off to attend the star-studded wedding of Britney Spears and Sam Asghari, where she even jumped on the mic with Paris Hilton to perform an impromptu rendition of “Stars Are Blind” for the bride.

@selenagomez

New

♬ original sound – Selena Gomez

Mana to Launch Unprecedented Residency at The LA Forum

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Mana is holding a forum…

The Grammy award-winning Mexican rock band has announced an unprecedented Los Angeles residency at the Forum in Inglewood, with concerts starting in March and continuing indefinitely.

It’s the first-ever arena residency in the city of Los Angeles, and members of Mana said they promise to play “for as long as Los Angeles fans will have them.”

The Forum will be the only place in the United States where fans will be able to see Mana play live in 2022.

Long-term residencies at arenas in places like Las Vegas are commonplace among top-rank acts like Britney Spears, Celine Dion and Gwen Stefani, but they are unheard of in Los Angeles, even in the fabled Forum’s 50-year history.

Mana is one of the best-selling Latin touring acts of all time. From their first show in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Palace in 1993 to their 2019 run at the Forum on the Rayando El Sol Tour, Mana broke the record as the first and only act to sell out seven dates at the Forum as part of a single tour since the venue’s reopening (previously held by Kanye West and the Eagles).

“We are proud to announce this historic residency with Mana, doing what no other band has ever done in Los Angeles,” said Geni Lincoln, general manager and senior vice president of booking for the Forum.

“On their 2019 Rayando El Sol Tour, Mana cemented their position as the reigning kings of the Forum, breaking the record for the most shows sold out on a single tour since our remodel and reopening. This residency is the culmination of an incredible journey, with an incredible band, and we look forward to hosting their fans from around the world for these historic shows.”

Mana got its start in 1986 when four friends from Guadalajara, Mexico, came together to fuse new rock sounds with Latin and Caribbean rhythms. The group’s current lineup includes Fher Olvera as vocalist, guitarist and main composer, Alex Gonzalez on drums, Sergio Vallin on lead guitar, and Juan Diego Calleros on bass. Mana released its first album Falta Amor in 1990. In 1992, they released Donde Jugaran los Ninos? — which sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and became the best-selling Spanish-language rock album of all time.

“We have so many surprises in store for our fans at this residency,” said the members of Mana in a statement. “No two shows will be the same. Get ready to see Mana like never before — special guests, unique set lists and a kick-ass new production we put together special for these shows at the Forum. L.A. is a second home for us. We started here 30 years ago at the Hollywood Palace, and we’ve been rocking with L.A. fans ever since. We are amped to get back on stage in the City of Angels and want our fans to feel the same.”

The Forum is owned by billionaire Steve Balmer, who also owns the LA Clippers.

The performances will kick off on March 18 and 19, plus April 22 and 23, with more dates soon to be announced. Tickets will be available starting at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 19 at Ticketmaster.com.

Salma Hayek Shows Off Her Britney Spears-Inspired Dance Moves in New Instagram Video

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Salma Hayek’s got the moves like… Britney.

The 54-year-old Mexican singer’s go-to soundtrack for shooting at trained killers in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard trailer… Britney Spears’ “...Baby One More Time.”

And now she’s taking her butt-kickin’ moves to the dance floor in her latest Instagram video.

Hayek is promoting her upcoming action-comedy film — also starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson — with a revised dance routine to Spears’ 1999 No. 1 smash that combines the original choreography from the music video with some stealthy defense techniques.

“Show me your #hitmanschallenge baby! Muéstrame tu mejor #hitmanschallenge baby! I’ll be watching…,” she captioned the choreographed clip with hair-flipping galore and a spin on the pop superstar’s leg kick that left Hayek and her crew on the floor.

Naomi Campbell and Jennifer Aniston applauded Hayek on Instagram, while Sabrina Carpenter commented, “omg queen.”

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, the delayed sequel to 2017’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard, follows bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) once again meeting up with assassin Darius Kincaid (Jackson) as they embark on a new adventure to save Darius’ wife, Sonia (Hayek), from new threats.

But before it hits theaters next Wednesday, June 16, see Hayek’s latest killer moves below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Salma Hayek Pinault (@salmahayek)

Christina Aguilera Among Celebrities Urging U.S. Senators to Stop Gun Violence Now

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Christina Aguilera is calling for politicians to take action on the issue of gun reform…

The 40-year-old half-Ecuadorian American Grammy-winning singer has joined a roster of celebrities who’ve signed an open letter to U.S. Senators urging them stop gun violence now.

Five years ago, amidst a string of deadly attacks at live music venues including the horrific mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016, the cover of Billboard‘s July 2016 issue featured an open letter to U.S. Congress signed by 200 artists and music industry executives calling for gun reform.

Unfortunately, the need for reform has only grown stronger as shootings have continued around the country at a terrifying rate.

So now, five years later, as venues prepare to reopen after their pandemic shutdown and music fans ready to return to concerts and festivals, we stand again with the music community to ask lawmakers to take swift action to stop the violence. — Hannah Karp, Billboard editorial director

An Open Letter to Senators: Stop Gun Violence Now

As leading artists and executives in the music industry, we are adding our voices to the chorus of Americans demanding change.

Music always has been celebrated communally, on dance floors and at concert halls. But this life-affirming ritual, like so many other daily experiences — going to school or church or work — continues to be threatened, because of gun violence in this country.

The one thing that connects the tragedies like the shootings in Boulder, El Paso, Las Vegas, Parkland and so many other places in America, to the one that happened in Orlando five years ago this June, is that it is far too easy for dangerous people to get their hands on guns.

We call on the Senate to do more to prevent the gun violence that kills more than 100 Americans every day and injures hundreds more: Take action on background checks.

Billboard and the undersigned implore you — the people who are elected to represent us — to close the deadly loopholes that put the lives of so many music fans, and all of us, at risk.

Sincerely,

Christina Aguilera, Tori Amos, Sara Barielles, Aaron Bay-Schuck, Tony Bennett, Selim Bouab, Rob Bourdon, Scooter Braun, Cortez Bryant, Michael Bublé, Vanessa Carlton, Joseph Carozza, Steve Cooper, Tom Corson, Lee Daniels, Ellen DeGeneres, Brad Delson, Diplo, Mike Easterlin, John Esposito, Melissa Etheridge, Fletcher, Luis Fonsi, Becky G, Kevin Gore, Julie Greenwald, Josh Groban, Horacio Gutierrez, Joe Hahn, Halsey, Billy Joel, Craig Kallman, Alicia Keys, Kid Cudi, Carole King, Elle King, Adam Lambert, Cyndi Lauper, Kevin Liles, Dre London, Jennifer Lopez, Macklemore, Zayn Malik, Carianne Marshall, Ricky Martin, Paul McCartney, Julia Michaels, Guy Moot, Jason Mraz, Gregg Nadel, Yoko Ono, Mark Pinkus, Gregory Porter, Prince Royce, Bonnie Raitt, Dawn Richard, RMR, Paul Robinson, Maggie Rogers, Kelly Rowland, Mike Shinoda, Sia, Matt Signore, Britney Spears, Rob Stevenson, Sting, Barbra Streisand, Justin Tranter, Sir Trilli, Sharon Van Etten, Aimie Vaughn-Fruehe, Eddie Vedder, Andrew Watt.

If you’re interested in signing the letter, you can email guncontrol@billboard.com.

E! Kicking Off “True Hollywood Story” Reboot with Cardi B Episode

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Cardi B is kicking off E!’s iconic docuseries…

The entertainment network’s television docuseries True Hollywood Story will officially return on Monday, March 15, starting with an in-depth look at the 28-year-old half-Dominican American Grammy-winning rapper.

The first episode will track how the “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” rapper built herself from the ground up, including interviews with television producer Mona Scott-Young (VH1‘s Love & Hip Hop), “Bodak Yellow” music video director Picture Perfect and fellow New York rapper Maino.

The rest of the second season’s episodes will focus on the tragic deaths of Selena and Christina Grimmie at the hands of those obsessed with them (“Death of Innocence” will air March 29); the sisterhood bond that withstands the celebrity spotlight between Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears, and Miley and Noah Cyrus (“Star Sisters” will air on April 10); trail-blazing billionaires like Jay-Z (“Billionaires: Fierce, Fearless & Filthy Rich” will premiere this summer); and Hollywood’s most talked-about and mysterious cases including Whitney Houston‘s death (“Hollywood Mysteries” will premiere in the fall).

Selena’s husband Chris Perez and Grimmie’s brother Marcus will share intimate stories during the “Death of Innocence” special.

Season two of E! True Hollywood Story will debut on Monday, March 15 at 10:00 pm ET.

Howie Dorough & the Backstreet Boys Team Up with Britney Spears for “Matches”

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Howie Dorough is lighting up the airwaves

The 47-year-old half-Puerto Rican and his Backstreet Boys band mates have joined voices with Britney Spears for the sultry single “Matches.”

The pop crossover appears on Spears’ just-released deluxe edition of her 2016 album, Glory.

“What a GLORIOUS day it is… we’ve been asked about the possibility of a collab like this for the past 20 years and today is the day!!” the boy band wrote on Twitter. “#BritneyXBackstreet is finally here!”

Spears shared the sentiment.

“I’m so excited to hear what you think about our song together,” she tweeted. “Matches” featuring my friends @backstreetboys is out now !!!! I’m so excited to hear what you think about our song together !!!! You can also listen to Glory Deluxe everywhere now !!!!”

Glory’s deluxe issue also features four remixes of Spears’ “Mood Ring.”

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