Cardi B is preparing for a rockin’ New Year’s Eve.
Only five days before it airs, has added the 31-year-old half-Dominican American Grammy-winning rap superstar and hip-hop legend LL Cool J to its lineup.
The “Up” singer will appear poolside from Fontainebleau MiamiBeach, while her “WAP” collaborator Megan Thee Stallion was previously on the bill.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn-raised rap icon LL Cool J will perform in Times Square just before midnight.
New Year’s Rockin’ Eve is also introducing a new vertical of comedic show segments with Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Matt Friend, Ms. Pat and Sebastian Maniscalco adding commentary on the past year.
Ryan Seacrest returns as host of the ABC and Dick Clark Productions live show with co-host Rita Ora leading the festivities from New York’s Times Square with artists Megan Thee Stallion, Jelly Roll, Sabrina Carpenter and Tyla.
Jeannie Mai will lead the Hollywood festivities, with Aqua, Doechii, Ellie Goulding, Green Day, Janelle Monáe, Loud Luxury x Two Friends with Bebe Rexha, Ludacris, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Paul Russell, Reneé Rapp with Coco Jones and Thirty Seconds to Mars to perform in California.
New Year’s Rockin’ Eve will once again feature a Spanish language countdown with Dayanara Torres returning as co-host from Puerto Rico’s Convention Center.
The 51-year-old part-Spanish American actor/singer’s rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars has been announced as part of the lineup for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest2024.
Leto and his brother Shannon’s Thirty Seconds to Mars joins a lineup that includes Aqua, Doechii, Ellie Goulding, Green Day, Janelle Monáe, Loud Luxury x Two Friends with Bebe Rexha, Ludacris, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Paul Russell and Reneé Rapp with Coco Jones.
Jeannie Mai and Rita Ora join Seacrest as new co-hosts for the upcoming 52nd edition of the venerable holiday telecast. While Mai will emcee the Hollywood party in the Pacific Time zone, Ora will be live in Times Square.
Ringing in the new year at midnight in the Atlantic Time zone (11pm ET), New Year’s Rockin’ Eve will once again feature a Spanish language countdown with Dayanara Torres returning as co-host from Puerto Rico’s Convention Center.
Eliminated from the lineup is the Central Time zone countdown from New Orleans, which had been part of the show since 2017. (Last year, Rockin’ Eve also added a Disneyland location to kick off Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration, which is not coming back.)
The changes come in Rockin’ Eve’s first year under new ownership at DCP, which was acquired in January by Penske Media Eldridge. The annual program was recently renewed through January 1, 2029.
The No. 1 New Year’s Eve special for over 30 years, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023 drew 13.8 million total viewers and averaged 4.1/29 among adults 18-49 last year. It peaked at 17.9 million viewers and a 5.3 18-49 rating in the midnight quarter-hour.
Airing December 31, live on ABC at 8:00 PM EST, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024 will feature more than 5 1⁄2 hours of music performances, guests and a look at New Year’s celebrations around the globe.
The 47-year-old Chilean actor appears on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ final list of names chosen as presenters for the 95th annual Academy Awards.
In addition to Pascal, the latest round of stars set to present includes Eva Longoria, Halle Berry, Paul Dano, Cara Delevingne, Kate Hudson, Mindy Kaling, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Andie MacDowell, Elizabeth Olsen and John Travolta, executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner and executive producer Molly McNearney have announced.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, at Ovation’s Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Previously announced Oscars presenters include Riz Ahmed, Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Ariana DeBose, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek Pinault, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Nicole Kidman, Troy Kotsur, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Florence Pugh, Questlove, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Donnie Yen.
The 62-year-old Spanish actor and director has been added to the presenter ranks for this weekend’s Academy Awards show by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS).
Banderas is among a list of recently added presenters that includes Halle Bailey, Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Chastain, John Cho,Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek, Nicole Kidman, Florence Pugh and Sigourney Weaver.
They join the previously announced Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Ariana DeBose, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Troy Kotsur, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Questlove, Zoe Saldaña and Donnie Yen.
More presenters will be revealed during the week.
The latest adds to Hollywood’s Big Night come just as Oscar voting is set to end, with ballots due at 5 p.m. PT tonight.
The months-long awards season culminates with the 95th annual Academy Awards, which will be handed out Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
ABC will air the ceremony live coast-to-coast starting at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm ET, along with more than 200 countries around the world.
No doubt DeBose will present the award for Best Supporting Actor per long standing Academy tradition.
The announcement comes on the heels of DeBose’s much talked about rap tribute to BAFTA’s actress nominees at the BAFTA awards ceremony.
CODABest Supporting Actor winner Troy Kotsur will also return to the Dolby Theatre, this time as a presenter.
Last year’s Live Action Short Oscar winner Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, eight-time nominee Glenn Close, Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly, past Honorary Oscar recipient Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Creed III’s Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Oscar winner Questlove, Zoe Saldaña and Donnie Yen will all be onstage at the Oscars.
Final Oscar balloting is underway. The 9,579 eligible Academy voters are now going to make their choices, and they have only until March 7 at 5:00 pm PT to do so.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on March 12 at 8:00 pm ET/5 pm PT from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.
The producers will continue to announce talent joining the show leading up to the ceremony. They already have been rolling out talent taking part in performances of songs up in the Original Song category.
The 32-year-old Mexican American actor will appear on Season 15 of MTV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Guillen will join the judging panel during one of the episodes this season in the quest to find “America’s Next Drag Superstar.”
Mainstage judges Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley and Ross Mathews will be back on the panel. Ts Madison has been upped to a rotating member of the judges’ panel as they decide who will lip-sync for their life or “sashay away.”
Ariana Grande is set to be the guest judge for the two-episode season premiere. The Grammy Award-winning star will see the queens bringing their gifts to a talent show where she will be the judge.
In addition to Grande and Guillen, this season’s guest judges also include music, television, comedy and film icons Ali Wong, Amandla Stenberg, Hayley Kiyoko, Julia Garner, Janelle Monáe, Maren Morris, Megan Stalter and Orville Peck.
The 16 queens will compete for the title and a cash prize of $200,000 – the highest in the herstory of the main franchise.
Previously announced queens include Amethyst (West Hartford, CT), Anetra (Las Vegas, NV), Aura Mayari (Nashville, TN), Irene Dubois (Seattle, WA), Jax (Queens, NY), Loosey LaDuca (Ansonia, CT), Luxx Noir London (East Orange, NJ), Malaysia Babydoll Foxx (Miami, FL), Marcia Marcia Marcia (New York, NY), Mistress Isabelle Brooks (Houston, TX), Princess Poppy (San Francisco, CA), Robin Fierce (Hartford, CT), Salina EsTitties (Los Angeles, CA), Sasha Colby (Los Angeles, CA), Sugar (Los Angeles, CA), and Spice (Los Angeles, CA).
RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 premieres on MTV on Friday, January 6 at 8:00 pm ET with a commercial-free premiere episode and a limited-commercial part two.
Jennifer Lopez is helping get out the congressional vote…
The 52-year-old Puerto Rican superstar is among the celebrities who’ve joined a national nonpartisan voting initiative launched by former Michelle Obama as the effort gears up for the November congressional elections.
“Are you ready for the midterm elections?” the former first lady asks in the a video announcement.
J.Lo is one the newest co-chairs of Obama’s When We All Vote initiative, alongside H.E.R, Steph Curry, Becky G and Bretman Rock.
They join Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks, Liza Koshy, Janelle Monae, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chris Paul, Megan Rapino, Shonda Rhimes, Kerry Washington and Rita Wilson.
The volunteer co-chairs use their platforms to help boost voter registration and education with the goal of helping increase turnout for congressional and state elections in November. Democrats currently have slim majorities in both the House and Senate.
“The right to vote is so important and I hope to inspire many in my generation to exercise that right often and purposefully,” H.E.R said in a statement provided by When We All Vote. “That’s the only way that we can hope to make change in policies that affect us all now and for many years to come.”
Mrs. Obama launched the voter education and registration initiative for the 2018 midterm elections.
DC Comics has unveiled the new young adult graphic novel anthology Wonder Women of History, which celebrates real-life heroes, including the 30-year-old Bronx-born Puerto Rican politician who currently serving as the U.S. Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district.
Ocasio-Cortez, or simply AOC, as she’s known, drew national recognition when she won the Democratic Party‘s primary election for New York’s 14th congressional district in June 2018, defeating Democratic Caucus chair Joe Crowley, a 10-term incumbent, in what was widely seen as the biggest upset victory in the 2018 midterm election primaries. She defeated Republican opponent Anthony Pappas in the November general election.
Taking office at age 29, Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman ever to serve in the United States Congress.She has been noted for her substantial social media presence relative to her fellow members of Congress
Female and non-binary writers and artists tell 17 stories of those “who take up Wonder Woman‘s iconic mantle” in their respective fields of science, sports, entertainment, politics, social justice and more, according to the DC Comics blog.
New York Timesbestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson edited the collection after recently writing the original graphic novel Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed.
In addition to Ocasio-Cortez, Wonder Women of History also spotlights singer-actress Janelle Monáe, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Iskwew Air CEO and Founder Teara Fraser, LGBTQ+ rights activist Edith Windsor, transgender activist and Stonewall uprising figure Marsha P. Johnson, Parkland shooting survivor and gun control advocate Emma Gonzalez, disability rights activist Judith Heumann, NASA‘s first Hispanic female astronaut Ellen Ochoa, deputy director of Wuhan Institute of Virology and China’s “Bat Woman” Dr. Shi Zhengli, 23-time Grand Slam winning tennis player Serena Williams, stand-up comic Tig Notaro, actress Keiko Agena, and the first African American gymnast to win an individual Olympic medal Dominique Dawes.
The graphic novel will officially hit bookstore shelves everywhere on December 1. The anthologywill also include portraits of illustrators Weshoyot Alvitre, Colleen Doran, Agnes Garbowska, Bex Glendining, Ashley A. Woods, and Safiya Zerrougui.
Jennifer Lopez is ready to motivate this year’s graduates…
YouTube has added several speakers and musical performances to Dear Class of 2020, its global virtual commencement ceremony set for June 6, including the 50-year-old Puerto Rican superstar.
In addition to Lopez, others joining Barack and Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga and more as part of the special event are Beyoncé Knowles-Carter— who will deliver an inspirational message to the graduates — La La Anthony, Andy Cohen, Lana Condor, Misty Copeland,Kevin Durant, FINNEAS, Bill & Melinda Gates, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Demi Lovato, Hasan Minhaj, Janelle Monáe,Antoni Porowski, Billy Porter, Phoebe Robinson, Yara Shahidi, Michael Strahan, Taylor Swift, Ciara & Russell Wilson, the casts of Euphoria and Riverdale, Today’s Jenna Bush Hager and Natalie Morales, and YouTub ecreators Emma Chamberlain, John Green, NikkieTutorials, and Mark Rober.
The multi-hour event premieres on Saturday, June 6 on YouTube. Other speakers and performers include BTS, Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland, Kerry Washington, Chloe x Halle and Zendaya, among others.
Barack and Michelle Obama each will deliver commencement speeches – as well as a joint heartfelt message – to this year’s high school and college seniors who are missing graduation celebrations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, Michelle Obama’s Higher Reach Initiative will host a full hour of content to kick off the celebration.
“Graduation is a tradition that students and families look forward to and with the current state of the world, YouTube is lending some inspiration in the form of a virtual commencement,” said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Content for YouTube. “We hope bringing together noteworthy, influential speakers along with performances from some of their favorite artists will provide encouragement for the students who have worked so hard to get here.”
In “Dear Class of 2020,” people from around the world will join the class of 2020 as a singular community to celebrate their resilience, and the endless possibilities of their future, says YouTube.
“The festival-style line up combines classic commencement day themes with a diverse array of entertainment that will capture all of the emotions of graduation including pride, hope, optimism, and camaraderie.”
YouTube is working in partnership with Higher Reach, Born This Way Foundation, Malala Fund, TODAY, and Ideas United to showcase student stories and feature graduates around the world, including a crowd-sourced commencement speech. The special will be produced by Done + Dusted.
“Dear Class of 2020” can be streamed on the YouTube Originals channel and the Learn@Home site.
The full schedule of commencement events is available on the Learn@Home site.
The 34-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has been named one of the main stage headliners for the Essence Festival of Culture.
Mars will co-headline the event with Janet Jacksonas Essence celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Mars’ appearance will be his first time performing at the festival — and his only 2020 U.S. festival performance.
Essence Festival of Culture will expand for the first time from three to five days (July 1-5) in New Orleans, marking one day for each decade. This year’s theme is “Own Our Power.”
Jackson will be making her third appearance at the festival. Her appearance will take place during her newly announced Black Diamond World Tour, titled after her upcoming 12th studio album.
In addition to Jackson and Mars, the festival’s three-night concert series will include the following lineups at the Louisiana Superdome:
Main stage: Ari Lennox, Janelle Monae, Patti LaBelle, Raphael Saadiq (performing songs across his entire career from Tony! Toni! Tone! through his solo albums, including Jimmy Lee), Estelle Presents Reggae & Afrobeats Link Up featuring Afro B, Chronnix, Elephant Man, Kranium, Max Glazer, Maxi Priest, Shenseeaand more, Summer Walker, Swizz BeatzPresents In the Zone featuring guest artists.
Hosted by Loni Love with music by D-Nice, the main stage lineup will salute music icons each night, including a special anniversary celebration on July 4.
Superlounges: Casmé, D Smoke, Demi Grace, Doug E. Fresh Presents The Real Hip-Hop and R&B Party, Elah Hale, Goldlink, Jac Ross, Jamesdavis, Jidenna, June’s Diary, Kiana Lede, Kitty Cash, Leikeli47, Masego, Mr Eazi, Oswin Benjamin, Rapsody, Saweetie, SiR, Smino, Stokley, Tamia, Tank and the Bangas, TeaMarrr, The New Respects and Umi.
“This is a milestone year for Essence and our community as we celebrate 50 years of creating opportunities for our culture to shine and the role of black women in making it possible for us to do what no other brand has done,” said Michelle Ebanks, CEO of Essence Communications, Inc.“To be able to say that at 50 years, we are black-owned, diversified across media, technology, commerce and live events, and impacting our culture in new and even deeper ways than ever before is a blessing – and one that comes with a tremendous responsibility to our community to continue to evolve, innovate and transform. That remains our focus and commitment as we work to ensure that we are here serving black women deeply and advancing black culture, economic ownership and inclusion globally for the next 50 years.”
Regarding Mars and Jackson, Ebanks added, “These two powerhouses, along with our robust slate of programming, performances and tributes, will continue our legacy of cultural excellence and dynamic, only-at-Essence experiences that excite, elevate and inspire.”
The “Up” singer will appear poolside from Fontainebleau Miami Beach, while her “WAP” collaborator Megan Thee Stallion was previously on the bill.
