Music

Top Boy breakout star Micheal Ward has been tapped to star in Sam Mendes‘ upcoming drama Empire of Light, Deadline has learned.

According to the report, Mendes and execs were “blown away” by the actor’s table read. While plot details have not been announced, the film is described as a “love story” set around an old cinema on the South Coast of England in the 1980s. Ward will star alongside Olivia Colman, who was previously announced. Empire of Light will be Mendes first film project since winning the Oscar for his World War I drama 1917. Production is expected to begin in fall of 2022.

In other news, a trailer for Tiffany Haddish‘s revenge thriller The Card Counter has been released. The film follows Oscar Isaac as William Tell, a military interrogator turned card player haunted by his past. To find “redemption,” William agrees to help a man “execute his plan for revenge on a military colonel,” played by Willem Dafoe. Haddish will play a “mysterious backer looking to add Tell to her stable of card sharks.”  The Card Counter hits theaters on September 10.

Finally, Yasiin Bey, formally known as Mos Def, has decided to remove himself from the Thelonious Monk biopic, Thelonious, following the jazz great’s family’s disapproval of the project. In an Instagrampost, Bey said in part, “If the Monk Estate is not happy with it, if Mr. Monk III is not happy with it, then neither am I. Bey added that he was “given every indication by the production company that the family was on board.”  As previously reported, the film, which was slated to begin production in 2022.

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Dua Lipa is speaking out after her “Levitating” remix collaborator, DaBaby, made homophobic comments at the Rolling Loud Festival in Miami over the weekend.

“I’m surprised and horrified at DaBaby‘s comments,” she wrote on her Instagram Story Tuesday. “I really don’t recognize this as the person I worked with.”

She added, “I know my fans know where my heart lies and that I stand 100% with the LGBTQ community. We need to come together to fight the stigma and ignorance around HIV/AIDS.”

In DaBaby’s on-stage remarks, the rapper said, in part, “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two or three weeks, put your cellphone light in the air.”

He also made another not-safe-for-broadcast comment regarding gay men. DaBaby later defended his comments in a series of Instagram videos, saying that there were gay fans present who enjoyed his show.

Dua fans have been calling for the singer to remove DaBaby from the “Levitating” remix. One fan suggested she replace him with Lil Nas X.

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The Kid LAROI surprised fans with an extended version of his latest album.

At midnight on Tuesday, he released F*ck Love 3+ , which features six bonus tracks: “I Don’t Know,” “About You,” “Lonely and F***** Up,” “Situation,” “Attention” and “Best for Me.”

Just last Friday, the Australian rapper dropped F*ck Love 3, the third installment in his F*ck Love series following his July 2020 debut mixtape F*ck Love and November 2020’s F*ck Love (Savage).

LAROI also announced a pop-up show in Los Angeles that’s set to take place Tuesday night at an undisclosed location. Fans can register for free tickets and if selected, they’ll receive a text with the venue and show details.

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Blake Shelton and his fellow The Voice coaches Ariana Grande, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson take to the wilderness in a humorous promo video for the show’s upcoming season. 

Though the promo is packed with tons of star power, the main focus is on new judge Ariana.

The clip begins with Blake, Kelly and John gathered around a makeshift campfire as they enjoy the view of the night sky.

“Whoa, look at that amazing star over there!” Blake exclaims, with a guitar in hand. “You mean Alpha Centauri?” John questions. “No, I mean Ariana Grande,” Blake retorts. 

Joining the crew at the camp site, Ariana honors the tradition of a new coach gracing the veteran coaches with a song, belting out a stellar rendition of Olivia Newton-John‘s “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” while Blake strums his acoustic guitar, and as woodland creatures — and host Carson Daly, dressed in park ranger attire — watch in awe.

“This is going to be an amazing season,” the country star remarks, adding in a voice-over, “The stars are out. Ariana Grande joins The Voice on NBC.” 

The Voice season 21 premieres on NBC on September 20.

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Young Thug performed four songs from his upcoming album, Punk, for his debut on NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert.

The YSL CEO showcased his love for punk rock and hip-hop music during an intimate garden performance at The Houdini Estate in Los Angeles. The Grammy-winner opens with a track where he reflects on his parents splitting up at a young age and missing his son’s birthday while on tour.

“I’m just seeking for God’s soul ’cause I know something’s missing,” Thugger admits on “Die Slow.” He followed that with “Droppin’ Jewels,” “Hate the Game,” “Tick Tock,” and a punk-rock version of the chart-topping single, “SKI,” with drummer Travis Barker, whom he called “G.O.A.T.”

Thugger’s other guitarists and drummers wore pink sweat short sets to match the rapper’s pink-hued dreadlocks. The 13-minute performance ends with the back of Young Thug’s shirt featuring the name and release date for his first solo album in two years.

Fans on Twitter were amazed by Thugger’s NPR debut, calling it one of the best Tiny Deskperformances by far. Others gave it a ranking of 12/10.

“Never knew we needed Young Thug on rock beats until now. #NPR,” one fan tweeted, while another asked, “Did @youngthug really give us one of the best NPR Tiny Desk episodes and have fire-new songs for an album we can’t get [until] later this year? Somebody give me the number to YSL. I just want to talk.”

Punk arrives October 15.

(Video contain uncensored profanity.)

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Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello, Metallica‘s James Hetfield and Guns N’ Roses‘ Slash are sharing their support for Road Recovery, an organization that uses music to help teens battling addiction and other at-risk youth.

Each rocker filmed a video testimonial speaking about Road Recovery’s mission and how music can help, especially during a particularly difficult time like the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When I get really emotional, that’s when I write lyrics,” Hetfield says in his video. “When I get in a really happy, good mood, that’s when I start writing riffs. That’s just what I do, and you’ll find your own thing.”

Other artists offering testimonials include Peter Frampton and Bad Company‘s Paul Rodgers. You can watch all the videos now via the Road Recovery YouTube channel.

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Is Lady Gaga going for the gold?

Fans have spotted the singer’s doppelganger competing in the Tokyo Olympic games, and the internet is having a field day with it.

“Why is Lady Gaga at the Olympics,” Gaga Daily tweeted on Monday along with a photo of Jordanian taekwondo fighter Julyana Al-Sadeq, who bears a striking resemblance to the star.

Other tweets and comments flooded in, with one person writing, “lady gaga said ‘f*** grammys and oscars, i want a gold olympic medal now.’”

Another referenced Gaga’s oft-quoted phrase during her A Star Is Born promo tour: “There can be a hundred people at the olympics and one of them is Lady Gaga competing for a taekwondo medal.”

And yet another fan tweeted, “Singer, actress, activist and now Olympian! Lady Gaga really does do it all!”

Neither Gaga nor Al-Sadeq has yet to comment on the similarities. Al-Sadeq unfortunately lost to Brazilian fighter Milean Titoneli on Sunday.

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New York City is celebrating its comeback from the COVID-19 pandemic with a major concert. 

Kane Brown has been tapped as part of the expansive lineup for We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert, a multi-act event in Central Park on August 21. 

The “Worldwide Beautiful” singer is the lone country act in a massive list of multi-genre acts including Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Jennifer Hudson, Jimmy Fallon and more.  

The event is organized by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, legendary producer Clive Davis and Live Nation.

“This is a celebration of our city, of every working family who faced incredible challenges last year and overcame. This is a celebration for you,” de Blasio says in a statement. 

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required to attend the show, with 80 percent of the tickets available for free. Tickets go on sale on August 2 at 10 a.m. ET.   

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Winston Duke is leaving Wakanda behind — at least for a little while — to start a brand-new gig in Gotham City.

Duke, who became a breakout star in Black Panther with his portrayal of M’Baku, has been tapped to lead Spotify’s podcast series Batman Unburied, where he’ll voice the Dark Knight himself. Duke will be joined by Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs, who has signed on as Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler and right-hand man, Alfred.

The forthcoming series is described as a psychological thriller that “takes listeners deep into the mind of Bruce Wayne introducing a slew of dark twists and turns with a number of classic Batman Super-Villains.” In this narrative, Bruce is a forensic pathologist working at Gotham Hospital where he is “tasked with examining the victims of The Harvester, a gruesome serial killer preying on Gotham’s citizens.” The series follows Batman’s personal struggles with his own mental demons as he works to save the citizens of Gotham.

Additional casting for Batman Unburied has yet to be announced.

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