Music

Ava Max is getting ready for her new music era and teased that an upcoming new song will set the stage for her next album.

Speaking with Billboard, the “Motto” hitmaker revealed, “I spent all year writing on this next album.  I spent all last year writing and it was the hardest year of my life, last year, personally.”

When pressed for details, Ava added, “This music will say a lot.  Especially this new song coming out later this month. I’ve never written anything so personal and it’s probably some of the best music I’ve ever written.”

The “Psycho” singer is “excited” to be coming out with a new body of work soon, and teased, “It’s still anthemic and pop and amazing, but I think it’s a little different.  It’s more personal and I hope the fans [like it].”  Although she’s eager to kickstart her next era, Ava added that she’s “terrified” because her new music is more vulnerable.

“I feel like a piece of my heart is coming out and I’m super nervous about it,” she admitted before revealing her next album is titled, Maybe You’re the Problem.  She also hinted that she possibly included more collaborations on her upcoming work.

In addition, Ava gave a shout-out to her “Motto” collaborator Tiesto, saying he “inspired this whole new sound for me.”

Ava also revealed what inspired her dramatic makeover, where she went from her signature platinum blonde hair to a cherry-red chop cut. 

“I was blonde for a long time, like four years, and I didn’t change it much.  I just kept it blonde and I was like, ‘What’s the craziest thing I could do?’ and ‘What’s my favorite color?’ Red!” she explained. “Literally, I wear red lipstick all the time.  Why not match my lipstick?”

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Oscar winners Kevin Costner, Lady Gaga and Minari‘s Yuh-Jung Youn will be among the presenters at the 94th Annual Academy Awards, taking place March 27th.

Also added at the podium for this year’s festivities will be stand-up icon and Fargo vet Chris Rock and The Batman‘s Zoë Kravitz.

In the announcement, co-producer Will Packer said, “Movies inspire us, entertain us and unite us across the globe. That’s the precise goal of the show this year, and we’re thrilled to welcome the first of a stellar lineup joining the Oscars stage to help us celebrate the power of film and honor the year’s best in filmmaking.”

More presenters will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall will host the 94th Annual Academy Awards, live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood starting at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC.

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Jack Harlow is going from starring in music videos to starring in a feature film — one that’s a remake of a beloved ’90s comedy.

Deadline reports that the “Nail Tech” rapper will be featured in a remake of the 1992 Woody Harrelson/Wesley Snipes film White Men Can’t Jump.  Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and Doug Hall are writing the script for the new movie, which will be directed by Charles Kidd III, aka Calmatic.

Jack will play the Woody Harrelson role of a street basketball hustler who teams up with his one-time rival, played by Snipes, to make even more money.  The Snipes role is currently being cast, as is the role that Rosie Perez originated in the film: the Jeopardy-obsessed girlfriend of the character Jack is playing.

But can Jack jump in real life?  Apparently so: He showed off his skills on the court during the recent NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game.  And according to Deadline, he can act, too: Even though it was his first-ever movie audition, he impressed everyone so much that he immediately landed the role.

The rapper will film the movie around his scheduled late-May headlining gig at the Forecastle Festival in his home state of Kentucky.

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Chris Janson had exciting new details to share this week about his next album, All In.

Before making the full announcement, the singer dropped a couple of songs off the project, including the title track, “Cold Beer Truth” and the lead single, “Bye Mom.”

With the latest batch of details, though, Chris sets an April 29 release date for All In, and also clues fans into some special collaborators. Eric Church is a duet partner for one track, “You, Me & The River,” which is a song that Eric wrote solo. The track list also contains “Flag on the Wall,” a song that Chris and Eric co-wrote together.

But the Chief isn’t the only country legend that Chris tapped as a collaborator. The 16-song track list also includes “Things You Can’t Live Without,” a duet with ‘90s hitmaker Travis Tritt.

“There are all kinds of songs on this project, but they all flow together because they are genuine to me,” Chris reflects. “I went all in on every part of this process, from writing to singing to playing to producing. I feel like it’s my best, most true-to-myself album to date.”

Meanwhile, the singer is on the road for his Halfway to Crazy Tour, which runs through April 9.

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New York’s 110-year-old Cort Theatre will undergo a name change in honor of actor James Earl Jones and his lifelong contributions to Broadway and the artistic community.

In the announcement on Wednesday, the Shubert Organization, which owns and operates 17 Broadway and six off-Broadway theaters, said the decision to change the theater’s name to the James Earl Jones Theatre “is without question.”

“The Shubert Organization is so incredibly honored to put James — an icon in the theatre community, the Black community, and the American community — forever in Broadway’s lights” said Robert E. Wankel, Shubert CEO and board chair.

The famous theater is home to many notable productions, including the 1958 play Sunrise at Campobello, in which Jones made his Broadway debut.

“For me, standing in this very building sixty-four years ago at the start of my Broadway career, it would have been inconceivable that my name would be on the building today,” Jones said in response to the honor.  “Let my journey from then to now be an inspiration for all aspiring actors.

The 91-year-old began his career in 1957 and over the ensuing decades went on to star in over 21 Broadway shows, winning three Tony awards in the process.  He’s one of the small group of people to have reached EGOT status, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award.

The Shubert Organization plans to hold a formal dedication ceremony this summer, after the completion of current building renovations.

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Michael Bublé is adding another trophy to his collection tonight — the prestigious Order of British Columbia

The Vancouver Sun reports that the “I’ll Never Not Love You” singer has been waiting for two years to receive the honor.  It was announced in 2020 that he’d be awarded British Columbia’s top honor, but the ceremony had to be postponed because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael’s patience has paid off and, on Thursday night, the B.C. native will finally collect his long overdue award.  The Order of B.C. is awarded to a civilian for their contributions to their respective field and is regarded as the region’s highest form of recognition. 

The virtual ceremony will be streamed live on YouTube, starting at 9 p.m. ET.

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Kacey Musgraves has been named a 2022 TIME Woman of the Year, along with an inaugural class featuring CEOs, civil rights activists, athletes, artists and leaders in other fields.

All 12 honorees will be celebrated at a gala on International Women’s Day, which is March 8. Kacey will give a musical performance at the event, which is set to take place in Los Angeles.

Kacey’s inclusion in the program comes on the heels of the 2021 release of her Star-Crossed album, as she continues to challenge genre boundaries and make strides towards new possibilities within the format.

Though Star-Crossed was deemed ineligible for consideration in country-specific categories at the upcoming Grammy Awards — due to the Recording Academy’s decision that the project lacked sufficient stylistic elements of the genre — Kacey’s nominated in two genre categories. Those are Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance, both for her new song, “Camera Roll.”

Though 2022 marks the first of what will be annual Women of the Year lists, the recognition builds on TIME’s 2020 Women of the Year Project, which recognized female leaders throughout history.

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Shinedown has premiered the video for “Planet Zero,” the lead single and title track off the band’s upcoming new album.

The clip brings the titular Planet Zero to life, where the Shinedown members are trapped in a futuristic, sci-fi facility. There, Brent Smith and company come into contact with a “menacing A.I.” called Cyren, who’s a recurring character throughout the album.

“We wanted the first visual of ‘Planet Zero’ to be unlike anything we have done previously,” Smith says. “We chose to work with visionary director Charles De Meyer. We did not want a traditional music video feel — we wanted avant-garde, thought-provoking and surreal.”

He adds, “Make no mistake, there is a message in the visual, a warning of what is to come, if society does not wake up, and demand the truth be told.”

You can watch the “Planet Zero” video streaming now on YouTube.

“Planet Zero” is currently number one on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, once again giving Shinedown the record for most leaders in the ranking’s 40-year history.

Planet Zero the album drops April 22.

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Stephen Colbert‘s Americone Dream, his exclusive flavor from Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, just turned 15, and who better to celebrate the major milestone than Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban?

The duo launched into a hilarious and over-the-top tribute of Colbert’s concoction by highlighting the major moments in history that’ve taken place since the world was first introduced to the beloved ice cream flavor.

The four-minute song, which Josh sang as he played on a white grand piano dusted with rose petals, features notable lyrics such as “Scoops of smiles, and scoops of tears/ Your sweet and chunky mixture made my heart explode/ A dream I’ve had for 15 years/ From when Dubya was in office, to Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s b***s/ From the moment you were churned/ You’ve been there through it alls.”

Sara assisted, singing, “From the first black president to his best friend Joe/ From Brett Farve’s [junk] to Aaron Rodgers’ COVID toe.”

The two also saluted the arrival of 3-D printing, meatless burgers, fidget spinners, selfie sticks and more. They also serenaded a giant pint of Americone Dream that was dancing around the stage.

Colbert reminded the audience that all proceeds from sales of his ice cream flavor benefit numerous charities. In the 15 years since Americone Dream first hit the shelves, $4,258,500 has been donated to various organizations from its sales.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on CBS.

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