Taylor Swift praises Zoë Kravitz’s performance in ‘The Batman’: “THE CATWOMAN OF DREAMS”

Taylor Swift praises Zoë Kravitz’s performance in ‘The Batman’: “THE CATWOMAN OF DREAMS”
Taylor Swift praises Zoë Kravitz’s performance in ‘The Batman’: “THE CATWOMAN OF DREAMS”
Warner Bros. Pictures

If you’ve ever wondered whether Taylor Swift is a Marvel or a DC kinda gal, it appears we have our answer.

Taylor took to her Instagram Stories over the weekend to praise the new film The Batman, and, in particular, Zoë Kravitz‘s portrayal of the iconic character, Catwoman.  Taylor posted a photo of Kravitz onscreen in the film, which appears to have been taken in a theater or screening room.

“@zoeisabellakravitz IS THE CATWOMAN OF DREAMS,” Taylor captioned the post. “The Batman was PHENOMENAL!!”

Taylor and Zoë have apparently been friends for quite a while: There are photos of them out together in New York City in 2016.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, opened with $128.5 million at the box office this weekend, the second-best opening of the pandemic era. Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home was first.

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MGK meets BMTH: Kelly teases new song with Oli Sykes

MGK meets BMTH: Kelly teases new song with Oli Sykes
MGK meets BMTH: Kelly teases new song with Oli Sykes
ABC

Machine Gun Kelly is bringing Bring Me the Horizon to a new song.

The “Bloody Valentine” rocker and Horizon frontman Oli Sykes made a surprise appearance at Los Angeles’ Emo Night event last Friday night, where they premiered a never-before-heard collaborative track. Fan-shot footage of the performance is streaming now on YouTube.

Kelly later tweeted that the official recording of the song would be released “soon.”

We’d guess that the track will appear on MGK’s upcoming album Mainstream Sellout, which arrives March 25. The follow-up to 2020’s Tickets to My Downfall features the WILLOW and Lil Wayne collaborations “Emo Girl” and “Ay!”, respectively.

A track with Kelly would follow a string of recent collabs for Sykes and Horizon, including “Let’s Get the Party Started” with Tom Morello and a joint rendition of Ed Sheeran‘s “Bad Habits.”

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Dua Lipa reacts to ‘SNL’ skit about her; another “Levitating” lawsuit is filed

Dua Lipa reacts to ‘SNL’ skit about her; another “Levitating” lawsuit is filed
Dua Lipa reacts to ‘SNL’ skit about her; another “Levitating” lawsuit is filed
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Dua Lipa seems to be amused by the Saturday Night Live skit about her that aired over the weekend

In the skit, guest host Oscar Isaac played a janitor named Mike who stumbles into a writing group being held after hours in the high school where he works. When they invite him to read something he’s written, he starts reading a story called “The Apogee of Midnight,” which turns out to be fan fiction about Dua.

In Mike’s story, Dua shows up late at night in the high school and says, “My name is Dua Lipa. I’m a big pop star, and I’m looking for a janitor here named Mike.” 

He continues reading the story: “The janitor paused. That was his name. Dua Lipa sighed. ‘You haven’t heard of me, have you?’ ‘Sorry, ma’am. More of a classic rock guy, myself — but sure, maybe I’ve seen a bikini pic or two.’”

In Mike’s story, Dua then asks him to teach her how to make out, saying, “I’ve never done it before.”

The leader of the writing group tries to stop Mike, and the women in the group say the story’s “creepy.”  But the men in the group are on the edge of their seats, dying to know what’s going to happen. 

Dua posted the entire sketch on her Instagram and captioned it, “*adds to list of things I never thought would happen in my life,*” along with a bunch of laughing emojis.

In other Dua news, days after being hit with a copyright lawsuit over her song “Levitating,” Billboard reports that two more songwriters have filed a lawsuit against her over the same song.  The songwriters, L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer, claim “Levitating” copies parts of their 1979 song “Wiggle and Giggle All Night” and their 1980 song, “Don Diablo.”

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“Eazy” funny: Pete Davidson reportedly finds Kanye’s violent diss video “hysterical”

“Eazy” funny: Pete Davidson reportedly finds Kanye’s violent diss video “hysterical”
“Eazy” funny: Pete Davidson reportedly finds Kanye’s violent diss video “hysterical”
Rosalind O’Connor/NBC

While many have criticized Kanye West‘s new video for “Eazy“, in which he apparently murders an animated analogue for Pete Davidson, the SNL star himself is laughing it off.

A source tells Entertainment Tonight that Davidson, who is dating West’s estranged wife, Kim Kardashian, “finds the fact that Kanye included a cartoon version of him in his music video hysterical.”

“He is almost flattered by it all because it is so ridiculous to him,” the source adds.

And fans of the evidently irresistible comedian and The Suicide Squad actor needn’t worry about him, the source continues, commenting Pete “is not threatened by Kanye in any way, shape or form.” Instead, Ye’s reaction is helping Davidson “to grow in more ways than one, including for himself and his relationship with Kim. He is turning all of the negativity into a positive thing.”

Sunday night, Kanye himself addressed the controversy on Instagram, noting that, like the disclaimer that appears in end credits in a movie, any similarities between the video’s characters and real people is purely coincidental. 

“Art is therapy just like this view,” Kanye began. “art is protected as freedom of speech/art inspires and simplifies the world/Art is not a proxy for any ill or harm.”

He added, “Any suggestion otherwise about my art is false and mal intended [sic].”

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Halsey mourns their “first love” in heartbreaking post: “The worst week of my life”

Halsey mourns their “first love” in heartbreaking post: “The worst week of my life”
Halsey mourns their “first love” in heartbreaking post: “The worst week of my life”
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Halsey is mourning the loss of their dog, Jagger. 

Over the weekend, the “Without Me” singer took to social media to share a slideshow of photos of their furry friend, along with a heartbreaking tribute. 

“This has been the worst week of my life,” Halsey began. “Before I had a dog of my own, I would hear people mourn their pets and think ‘it’s just a dog…’ well I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

Halsey, who got Jagger “when he was just a few weeks old,” went on to share that they thought about what it would be like when this day came, but didn’t expect it to come so soon. 

“Jagger was 5 years old and yesterday we lost him to a progressive condition called Myelomalacia. It is sudden and uncommon and unfair with a catastrophic prognosis,” they explained.

“Within 3 days my beautiful baby boy went from chasing imaginary birds around the yard and laying in my lap turning his ears up at the sounds of Sesame Street, to having paralysis spread through his body by the hour,” they continued. “It was sudden and shocking and I still haven’t even really processed it.”

The pop star, who welcomed their son Ender with Alev Aydin last summer, added, “My very first love, who taught me how to be a mommy. My sweet, sarcastic, so very human boy. Every single person who had the privilege of meeting jagger will never forget him. He was that special.”

Halsey concluded, “If you’re reading this and you don’t have a pet, you might be thinking ‘it’s just a dog.’ Like I maybe used to. But I can tell you you’re wrong… If you loved Jagger along with me, thank you for giving him the best life the bestest boy could have ever had.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Todd Rungren is getting to play songs from his favorite Beatles album on Fab Four-themed tribute tour

Todd Rungren is getting to play songs from his favorite Beatles album on Fab Four-themed tribute tour
Todd Rungren is getting to play songs from his favorite Beatles album on Fab Four-themed tribute tour
21st Century Artists, Inc.

Todd Rundgren is one of several well-known musicians who are taking part in the 2022 edition of the “It Was Fifty Years Ago Today: A Tribute to The Beatles” tour, which kicked off last week.

While the 2019 edition of the trek showcased songs from The Beatles’ 1967 self-titled album, aka The White Album, this tour focuses on 1965’s Rubber Soul and 1966’s Revolver.

Todd, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year, tells ABC Audio that while he’s a fan of Rubber Soul, Revolver is his very favorite album by the Fab Four.

“When they did Revolver…[they] actually redefin[ed] the [rock] genre,” Rundgren notes, “adding tape loops and backwards guitar solos and things like that, all sorts of studio techniques that nobody had used before.”

Todd says when it came time to choose songs to perform on the trek, he immediately “nabbed” two Revolver tunes that were among The Beatles’ first forays into psychedelia — “She Said, She Said” and “Tomorrow Never Knows.”

“I said, ‘No one else is doing those but me,'” Rundgren recalls with a laughs. “No one else has taken as many drugs as me in this band, and therefore I qualify.”

Joining Todd on the outing are Christopher Cross, founding Moody Blues and Wings member Denny Laine, Badfinger‘s Joey Molland and former Chicago singer/bassist Jason Scheff. Each artist performs several Beatles tunes, as well as a couple of the best-known tunes from their own careers.

Rundgren says the tour members’ own hits actually “get an equally great response” as the Fab Four songs during the show.

The tour continues tonight in Red Bank, New Jersey, and winds down on March 27 in Kansas City, Missouri. Visit GlassOnyonPR.com for a full list of dates.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Foo Fighters ponder possibility of ‘The Colour and the Shape’ 25th anniversary plans: “Let’s take this one”

Foo Fighters ponder possibility of ‘The Colour and the Shape’ 25th anniversary plans: “Let’s take this one”
Foo Fighters ponder possibility of ‘The Colour and the Shape’ 25th anniversary plans: “Let’s take this one”
ABC/Randy Holmes

Foo Fighters‘ new movie Studio 666 is full of blood and gore, but if you really want to shock Dave Grohl, just mention that The Colour and the Shape is turning 25 this year.

Originally released in May 1997, the sophomore Foo Fighters album spawned the future classic “Everlong,” as well as the singles “My Hero” and “Monkey Wrench.”

In response to ABC Audio asking him about the record’s upcoming milestone, Grohl says, “Our reaction is it’s exactly what just happened: [guitarist] Pat [Smear] goes, ‘Wow!’ and we look at each other, like, ‘Oh my god!'”

He laughs, “I don’t even think we realized it.”

In 2020, the Foos had mapped out a giant celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of their 1995 self-titled debut. Then, of course, came the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced Grohl and company to stay home during their big year.

While Grohl says that he doesn’t currently have any plans to mark The Colour and the Shape‘s silver anniversary, he’s open to the idea of 2022 making up for what they missed out on in 2020.

“We lost our last 25-year [anniversary], so let’s take this one,” Smear says.

“I know, I think 2020 was supposed to be our big 25, our big 25th anniversary,” Grohl adds. “So yeah, let’s take this one.”

While the Foos ponder that idea, you can catch the band on the silver screen in Studio 666, which is in theaters now.

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Celebrate International Women’s Day with Emmy Meli’s empowerment anthem “I Am Woman”

Celebrate International Women’s Day with Emmy Meli’s empowerment anthem “I Am Woman”
Celebrate International Women’s Day with Emmy Meli’s empowerment anthem “I Am Woman”
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Billboard

It’s Woman’s History Month, and Tuesday is also International Women’s Day, so many fans will no doubt turn to Emmy Meli‘s hit “I Am Woman” — which has become an empowerment anthem after breaking out on TikTok last year — to celebrate both occasions.  Emmy says the very nature of womanhood inspired her to give the song that all-encompassing title.

“I didn’t say ‘I am A woman’ because to me, ‘I am woman’ feels like you’re embodying everything that comes with being a woman,” she tells ABC Audio. “‘I am woman’ means I can be a mother, I can be an artist, I can be a doctor, I can be a teacher, I can be an athlete. I am beautiful and powerful and special. It’s all of that.”

Since its release, fans have told Emmy about the impact the song’s had on their lives, and some have even gotten the title tattooed on their bodies. While at first, some people thought Emmy’s song was a cover of Helen Reddy‘s 1972 song of the same name, she’s proud that it’s started its own movement.

“I hope that people are going to be remembering my song and listening to my song…for a long time,” she says. “I hope that 40 years from now, when another girl writes another ‘I am woman,’  they’re going to be like ‘Nice cover of the song “I Am Woman” by Emmy Meli!'”

As for fans who get “I Am Woman” tattoos, Emmy says it’s “an incredible honor.”

“I have seen people tattoo Amy Winehouse…SZA…Lady Gaga [on themselves],” she says. “And I would just always think, like, ‘I wonder if someone would ever love me enough to tattoo something that I made or that I wrote on their body?'”  It’s ‘surreal,’ she says, that it actually happened. 

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Gabby Barrett will sing like Lee Ann, host alongside Dolly, and change clothes as often as Reba at the ACMs

Gabby Barrett will sing like Lee Ann, host alongside Dolly, and change clothes as often as Reba at the ACMs
Gabby Barrett will sing like Lee Ann, host alongside Dolly, and change clothes as often as Reba at the ACMs
Academy of Country Music

Tonight, the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards take over Las Vegas, live from Allegiant Stadium via Amazon Prime Video.

The show’s hosted by Dolly Parton, Jimmie Allen, and Gabby Barrett — and the American Idol winner is prepared to bring it. 

“I’ll have a solo performance of ‘I Hope You Dance’ by Lee Ann Womack — love that song,” she tells ABC Audio. “And then I’ll be doing an opening number with Jimmie Allen and co-hosting alongside Jimmie and Dolly. So lots of outfit changes as well.”

Just how many changes? Enough to bring up the name of a legend.

“Reba level?” Gabby teases. “Yeah! Five or six outfits altogether. So it’s a good amount.” 

Tune in to Amazon Prime Video starting at 8 p.m. ET to watch the star-studded, two-hour, commercial-free show.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Stevie Wonder posts heartfelt video calling for people to unite to support Ukraine

Stevie Wonder posts heartfelt video calling for people to unite to support Ukraine
Stevie Wonder posts heartfelt video calling for people to unite to support Ukraine
ABC/Eric McCandless

Stevie Wonder has posted a video titled “Ukraine, You and I…the World” on his YouTube channel and social media sites in which he delivers a heartfelt plea for the world to come together in support of Ukraine, as Russia continues its brutal assault on its neighboring country.

“Can we survive if Ukraine does not? That is the question that we all should ask,” the Motown legend begins. “Are we surprised that the forces of evil are alive and aggressive in today’s world? I’m not surprised. And you shouldn’t be either.”

Stevie continues, “I write and sing about it because I can feel it. You should know about it because you can see it. Unless you have a blind eye to it and don’t want to do anything about it, you can see it. Those of us who know hate recognize the commonality of inhumanity.”

Wonder adds, “It is good versus evil. Right versus wrong. Tyranny over liberty. This is not just a Ukrainian war. Today, Ukraine is in a battle for the soul of the world. As we speak, they’re fighting forces of evil. We have seen what evil has and can do. It doesn’t matter what country or color.”

The 71-year-old music icon goes on to say, “Now evil threatens the sovereignty of one country and the sanctity of all others. What additional tragedies will it take for us to stop this aggression? Hate has no color. Has no loyalty. Greed has no commitment but to itself. Only you the people can prevent World War 3.”

In conclusion, Stevie declares, “We must stand up to hate and kill hate before it kills us. I believe in the power of the people. All the people. We can stop this. Right now.”

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