Music

Nick Jonas is giving fans a peek at himself all dressed up for his starring role in the upcoming streaming movie musical production of Jersey Boys. 

On Monday, Nick shared a snapshot of himself in character as Frankie Valli, of the legendary group The Four Seasons. He’s shown posing along the actors who play the other members of the group — CJ Pawlikowski as Bob Gaudio, Matt Bogart as Nick Massi, Andy Karl as Tommy DeVito — plus director Des McAnuff.

“The past couple months I’ve been in Cleveland playing my dream role as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys!” the Jumanji actor captioned the Twitter post. “With our incredible cast and crew, we worked tirelessly to create an amazing musical movie event for you all.”

“Stay tuned for more exciting news,” he teased. It’s not clear as to which streaming service will debut the musical.

In June, Frankie Valli, 87, confirmed that Jonas would play him in the upcoming musical movie while speaking with NBC’s Today show, adding, “I’m really excited about that.”

Jersey Boys, which started out as a Broadway musical and was later made into a 2014 feature film, follows the rise and demise of The Four Seasons, famous for hits like “Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night).”

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by NICK JON?S (@nickjonas)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Billie Eilish admits she’s not much of a planner and is more of a spur-of-the-moment type of person.

Appearing Monday on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the teen singer gave fans a behind-the-scenes peek of the planning process behind her number-one album Happier Than Ever.

As it turns out, Eilish’s decision to swap her black-and-green hair for platinum blonde locks in time for her new album wasn’t something she’d planned in advance.

“It really just happened,” Eilish explained.  “I didn’t know what I was going to do at all, I mean, until recently.  Like, almost when the album was over, I didn’t even know what it was going to be called! I didn’t know what the vibe was going to be… I didn’t know what the artwork should be.”

Eilish said the only thing she knew for certain was how the album was going to feel.  She explained that everything eventually clicked “one night when I was listening to [torch singer and actress] Julie London and it was raining, and my fire pit was on…it just hit me and I realized how I wanted the album to be portrayed.”

The 19-year-old also talked about directing her own videos, saying she took the plunge because “I feel like when you have your own idea and you know what you want, sometimes it’s just the best way to go about it and just do it yourself.”

Doing it herself also meant no stunt doubles, even for her high octane “NDA” music video.  But Eilish said she wasn’t “nervous” to have “25 stunt drivers… zooming past me,” adding that she found the experience “fun.”

She closed out the night by performing her album’s title track, “Happier Than Ever.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Disgraced singer R. Kelly is heading to trial later this month and jury selection is currently underway in New York.

According to Page Six, Kelly will head to trial in Brooklyn on August 18.  The singer, whose birth name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, faces state and federal charges for sex trafficking, racketeering, coercion and other charges related to the alleged abuse and exploitation of six women over the course of 25 years.  He could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison if convicted.  

Judge Ann Donnelly oversaw the selection of several jurors on Monday, ensuring members of the prospective jury will remain impartial despite the serious nature of the allegations against the 54-year-old singer.

He maintains his innocence.

Kelly’s Brooklyn trial has been postponed at least five times because of the COVID-19 pandemic — but the most recent delay was for Kelly to review his case materials with his new legal team.  As previously reported, two of Kelly’s top lawyers withdrew from the case in June.

Kelly also faces a separate indictment in Chicago for allegations regarding child pornography.  That particular trial is slated to start in September. 

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Selena Gomez is ready for people to see her first adult TV role, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building.

The singer/actress, who hasn’t had a starring role in a TV series since her Disney Channel days on Wizards of Waverly Place, told reporters at the Television Critics Association Summer 2021 Press Tour that she felt way more in control this time around.

“I signed my life away to Disney at a very young age. So, I didn’t know exactly what I was doing,” she said.

“What I’d say is the level of sophistication of the material is first the reason why I wanted to do this [show],” she added, noting the differences between making a show as a kid versus an adult.

“…I was a kid [on Wizards of Waverly Place]; I didn’t know what I was doing. I was just riding around on set,” she noted. “And now I just — I feel like a sponge and I soak up all the wisdom that I can.”

Selena said another big draw was being cast as her actual age: She turned 29 last month. She stars as Mabel in the murder-mystery series opposite comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short, who she says became like her “two crazy uncles” in real life.

“How they lead a set is so commendable,” she said of the two. “They are so humble and they are kind and they are there till the very end and they are just really…they’ve set such an example for me.”

Only Murders in the Building debuts August 31.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Between the new Woodstock ’99 documentary and their recent performance at Lollapalooza, Limp Bizkit and “Break Stuff” have been in the news lately, certainly more than anyone could’ve predicted for the year 2021. Except for K.Flay, apparently.

The “Blood in the Cut” rocker, born Kristine Flaherty, released her take on “Break Stuff” for a ’90s-themed covers EP late last year, along with versions of Green Day‘s “Brain Stew” and The Offspring‘s “Self Esteem.” As Flaherty tells ABC Audio, she didn’t cover “Break Stuff” for any nostalgic reasons — in fact, she wasn’t even listening to Limp Bizkit during the glory days of nu metal.

“People are coming into that music at this point with baggage,” Flaherty says. “For me, I wasn’t, really. I was coming in with more fresh eyes, but certainly with an awareness of the history and the context.”

Instead, Flaherty felt a kinship with “Break Stuff’s” immortal opening line, which felt especially relevant amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“At the beginning of COVID, every morning I was, like, ‘Yeah, it’s just one of those days. You don’t wanna wake up, everything is f***ed, and everybody sucks,'” she laughs. “And I thought, ‘God, I’ve never felt that before in my life, why do I feel that way?’ And it’s because I’m really depressed.”

That moment of self-reflection then led her to explore a nominally surface-level lyric with more empathy.

“If I feel depressed and these lyrics are relatable, I wonder how Fred Durst felt when he was writing the song?” she recalls thinking. “Deeply, not like, ‘I’m wearing a hat and khakis and I’m screaming!’ But, like, actually, inside of his heart, how did he feel?” 

Along with the covers EP, K.Flay also released a new, original EP called Inside Voices in June.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Nicki Minaj is getting closer to her dream of hosting the upcoming Real Housewives of Potomac reunion show.

After the rapper joked on Instagram that she’s taking over the hosting duties for RHOP‘s upcoming season six reunion, it now appears Bravo’s Real Housewives executive producer Andy Cohen is looking to take Nicki up on her offer.

“I would love to figure out a way to work her into the reunion and I would love to be able to bring her out and see what she has to say and wants to ask the women,” Cohen told Entertainment Tonight. “It could be a fun little new segment. The answer is I’m totally receptive to figuring out how to work her into what we’re doing.”

Although nothing has been confirmed, Nicki expressed her excitement over the potential gig. In an Instagram Story, captured by ET, the rapper shared an exchange between her and her publicist, Joe, which showed she was seriously ready to take on the hosting duties.

“YESSSSSSSS. I WANT TO DO IT!!!!!!!!!!” she wrote.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Isaach de Bankolé is headed back to Wakanda. BlackFilmandTV.com has learned that Bankolé will reprise his role as Wakandan council member and an elder from the River Tribe in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The actor will join returning cast members Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett and newcomers Tenoch Huerta and Michaela Coel. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on July 8, 2022.

In other news, Discovery+ and OWN ordered a new documentary series Justice, USA that will take an “in-depth and unflinching look at the U.S. Criminal Justice System.” Executive-produced by Common, Tamara Brown, Marshall Goldberg and Mike Tollin, Common says he is “proud of this series because it takes an honest look at the criminal justice system and highlights its need for reform.” A release date for Justice, USA has yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, Emmy-nominated Nailed It host Nicole Byer has landed her first hour-long stand-up comedy special, Variety has learned. The as-yet untitled project, which will premiere on Netflix, will be filmed at the Gramercy Theatre in New York on September 5. A release date for the special has yet to be announced.

Finally, Netflix has announced their largest reality casting call ever. The streamer says they’re looking for new talent to join their shows and series. Some of the shows include Love Is Blind, Nailed It, Indian Matchmaking, Roaring Twenties, Too Hot to Handle and Queer Eye. Instructions on how to submit an application are now available on NetflixReality.com.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Britney Spears has been dealt a setback in her quest to remove her father, Jamie Spears, as conservator of her estate as quickly as possible.

According to Variety, a judge denied a request that Britney’s lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, filed last week, which asked to move up next month’s hearing to remove Jamie from his role. Rosengart had argued that the hearing should be moved to August 23 or as soon as possible, as “every day matters” in this case.

The judge decided the hearing will remain on September 29 but issued the ruling without prejudice, meaning Britney’s attorney isn’t prohibited from making a similar request again.

Jamie Spears is currently the conservator of Britney’s estate, meaning he controls all financial decisions. Jodi Montgomery is the conservator of the person, meaning she manages Britney’s personal and medical decisions.

In an Instagram post Monday, Britney posted a video of a fan waving a #FreeBritney flag. She wrote in the caption that people “only know half” the story in her conservatorship drama. She followed up the post with another saying that although she’s grateful to have a platform to share, she’s going to “post a little less from now on.”

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Britney Spears (@britneyspears)

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Britney Spears (@britneyspears)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.