Billie Eilish celebrated the first anniversary of Happier Than Ever by releasing never-before-heard voice notes taken when she was making her sophomore studio album.
“Thank you cuties for celebrating a whole year of ‘Happier Than Ever’ with me!! i wanted to give you a few more little pieces of the album,” the Grammy winner shared on her Instagram Story. Billie posted on her personal website “some voice notes from when we wrote the album.”
Fans who visit BillieEilish.com can head over to a special page dedicated to Happier Than Ever, where they can scroll down the track list to listen to the clips that help illustrate the amount of time and effort she put into perfecting the album.
A minute-long clip of fan favorite track “Billie Bossa Nova” is about the singer figuring out the pacing and layout of the track. She also has similar takes for “Lost Cause,” “Your Power,” “Male Fantasy” and, of course, the album’s title track.
For the voice notes for “Male Fantasy” and “Your Power,” we hear Billie softly figuring out the songs’ respective melodies, while in the “Happier Than Ever” clip, Billie sings an alternate take with her brother, FINNEAS, who assists on the piano.
The “bad guy” singer has also released special memorabilia for fans to further celebrate the album’s anniversary. The Happier Than Everanniversary merch collection is available now on Billie’s online store.
Aside from clothes, this new offering includes winged earrings and an exclusive pink cassette of Happier Than Ever, as well as deluxe box sets full of fun goodies.
Zoe Saldañatook to Instagram to mourn the passing of Star Trek‘s Lt. Nyota Uhura, Nichelle Nichols, who passed away over the weekend at the age of 89.
Saldaña succeeded Nichols in the role of the Starfleet linguist and communications officer in three reboot films, with a fourth on the way.
“Nichelle made me feel safe, told me to play her with all the confidence in the world,” the Guardians of the Galaxy series star noted, calling Nichols “a unique artist who was ahead of her time always.”
“My hope is that we continue to keep her memory alive by celebrating her amazing body of work, and by spreading the message of peace and equality amongst all people,”Saldaña continued. “She lived a long, impactful life and not only prospered, but helped so many others prosper too.”
The actress also noted Nichols’ work with NASA in recruiting and inspiring future generations of real-life space travelers of color. “I mean, she inspired Mae Jemison to follow her dreams of becoming an astronaut and that’s exactly what Mae did,” Saldaña said.
Paraphrasing Maya Angelou, Saldaña closed by saying of Nichols, “It’ll be hard to forget what she said and hard to forget what she did, and it will certainly be impossible to forget how she made us feel.”
(PARKLAND, Fla.) — Families of the Parkland mass shooting victims are addressing the jury during the penalty phase of confessed shooter Nikolas Cruz’s trial.
The penalty phase of the trial is to determine if Cruz will be sentenced to death for gunning down 14 students and three staff members at his former South Florida school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, on Feb. 14, 2018.
Joaquin Oliver
Patricia Oliver, whose 17-year-old son, Joaquin Oliver, was killed, called her slain son “the missing link of our family.”
“During the whole pregnancy we enjoyed every moment of it, including the doctors’ visits,” she said in court Monday. “Aug. 4, the best day of our family’s life, our beautiful, dear little boy, big eyes, has arrived. Joaquin.”
“We miss him more than words can say,” she said.
“I must let the listeners feel how painful it is to live with this deep hole in my heart,” she continued.
Joaquin was a planner, his mother said, planning everything from his high school graduation outfit to his college plans. He should have graduated college this year with a degree in business, Patricia Oliver said.
“I keep talking to him in my mind. I have to imagine the moments we were supposed to live and share with him,” she said.
“All the future ahead of him was taken from us. Getting his first professional job. Moving on his own. Cooking, doing laundry, everything he was supposed to learn from me,” she said.
Joaquin Oliver’s partner, Victoria Gonzalez, also gave a statement, explaining, “I was not labeled the girlfriend until the day he died … The label that we gave each other was always soulmate — that was my partner.”
Overcome with emotion, she said out loud, “I’m gonna do it,” as she began to read her statement.
“Joaquin loved to make people smile. He loved to dance down the hallways at school … He loved to sit in my passenger seat and sing his heart out,” Gonzalez said.
“He worked so hard in class — all he wanted was to graduate and make his family proud. He wanted to travel and run away with me to Paris,” she said.
On Valentine’s Day 2018 — the day Joaquin was killed — they had a movie date planned.
“I remember wondering if, amongst the chaos later that day, we would still have a quiet night together at the theater. I lost myself that day,” she said, crying. “I lost my soulmate in the flesh.”
“I lost the friend who understood me most. I lost the excitement to watch him grow up,” she said. “I lost innocence, I lost purity. I lost the love letters he was writing for me in that fourth-period creative writing class — I never actually received them. They were pinned to his shirt. I miss my best friend and the way he made me feel at home.”
Patricia Oliver wept as Gonzalez spoke.
Alaina Petty
Kelly Petty, whose youngest child, Alaina Petty, was killed at age 14, said Alaina was a “momma’s girl” who loved church and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.
“On Feb. 14, 2018, my heart stopped beating,” Kelly Petty said.
“I am heartbroken that I won’t be able to watch her become the amazing young woman she was turning into,” she said through tears.
Alaina’s older sister by five years, Meghan Petty, described Alaina as smart, confident and someone who “shined with integrity.”
“I try my hardest, but her loss makes me feel empty and like truly loving anyone ever again is impossible,” Meghan Petty said.
“She never got a chance to even truly live. She never got her braces off. She never had her first kiss. It causes me pain to know she never went on a first date … never got to fall in love, never got to experience heartbreak and come out stronger and wiser. … She’ll never go get her driver’s license, she’ll never feel the satisfaction of getting her first paycheck. She didn’t get to pick what college she wanted to attend or feel the anticipation of waiting for that acceptance or rejection letter,” Meghan Petty said. “She’ll never be able to get married or have kids of her own — and she probably hadn’t even begun to think about those things because she was supposed to have a lifetime to figure that out.”
“No amount of strength can prepare you for hours of waiting and worrying only to see your parents come home with one of your siblings but not another one,” she continued. “The initial pain of finding out she was dead has been nothing compared to the pain of living without her. I keep waiting for her to walk through the door.”
Meghan Petty said Alaina’s death “looms” in the back of her mind at all times.
“Her absence screams at me, even when I’m focused on other things,” she said.
“I try to just shut it out,” she said, because she “cannot emotionally comprehend” that her sister is gone.
Cruz pleaded guilty in October 2021 to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder. Cruz said in court last year he believes the victims’ families should be the ones to decide whether he gets the death penalty.
The jury’s decision must be unanimous for the death penalty.
Of all the foods Katy Perry could have tossed to her inebriated fans at a Las Vegas bar — she chose oversized and floppy slices of pizza.
Page Six reports the Grammy winner hit up a Las Vegas nightclub and had a unique way of winning over the masses. She whipped up a feeding frenzy by tossing pizza slices into the crowd, causing people to war over the cheesy goodness.
Aside from people being drunk enough to want to snatch a slice of pizza out of the air — or off the club floor — the “Roar” hitmaker tried to keep things clean at first.
Katy began throwing pizza out on paper plates, but the slices never made it past the front row. A fan account shared a Twitter video of the magic happening, with Katy opting to hurl a slice like a frisbee deep into the crowd, prompting a mass of club goers to go to war over it.
Fans are now joking about the things they’d do to get Katy Perry to slap them in the face with greasy, gooey pizza.
Garth Brooks is hosting a live chat Monday to discuss the release of The Anthology Part II. It airs at 7 p.m. ET on TalkShopLive.
Chris Lane and Lauren Alaina will perform “Dancin’ in the Moonlight” on the Today show Tuesday during the 10 a.m. hour.
Hardy, Ernest and other artists featured on Hixtape Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 will perform as part of the first Hixtape live event in conjunction with Whiskey Jam on August 3 at Losers in Nashville.
Presale tickets for Brett Eldredge‘s three Christmas shows at the Ryman Auditorium November 25-27 go on sale for his fan club Tuesday. Tickets for the general public are available on Friday.
Sylvester Stallone took to social media for round 2 in his bout against Irwin Winkler, the producer of the Rocky and Creed films.
On Sunday night, Stallone went off on Winkler, depicting him as a vampire in a now-deleted Instagram post quoted by Deadline: At issue is Winkler’s retaining the rights to the characters Stallone created and developing more set in the Rocky universe.
It was the second time in three weeks that the actor went public about the issue.
“After IRWIN WINKLER And FAMILY SUCK ROCKY DRY !” the trade quoted the now-deleted post, containing a slideshow of four pictures, including those depicting a planned spin-off centering on Dolph Lundgren‘s Ivan Drago.
“Presumed to be the most hated , untalented , decrepited [sic], Producer in Hollywood and his cowardly children have found their next meal… Drago ?” Sly wrote.
Stallone didn’t delete a Twitter post of Deadline’s Drago story, however. “I’d like to congratulate Irwin Winkler and family beating another wonderful character into the ground! # no shame,” Stallone wrote.
Two weeks ago, Stallone complained in, and then deleted, an Instagram post in which he griped, “After IRWIN controlling ROCKY for over 47 years, and now CREED, I really would like have at least a little WHAT’s LEFT of my RIGHTS back, before passing it on to ONLY YOUR CHILDREN – I believe That would be a FAIR gesture from this 93 year old gentleman.”
“This is a painful subject that eats at my soul, because I wanted to leave something of Rocky for my children,” he continued, “but it’s always great hearing from the loyal fans… Keep punching.”
Thomas Rhett is showing the realities of life at home.
When he’s not performing for thousands of fans across the country on tour, Thomas can be found at home in Nashville with his wife, Lauren, and their four daughters Willa, Ada, Lennon and Lillie. Recently, Thomas took to Instagram to share a look into what dad life is really like when he’s off the road, and it’s pretty rambunctious.
In the video, the singer is silently sitting in a rocking chair in his daughters’ play room, giving an overwhelmed look at the camera as Willa, Ada and Lennon can be heard screaming in the background; 6-year-old Willa and 2-year-old Lennon play a game in the corner of the room that’s strewn with clothes and toys.
“When you just get back from being on the road for 8 days..,” Thomas captions the lively moment, adding #dadlife.
“Yup.” comments Thomas’ former tour mates, Midland.
Thomas is in the middle of his Bring the Bar to You Tour with Parker McCollum and Conner Smith, which continues through mid-October.
Brad Paisley doesn’t mind admitting it when another singer does a song better than he does — even if it’s on one of his own signature tunes.
He proved it on Post Malone’s TikTok page last week, when the rapper shared a video revisiting the 2021 performance he gave during the Matthew McConaughey-led We’re Texas benefit. Post did not one but two country covers during his set, including Brad’s “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song)” and Sturgill Simpson’s “You Can Have the Crown.”
The cover of “I’m Gonna Miss Her” — a song that was a big hit for the country star in 2001 and is still one of the most popular songs from his catalog — resonated especially well, and Brad himself hopped into the comments section with high praise for Posty.
“This is better than me,” he wrote.
Though a country song might seem like a surprising choice for Post to cover, he’s actually got a history with the genre: He’s a die-hard Shania Twain fan, for example, and he’s been hinting at a country album that might be in the works down the line.
The boys of BTS may be pursuing their solo careers at the moment, but that hasn’t stopped them from coming together to film a special episode of their variety show, RUN BTS.
The Grammy nominees shared a 30-second promo of the forthcoming episode, set to air August 16 on YouTube, VLive and the messaging app Weverse.
“BTS is finally back again after a 10-month break,” RM declares as the rest of the septet applauds in delight. Adds Jin, “We did some recharging and brought more fun back with us.”
RUN BTS has been an ongoing reality series since 2015. The return of this fan-favorite show marks the first time the septet has been seen together since June, when they announced they’re going on a mini-hiatus to pursue solo projects.
The “Butter” singers are still working on their own solo careers, with J-Hope recently releasing his debut album Jack in the Box and becoming the first South Korean singer to headline Lollapalooza.
He told Rolling Stoneof his headlining performance, “I actually had to prepare really hard since it’s a very meaningful moment and an important part of my artistry. After this performance, maybe I’m going to feel a lot of things. I’m sure it’s going to help me as an artist to take the next step.”
It is unknown when BTS will come together as a unit, but J-Hope assures us it won’t be long because the guys miss each other and being on the road as a solo act is fun but “lonely.”
Angelina Joliehas announced where her daughter Zahara will be attending college.
The Academy Award-winning actress, 47, shared Sunday that 17-year-old Zahara will attend Spelman College, a historically Black liberal arts college for women based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Alongside a group photo of her daughter with several peers, the actress penned a congratulatory message.
“Zahara with her Spelman sisters!” she wrote. “Congratulations to all new students starting this year. A very special place and an honor to have a family member as a new Spelman girl.”
Jolie added #spelman #spelmancollege #spelmansisters #HBCU to the post.
Jolie shares Zahara with ex-husband Brad Pitt. The two are also parents to Maddox, 20; Pax, 18; Shiloh, 16; and twins Vivienne and Knox, 14.
Although their children mostly stay out of the spotlight, Jolie did share a snap with Zahara last year during their trip to Washington, D.C., to advocate for the Violence Against Women Act. The actress has spoken out in support of the legislation on many occasions.
Spelman College, a private school, is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium, which aside from Spelman College includes Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and the Morehouse School of Medicine.
It is the oldest private HBCU liberal arts college for women in the U.S. and boasts an impressive list of alumnae, including Pulitzer prize-winning novelist Alice Walker, politician Stacey Abrams, opera singer Mattiwilda Dobbs, lawyer and CEO of The King Center Bernice King (Martin Luther King Jr.‘s youngest child), civil rights activist Dovey Johnson Roundtree and actress Keshia Knight Pulliam.
