If you’re looking forward to seeing Tom Hanks‘ cameo in the forthcoming Yellowstone prequel, 1883, you can thank Tim McGraw.

Tim, who stars in the series alongside his wife and fellow country star Faith Hill, says he personally asked Tom to make an appearance in the show. Minor spoiler alert: Tom plays a Union general who shows compassion to Tim’s character — who was a Confederate officer in the Civil War — during a flashback scene, according to Deadline.

“Tom and [his wife] Rita [Wilson] and Faith and I have been friends for a long time,” Tim tells ET Online, explaining how he convinced the film star to join 1883‘s cast. “So I gave Tom a call and just asked. He goes, ‘Tell me when to be there.’ And he showed up and did it and he killed it. Of course, he’s Tom Hanks, so he’s gonna.”

The pair’s megawatt friendship isn’t quite as surprising as it sounds. Tim and Tom’s gigs have overlapped on occasion, such as during the January 2021 Celebrating America primetime television special. Tim performed on that event, and Tom hosted it.

Also, in addition to being an actor, Rita Wilson is a singer-songwriter whose musical inclinations fall inside the country genre. Faith even contributed vocals to her 2012 solo debut, AM/FM.

1883 premieres on Paramount+ on December 19.

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As Usher continues his Las Vegas residency, he’s inviting fans to join him for a special VIP “USHH Backstory Pass” experience before the shows at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

The eight-time Grammy winner hosts a 60-minute pop-up party in his 1920s-style jazz den Ushh Club, which transforms into a sexy Magic City-inspired nightclub, and then becomes a ’90s New York City block party, with new music created by Raphael Saadiq.

“‘USHH Backstory Pass’ featuring Rémy Martin is a very personal experience and unlike any other holiday celebration in Las Vegas,” Usher says in a statement. “You’ll join my journey and step into the history of my career while different musical genres are brought to life and accompanied by Rémy Martin cocktails. I’m thrilled to be opening this experience to fans as we get ready to celebrate the New Year.”

Tickets for the “USHH Backstory Pass” pre-concert party are available on Ticketmaster. Tickets for the “U Don’t Have to Call” singer’s Vegas residency are on sale on Usher’s website. He’s performing on December 23, 24, 28, 29 and 31, and on January 1, 2022.

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Elton John has notched a major milestone in his illustrious career: He’s just scored his 70th entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Sir Elton’s holiday collaboration with Ed Sheeran, “Merry Christmas” has debuted at number 72 on the Hot 100. The festive track sold nearly 12,000 copies and was streamed more than 4.6 million times in its first week of release.

Elton is now one of only 23 artists who’ve racked up at least 70 entries on the Hot 100 since the chart began in 1958.

It’s been a landmark year for Elton. “Merry Christmas” follows his other two collaborations that hit the Hot 100 in 2021: “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix),” which features Dua Lipa, and “One of Me,” with Lil Nas X. Prior to this notable hat-trick, Elton hadn’t appeared on the Hot 100 since 2000.

Meanwhile, “Merry Christmas” has debuted at number two on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary radio airplay chart, where’s Elton’s 41st top 10. Elton holds the record for the most top 10s on this ranking; Neil Diamond is in second place with 38.

As previously reported, “Merry Christmas” is also number one in the U.K. Elton recently teamed with Ed to perform his new Christmas hit live for the first time when they took over BBC Radio 1’s stage.

 

 

 

 

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Selena Gomez has become an investor in a new grocery delivery service called Gopuff, reports Fortune magazine.

The Philadelphia-based company, which as been valued at $15 million, is setting itself apart with super-fast deliveries.  In addition to her financial stake in the startup, Selena will also serve as a “strategic partner.”

Unlike other delivery services, Gopuff owns the inventory it offers, and keeps the products at 550 micro-fulfillment centers across the U.S. and the U.K. It promises that it can deliver everything from diapers to COVID-19 tests to snacks 24/7, in 30 minutes or less.

“The first time I heard about Gopuff was one night when I was hanging out with some friends at home. We needed something from the store, but no one wanted to hop in the car and drive, so someone suggested Gopuff,” Selena tells Fortune. “I was blown away by how quickly our order arrived.”

Selena is also a co-owner and partner in the ice cream company Serendipity Brands, and as part of the deal, Gopuff will deliver the ice cream to its customers.  It’s the latest business venture for Selena, who launched her Rare Beauty cosmetics line in 2020 and is also starting a media company focusing on mental health.

Selena says after Rare Beauty partnered with Sephora, she was “was beyond thrilled and it really piqued my interest in the other aspects of business and investing.”

She adds, “As for what is next, I have a few things up my sleeve.”

Selena also has something on her back: Famed tattoo artist Bang Bang posted a photo of her with her back to the camera, showing off what appears to be new ink that starts at her neck and continues down between her shoulder blades.

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The Grand Ole Opry’s first-ever Opry Live: USO Holiday Special airs on Saturday night, featuring festive performances from stars like Luke Combs, Josh Turner and Lauren Alaina.

It’s a special partnership with United Service Organizations, a nonprofit that provides entertainment for service members and their families. The Opry show will spotlight those actively serving, as well as veterans, with a focus on delivering the sounds of home leading into the holiday season.

Before the special airs on Saturday night, you can get a glimpse of one of the performances: Carrie Underwood’s classic take on “Silent Night.” Accompanied by a hushed piano line and strings, Carrie delivers a tender rendition of the holiday standard while standing on the Opry stage, backed by twinkling Christmas trees.

Watch the sneak peek via People, who premiered the clip.

Opry Live: USO Holiday Special will air on the Circle Network on December 18 at 9 p.m. ET. The event will also livestream on the USO and Circle All Access’ Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels. Country singer-songwriter Kellie Pickler, who’s also a USO Global Ambassador, will host the show.

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Dr. Dre released six songs Wednesday, his first new music in six years, for the Grand Theft Auto video game title GTA Online: The Contract.

The “Chronic” rapper produced four collabos: “Gospel,” with Eminem; “ETA,” featuring Snoop Dogg and Anderson .Paak; “Diamond Mind,” with Ty Dolla $ign and the late Nipsey Hussle; and “The Scenic Route,” featuring .Paak and Rick Ross. Plus, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer dropped two solo tracks, “Falling Up” and “Black Privilege.”

Dre and .Paak portray themselves in the video game, as the legendary producer attempts to find his stolen cell phone containing unreleased music.

The first chance for the public to hear the new music live may be when Dre when performs during halftime at Super Bowl 56 with Eminem, Snoop, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige.

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Over the years, we’ve seen titans square off against each other on the Verzuz stage, such as Chaka Khan, Bobby Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Brandy, Monica and many others. But is the biggest Verzuz battle of all on the horizon?

Mariah Carey was asked by E! News if she would ever go toe-to-toe with Beyoncé.. The “We Belong Together” singer tried dodge the question at first, and offered, “I love Beyoncé and I admire her so much as a performer for what she’s done for the world and everything else.”

When asked again, Mariah declared, “I’d be disrespecting myself and I’m not going to do that, because it’s Christmas time.”

While it’s unknown when or if Mariah will accept a Verzuz invitation, she does have an opinion about naysayers who believe she takes the holidays a little too seriously. When discussing her new single, “Fall in Love at Christmas” with Khalid and Kirk Franklin, the Grammy winner remarked, “I know people are like, ‘Ah yeah, look at her making checks,’ like, whatever, Scrooges. I don’t care what you say. Honestly this is the truth. I do love the holidays.”

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The Hella Mega tour brought in a hell of a lot of money.

According to new data released by Pollstar, the tour, which featured a triple bill of Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer, was the third-highest-grossing trek of 2021, earning about $67.3 million. Only The Rolling Stones and One Direction‘s Harry Styles brought in more cash with their tours, which grossed $115.5 million and $86.7 million, respectively.

When it came to the number of tickets sold, Hella Mega was number two in 2021, with just over 659,000. Styles was number one, with over 669,000.

Other artists who made the top-10 highest-grossing tours of the year include Guns N’ Roses, Dave Matthews Band, Eagles and Dead & Company.

Here’s the full list of Pollstar‘s Top 10 2019 North American Tours:

1. The Rolling Stones — $115.5 million, 516,624 tickets sold
2. Harry Styles — $86.7 million, 669,051 tickets sold
3. “The Hella Mega Tour” — $67.3 million, 659,062 tickets sold
4. Eagles — $59.2 million, 257,584 tickets sold
5. Dead & Company — $50.2 million, 588,658 tickets sold
6. Los Bukis — $49.7 million, 357,343 tickets sold
7. Guns N’ Roses — $47.3 million, 351,339 tickets sold
8. Dave Matthews Band — $46.0 million, 583,399 tickets sold
9. Phish — $44.4 million, 572,626 tickets sold
10. Jonas Brothers — $42.5 million, 528,630 tickets sold

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Supergroup trio the Pistol Annies bring their new Christmas album to life tonight, with the Hell of a Holiday special airing on their Facebook page.

The three performers — Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley — will sit down for an intimate conversation during the special, and will also deliver festive live performances of several tracks off the album.

Hell of a Holiday is made up of a seasonal mix of standards, like “Auld Lang Syne” and Merle Haggard’s “If We Make it Through December,” as well as originals, such as “Snow Globe.”

The fun kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. ET. It’ll also serve as a fundraiser for the Music Health Alliance, a Nashville-based non-profit that provides health care resources for members of the music industry. That’s a cause that’s particularly important to the trio this year, as Ashley — one third of the Annies — was diagnosed with a rare type of blood cancer. This morning, just hours before the special airs, Ashley shared a happy update with fans: She just finished her course of chemotherapy.

“My last chemo is done! Merry Christmas everyone,” she wrote on social media. “Thank you for praying for me. I felt them more than you know. I’ve never been more thankful. Ready to come back like never before in 2022!”

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