*NSYNC's Lance Bass says he lost a major TV role after he came out
In 2006, a few years after the group went on hiatus, *NSYNC's Lance Bass came out as gay, and he recently told a podcast that his decision led to him losing work in the TV industry.
Appearing on the Politickin podcast, Lance says that around the time he came out, he'd landed a role in a TV pilot, but then the deal fell apart because of his sexuality. In fact, he called his decision a "career killer."
“I had a sitcom with The CW at the time, and we were about to shoot the pilot and this came out and they were like, ‘We can’t do the show anymore. Like, they have to believe that you’re straight to play a straight character,'” Lance told hosts Gavin Newsom and Doug Hendrickson.
He added, “Every casting director I knew, they’re like, ‘Lance, we can’t cast you ... you’re too famous for being gay now that they can’t look at you as anything other than that.’ So, I lost everything.”
Lance says these days he prefers to take on projects where he's the boss and nobody can say "no" to him. But he can't be the boss of the much-discussed *NSYNC reunion — everyone needs to be on board for that.
"There's definitely something in the air that we're trying to figure out," said Lance. "Justin's on tour for the next six months, so obviously there's nothing we can do until that's done, but we're definitely discussing what the future could hold ... fingers crossed, we give the fans a lil' somethin' somethin'."
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Music Notes: Charli XCX, Noah Kahan and more
Charli XCX has just received what's probably one of the more unusual honors she'll ever get: She's been declared "Mother of the Year" by the LGBTQ+ social networking app Grindr. For its 2024 Grindr Unwrapped: Gay Year In Review, the app surveyed its users on pop culture topics and trends, and the Brat singer slayed that category. Coming in at #2 was Lady Gaga, followed by Beyoncé, Céline Dion and Chappell Roan.
Noah Kahan has posted footage of the University of Vermont's Dec. 6 Noah Kahan lookalike contest on his Instagram Story. He captioned it, "You all win but nobody quite captured the tormenting loneliness behind my eyes."
Adam Lambert has released a new song and video for "I Don't Care Much," one of the numbers from Cabaret he sings as the Emcee in the current production of the musical on Broadway. He says in a statement the song is about indifference and that it "comes at a point in the show where all hope and joy has been eclipsed by the presence of Nazi forces in Berlin." He adds, "We recorded this track and filmed the video just as the anxiety around the results of the 2024 U.S. election hit our community. There’s catharsis in the sadness for the listener, and I hope they can feel seen and realize they’re not alone in this moment in time.”
Meghan Trainor, Sting, Shania Twain, Diplo and Lil Jon will be performing on this year's edition of CNN's New Year's Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, which starts at 8 p.m. ET.
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New Music Friday: Teddy Swims, Rosé, Joe Jonas & more
After dropping a duet with country superstar Thomas Rhett a few weeks ago, Teddy Swims has teamed up with yet another country superstar for a new collaboration. "Georgia Ways" finds Teddy, Luke Bryan and rapper Quavo, all natives of the Peach State, singing about their Southern roots and hanging out in a video.
BLACKPINK member Rosé dropped her eagerly anticipated debut album, rosie, on Dec. 6, and she's also released a new single, "toxic till the end," along with a video co-starring Gossip Girl actor Evan Mock as her ex. The song is about a toxic relationship — duh — but the video includes Saltburn-style twists, showing Mock and Rosé secretly sabotaging each other to get what they want.
Joe Jonas has teamed up with Alex Warren for a new duet version of Alex's "Burning Down." Alex says in a statement, "It's surreal that someone I grew up admiring connected with my music so deeply that they wanted to collaborate on a new take on the song. Working with Joe has been amazing — not only because he's incredibly talented and added a whole new layer to the record but also because he's such an incredible human."
BTS member V has released a duet with the late, legendary crooner Bing Crosby. Through the magic of technology, they sing together on a new version of Crosby's 1942 holiday classic "White Christmas." V says, "I feel incredibly fortunate and honored to have sung along on ‘White Christmas’ with the voice of someone I consider an idol."
Dua Lipa is out with Live From The Royal Albert Hall, recorded with an orchestra during a one-night-only concert at the iconic London venue. It features live versions of her hits, plus a live duet with Elton John on their song "Cold Heart."
("Georgia Ways" video includes uncensored profanity.)
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Keira Knightley reflects on the 'creep factor' in famous 'Love Actually' scene
Keira Knightley recently reflected on one of the most iconic scenes from Love Actually and shared why she felt there was a "creep factor" attached.
During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, published Friday, Knightley, who starred in the classic 2003 romantic comedy when she was 17, spoke about the cue card scene that she shared with actor Andrew Lincoln.
In the film, Knightley's Juliet, a newlywed who marries Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) at the start of the film, opens the door of her home to see Peter's friend Mark (Lincoln), who goes on to profess his love for her through cue cards.
"The slightly stalkerish aspect of it — I do remember that," she told the Los Angeles Times. "My memory is of [director] Richard [Curtis], who is now a very dear friend, of me doing the scene, and him going, 'No, you're looking at [Lincoln] like he's creepy,' and I'm like [in a dramatic whisper], 'But it is quite creepy.' And then having to redo it to fix my face to make him seem not creepy."
When asked if she felt there was a "creep factor" attached to the scene, Knightley shared, "I mean, there was a creep factor at the time, right? Also, I knew I was 17. It only seems like a few years ago that everybody else realized I was 17."
While Knightley says the scene was awkward for her at the time, she talked about how the film has become a beloved movie over the years. She also said she doesn't watch the films she's in.
"Most of my films I have either never seen or I have only seen once," she said. "So it's nothing against Love Actually."
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Hozier releases new song 'Hymn to Virgil' off deluxe 'Unreal Unearth' album
Hozier has released a new song called "Hymn to Virgil."
The track is included on the deluxe version of the "Take Me to Church" artist's 2023 Unreal Unearth album, dubbed Unreal Unearth: Unending. The 26-song collection combines the original record with its companion Unheard and Unaired EPs, the former of which includes the #1 hit "Too Sweet," plus various other recordings from the Unreal Unearth era.
You can listen to "Hymn to Virgil" and all of Unreal Unearth: Unending out now.
Hozier will wrap up 2024 with a performance on Saturday Night Live, airing Dec. 21.
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Noah Kahan, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, Tyla make the 'Forbes' 30 Under 30 list
Forbes is out with its annual 30 Under 30 list, cutting down thousands of nominations into a list that includes rising stars in fields like finance, science, manufacturing and, of course, music.
This year, Shaboozey, 29, made the list thanks to his unstoppable #1 hit "A Bar Song (Tipsy)," which has earned him six Grammy nominations and topped the charts for 19 weeks. So did Noah Kahan, 27, thanks to his super successful world tour, philanthropic work and the continued popularity of his song "Stick Season."
Of course, Chappell Roan, 26, was a shoo-in for the list, given her outsize impact on pop music in 2024. Tyla, 22, is included thanks to her Grammy win, her domination of the Afrobeats genre and her social media profile.
Other musicians on the list include Icelandic singer Laufey, 25; "Until I Found You" singer Stephen Sanchez, 22; R&B singers Coco Jones, 26, and Coi Leray, 27; Latin star Omar Apollo, 27; singer/songwriter Clairo, 26; and chart-topping country-adjacent artist Zach Bryan, 28.
If you're wondering why Sabrina Carpenter, 25, didn't make the list, it's because she was on it back in 2021, and the rules are you can only be on it once. Incidentally, her pal Taylor Swift was on the list back in 2012.
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Cynthia Erivo speaks out against Ariana Grande's cyberbullies: 'Quite dangerous'
Cynthia Erivo has Ariana Grande's back.
While in conversation at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Film Festival on behalf of the hit film Wicked on Friday, Erivo spoke about Grande's past complaints about being cyberbullied for her appearance.
“I think cyber bullying is quite dangerous to be honest because it’s easy to be behind the computer and type words about a person you don’t know anything about,” Erivo said. “I think that the more we can protect ourselves from that the better … the best way to support someone who is going through that is really to be a counterpoint to whatever is coming at that person – be the voice that is positive.”
Erivo also spoke about the bond she created with Grande in order for them to play Elphaba and Glinda in the musical film.
“We didn’t audition together. We met after the roles, and we spent time together before we started rehearsals,” Erivo said. “We decided that we were going to make sure we protected each other, that we were kind to one another, that we were going to work with each other and build a relationship which meant that when we were on set, we both felt really safe to play and to do the roles as we needed."
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Britney Spears didn't really move to Mexico — or did she?
Despite what she said in a recent Instagram post, Britney Spears hasn't moved out of the U.S.
The speculation started with a video posted Dec. 3, the day after her 43rd birthday, in which Britney seemed to be commenting on photos published in the U.K. tabloid The Daily Mail, which showed her getting on a private plane wearing a white overcoat, black hat and white-framed sunglasses, and holding one of those things you use to light a grill up to her face.
Britney said in the video, "I'm not really sure why the paparazzi have me going on a plane looking like I'm wearing a Jason mask. It doesn't even look like me. I don't know why I have a torch in my hand honestly, I think my friend accidentally gave that to me."
In a second video posted the same day, Britney said, "It really kind of hurts my feelings that the paparazzi make my face look like I’m wearing like a white 'Jason' mask, and it doesn’t even look like me. They’ve always been incredibly cruel to me, the paparazzi and pictures and the way they’ve illustrated me to be in some of it."
She continued, "I know I’m not perfect at all, by any means, but some of it is extremely mean and cruel, and that’s why I’ve moved to Mexico.”
However, a source tells The Hollywood Reporter that Britney hasn't moved to Mexico. But apparently she wants people to believe she has.
On Dec. 6, she posted a video of herself dancing in a skimpy dress to the Nine Inch Nails song "Closer" and captioned it, "I’m so blessed !!! I’m house hunting and this place is insanely beautiful !!! Thank you Jesus for a place so far away from America !!!"
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Mariah Carey denies her Spotify Wrapped message is AI
If you're one of Mariah Carey's top fans on Spotify, you received a special video message from her on your Spotify Wrapped this year. But she wants you to know that that video is all her — and not AI.
Mariah says in the clip, "Your support through the years is the greatest gift I could ask for. This year, we’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of my album Merry Christmas. I hope you enjoy listening to it, and I can’t wait to share new music with you soon.”
After the video was posted on social platform X, some fans were of the opinion that — due to Mariah's crimson lipstick, a shade she doesn't normally wear, and the fact that she appeared somewhat stiff while delivering the message — the video was AI-generated. But Mimi was quick to dismiss that idea.
She reposted the video on X and wrote, "Bad lighting and a red lip have you all thinking this is AI?? There’s a reason I’m not a fan of either of those things!"
One thing that's definitely real is Mariah's warm feelings toward her listeners. To go along with the release of the new deluxe 30th anniversary edition of her Merry Christmas album — the one that includes THAT song — she wrote on Instagram, "You know I don’t know numbers but I’m really proud to celebrate 30 years of this album. I’m so grateful to all my fans who spent many of their Christmases with these songs."
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Ariana Grande on unkind online commentary: 'Nobody has the right to say s***'
Ariana Grande is responding to comments that were about her appearance during the Wicked press tour.
The pop star and actress spoke out in an interview with French journalist Salima Poumbga, who asked her how she deals with the constant online commentary. "It's hard to protect yourself from that noise," Ariana admitted.
She added, "And I've been kind of doing this in front of the public and kind of been, you know, a specimen in a petri dish, really, since I was 16 or 17. So, I have heard it all. I've heard every version of it, of what's wrong with me. And then you fix it and then it's wrong for different reasons."
"I think in today's society, there's a comfortability that we shouldn't have — at all — commenting on others' looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes, or health, or how they present themselves — from what you're wearing, to your body, to your face ... everything."
"There's a comfortability that people have commenting on that that I think is really dangerous," Ari continued. "And I think it's dangerous for all parties involved. ... I'm really lucky to have the support system that I have and to just know and trust that I am beautiful."
"I just don't invite [that noise] in anymore. It's not welcome," she said. "I have work to do. I have a life to live. I have friends to love on, I have so much love, and it's not invited — so I don't leave space for it anymore."
"And however you all can protect yourselves from that noise ... you keep yourself safe. Because no one has the right to say s***."
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