It’s that time again!
Here’s what you may have missed in entertainment news over the weekend.
J.Lo says This Is Me…Never, cancels US arena tour
Jennifer Lopez is having a nightmare of a year. First, she was forced to spend $US20 million ($30 million) of her own cash to make her quasi-autobiographical film that critics rushed to call “bonkers” and a “bizzaro trainwreck“, then everyone made fun of her suspiciously vague bodega order (ham and cheese on a roll, orange drink — IYKYK — and a small bag of chips), and now she’s had to go and cancel her entire US arena tour!
The This Is Me…Live tour was slated for 30 dates, hitting massive arenas all around the US — but now they are no more.
The first signs of struggle appeared in April, when seven dates were quietly cancelled amid reports of struggling ticket sales. The tour was also rebranded from “This Is Me… Now” to “This Is Me… Live | The Greatest Hits” in an apparent attempt to broaden its appeal.
But despite the reports of lacklustre sales, team J.Lo told fans the cancellation was due to the star wanting to slow down a little.
“Jennifer is taking time off to be with her children, family and close friends,” representatives told fans in an official newsletter.
The statement also included a short message from Lopez herself.
“I am completely heartsick and devastated about letting you down. Please know that I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t feel that it was absolutely necessary. I promise I will make it up to you and we will all be together again. I love you all so much. Until next time…” she said.
But Jenny from the Block isn’t the only established artist struggling to fill arenas. Indie stalwarts The Black Keys announced last week that they were cancelling their September US arena tour, promising to reschedule dates for a more “intimate experience for both fans and the band”.
And fans of Wallows the pop-rock trio — fronted by 13 Reasons Why actor Dylan Minnette — are stressing out on social media that their faves will be doomed to the same fate, citing lots of cheap tickets still for sale.
Even the powerhouse team-up of Troye Sivan and Charli XCX doesn’t seem to be enough to convince American audiences to head down to the arena.
— Velvet Winter
Former Apprentice producer dishes on time with Trump as NDA expires
Donald Trump was already a household name when he ran for US president in 2016, and the reality TV show The Apprentice had a lot to do with that.
The show — which sees people compete for the chance to get a one-year starting contract to promote one of Trump’s properties — ran for 15 seasons from 2004, with the man himself hosting 14 of them.
But a former producer on “the show that changed everything” has written a tell-all essay about what really went down behind the scenes of the show, now that his 20-year non-disclosure agreement has expired.
In the essay, Bill Pruitt writes that The Apprentice “elevated Donald J. Trump from sleazy New York tabloid hustler to respectable household name”. While he was shown to demonstrate “impeccable business instincts and unparalleled wealth” on the program, in reality Pruitt says Trump had “barely survived multiple bankruptcies”, his ramblings were carefully edited and he made comments that were “misogynistic as well as racist”, most of which were caught on camera but not aired.
“By carefully misleading viewers about Trump — his wealth, his stature, his character, and his intent — the competition reality show set about an American fraud that would balloon beyond its creators’ wildest imaginations,” Pruitt writes.
Pruitt says when deciding between two finalists – Kwame Jackson and Bill Rancic – Trump said in a recorded conversation: “I mean, would America buy a n***** winning?” in reference to Jackson. Rancic won that season of the competition.
ABC News has contacted Trump’s team for a response and is yet to hear back, but a spokesman for Trump’s 2024 campaign issued this statement to Slate, which was published in the essay: “This is a completely fabricated and bullshit story that was already peddled in 2016.”
In an MSNBC interview with the Reverend Al Sharpton, Jackson says the comments are “water off a duck’s back” given Trump didn’t make them to his face, which he says would have played out very differently.
But Jackson goes on to say the comments would have potentially swung the election had they come out in 2016, and therefore Pruitt is “a day late and a dollar short”.
He told Rev Sharpton: “Trump has made it OK to be racist in America.”
— Mawunyo Gbogbo
Thom Yorke is coming to Australia for the first time in 12 years
A musician who needs little introduction, Thom Yorke is best known as the creative, angel-voiced force out front of Radiohead — one of the most culturally significant and critically acclaimed bands of their generation. But he’s never done a solo tour to Australia before, until now.
Yorke has announced a solo Australian tour, playing two dates each at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl and the Sydney Opera House Forecourt through October and November. Find dates and ticket details here.
“I will be alone on stage trying a new kind of solo show thing, playing versions of songs from my recent and not so recent past,” Yorke said in a statement.
It’s his first show on our shores of any kind since Radiohead toured back in 2012.
This is welcome, if surprising, news for fans, given they were anticipating a visit from The Smile – Yorke’s new band alongside Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, and drummer Tom Skinner.
What’s in store? Expect Yorke to re-imagine material from Radiohead and The Smile, as well as his various solo and soundtrack projects — ranging from 2006 album The Eraser through to Confidenza, the score to the 2024 Italian drama of the same name.
Here’s a possible taster: Yorke performing Radiohead track Bloom, the opening track from 2011’s The King of Limbs, in solo piano mode.
— Al Newstead
Eminem’s ‘new’ era gets kudos from a classic rock icon
Eminem has a new song out called ‘Houdini’, and there are a couple of striking things about it.
First, it’s an unapologetic throwback to the rapper’s big, early hits. It sounds like an updated version of his 2002 smart-arse anthem ‘Without Me’, and the video – which features guest spots from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre, Pete Davidson and Shane Gillis – also directly references that hit.
Second, its chorus is an interpolation of the Steve Miller Band’s 1982 classic rock anthem ‘Abracadabra’. And that song’s writer couldn’t be happier.
In a letter posted to Facebook over the weekend, Steve Miller gushed about Eminem’s artistry and respect for those who came before him.
“You are one of those timeless originators building something new on a long musical legacy of original artists,” Miller wrote.
“There aren’t many artists who take the time or make the effort to stand up for themselves and credit and respect their influencers at the same time. Marshall Mathers you are an exception and on my short list of people who respect the art. To be included in your process feels good while I’m still singing and playing the music I love.”
Without being too cynical, we reckon the esteemed Mr Miller might also be very much looking forward to his next royalty cheque.
— Dan Condon
Adele claps back at heckler, Katy Perry takes on Butker’s speech
Adele caused a bit of a social media stir over the weekend.
On Saturday night, the first night of Pride Month in the US, an audience member at an Adele show in Las Vegas reportedly decided they needed to tell the singer their feelings about the longstanding celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride. It didn’t go well.
In a fan-posted Instagram clip, Adele is seen barking back at an audience member who apparently yelled out “Pride sucks” while the singer was addressing the crowd at a show as part of her Las Vegas residency.
“Did you come to my f***ing show and just say ‘Pride sucks’?” the singer snarls. “Are you f****ing stupid? Don’t be so f***ing ridiculous. If you’ve got nothing nice to say, shut up, all right?”
Social media has applauded Adele’s ferocious rebuke, with countless comments praising her allyship.
However, other videos and accounts from the night suggest the heckler actually yelled out “Work sucks”, which seems a lot more on brand for an Adele audience and makes sense considering what Adele was talking about.
At least it’s good to know she’s willing to fight back against homophobia, even if this was a misunderstanding. And seeing Adele swear her head off is always entertaining.
In related news, fellow pop star Katy Perry celebrated the start of Pride Month by posting a doctored version of NFL player Harrison Butker’s infamous commencement speech from last month.
“Fixed this for my girls, my graduates, and my gays,” Perry wrote on Instagram. “You can do anything, congratulations and happy pride.”
The edit of the video makes Butker’s message pretty different to the divisive comments he offered around LGBTQIA+ movements and women in the workforce when addressing the Benedictine College graduating class.
“I would venture to guess the women here today are going to lead successful careers in the world,” he now says.
“I say all of this to you because I have seen it firsthand: how much happier someone can be supporting women, and not saying that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
— Dan Condon