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After an extremely competitive few weeks that saw 16 queens contend for the crown, season 15 of RuPaul's Drag Race finally came to an end on Friday night (April 14) when one queen walked away with the crown.







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'RuPaul's Drag Race': Every Lip Sync From Season 15, Ranked







04/14/2023
















Filmed live on April 1 at The Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, the finale gave all of the eliminated queens a chance to return to the stage and show off their fabulous fashion, before the top four - Anetra, Luxx Noir London, Mistress Isabelle Brooks and Sasha Colby - began their official fight for the title of America's Next Drag Superstar.


Taking to the stage in a series of solo performances, the top four rewrote their narratives for an eager audience: Anetra blossomed into a "Lotus" with her EDM-tinged single; Luxx declared that "It's Giving Fashion" with her couture single; Mistress psychoanalyzed the "Delusion" of the season with a mesmerizing song; and Sasha Colby ascended to become a "Goddess" with her dance-pop anthem.


With only two queens able to move forward to the final showdown, RuPaul selected Anetra and Sasha Colby as the season's top two thanks to their stellar performances. Advancing to the famous Lip Sync for the Crown, Anetra and Sasha put it all on the line to the tune of Amii Stewart's 1979 classic "Knock on Wood."


Anetra showed off her superior dance skills with a (literally) bleeding heart on her chest that she then removed during the performance. Meanwhile, Sasha Colby gave fans not one but two stunning outfit reveals, all while tearing up the stage and performing her signature hair flips along the way. With the lip-sync over, and the audience at home waiting, RuPaul announced that the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race season 15 was...


...Sasha Colby! Your favorite drag queen's favorite drag queen clutched her face as she accepted the crown and scepter from RuPaul. As the crowd roared with applause, Colby dedicated her award to her community with an empowering statement. "This goes to every trans person - past, present and future," she proclaimed. "Because we are not going anywhere."


See the full moment when Sasha Colby clinched the crown below:


Spoilers ahead! ⚠️

She's a winner, baby! 💋 Condragulations to America's Next Drag Superstar! 👑 #DragRace pic.twitter.com/1KsmRiyDJr
— RuPaul's Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) April 15, 2023





via: https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/who-won-drag-race-season-15-1235302482

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The 2023 NBA Playoffs are here! For sports fanatics who want to watch their favorite teams face off, there are plenty of affordable streaming options that offer NBA coverage live and on-demand.

When do the NBA Playoffs start? Playoffs games kick off this Saturday (April 15) with four games including the Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics, New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings.

If you want watch the action in person, you can find playoffs tickets at StubHub, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek Ticketmaster and other ticketing sites for approximately $44 and up.

Read on for details on how to watch playoff games without cable.

NBA Playoffs Schedule: How to Stream Games Online

If you’re a die-hard basketball fan, NBA League Pass is an obvious choice during the regular season but things change for the playoffs. The service lets subscribers access hundreds of live games and 24/7 access to news, highlights, studio shows and classic games from the archives starting at $14.99/month, however NBA Playoffs games will broadcast and stream on ESPN and ESPN platforms.

ESPN’s coverage begins on Saturday with NBA Countdown Presented by Chime at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN2 and streaming on the ESPN app. The special will feature commentary from Mike Greenberg, Jalen Rose, Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, and Adrian Wojnarowski.

Saturday’s Nets vs. 76ers game is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+ and the ESPN app; followed by the Hawks vs. Celtics at 3:30 p.m. ET; and Knicks vs. Cavaliers games airing at 6 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Radio and the ESPN app.

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Later in the evening, the Warriors will face the Kings at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC and the ESPN app, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies game airs Sunday (April 16) at 3 p.m. ET. on ABC and the ESPN app.

ESPN platforms will broadcast and stream a dozen first-round playoff games.

Where can you watch ESPN and ABC without cable? You can stream ESPN, ABC and more on DirectTV Stream, Fubo, Sling TV and other platforms.

Most streamers offer a free trial or a discount at sign up, so you won’t necessarily have to pay out of pocket, depending on which platform you choose. To make shopping a little easier, we collected a short list of some of the more affordable options and what they offer.

DirectTV Stream’s Entertainment package starts at $64.99/month for more than 75 channels including ABC, NBC, ESPN, CBS, TNT, USA and TLC. The package includes DVR storage.

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Direct TV also offers a Gemini streaming device, which allows you to watch live and on-demand channels alongside streamers like Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney+ and Netflix, all in once place.

How to Watch the NBA Playoffs on Sling, Fubo & More

Sling TV subscribers can watch ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, etc. for just $20 for the first month (regular $40/month). Sling’s Orange tier gets you access to 31 channels, 50 hours of DVR storage and one device stream.

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For additional channels, DVR storage and up to three device streams, upgrade to Sling Blue currently discounted to $22.50 for the first month or the Orange & Blue tier currently $30 for the first month.

Fubo Pro is $74.99 a month, plus you get to stream free for the first week. The streaming packages includes 151 channels, over 100 sporting events, cloud DVR (1,000 hours) and streaming from unlimited screens at home. For Spanish-speaking sports fans, Fubo offer a Latino package, which is discounted to $24.99 a month (regular $32.99).

Another affordably-priced option, Vidgo Plus is $69.99/month to access ABC, ESPN and over 110 live and on-demand channels, plus DVR storage. Vidgo also offers Ultimate, Premium, and Vidgo Mas packages ranging from $34.95-$99.95 per month.

You can join Hulu + Live TV and stream over 75 channels, plus access to ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+, for less than $75 per month.

Other options for live television include Verizon Fios and T-Mobile, and if you’re streaming internationally, ExpressVPN lets you watch ESPN and other channels and streaming platforms from outside of the U.S.

See the full 2023 NBA Playoffs bracket here.

via: https://www.billboard.com/culture/product-recommendations/nba-schedule-how-to-watch-games-without-cable-1235158064

Emilia, Big One and Callejero Fino celebrate another week in command as "En La Intimidad" adds a seventh week at No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart (dated April 8). With seven weeks up top, the song continues its longest-leading run in 2023 thus far, moving away ahead of its closest competitor, Bizarrap and Shakira's "Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53" which ruled for four weeks.


Karol G and Shakira's "TQG" claims a sixth week at No. 2, encompassing its entire run on the chart. Luck Ra, La K'Onga and Ke Personajes' "Ya No Vuelvas" rebounds 7-3, after the song topped the 100-deep tally for one week in February. 


Ke Personajes also places a second top 10 with "Pobre Corazón," featuring Onda Sabanera, which rises 12-9, while Luck Ra and La K'Onga concurrently take home the Greatest Gainer trophy with a 33-rank surge as "Te Mentiría" rallies from No. 68 to No. 35.


Further, TINI's "Cupido" falls 3-4, and BM's "M. A. (Mejores Amigos)" holds at No. 5 for a sixth week. Meanwhile, Argentinian Milo J scores his first top 10 as "Rara Vez," with Taiu, climbs 11-8. It's a second top 10 for Taiu after he led for four weeks through his featured turn in Trueno and Nicki Nicole's "Mamichula," which also features Bizarrap and Tatool. 





Elsewhere, Duki and C.R.O earn the Hot Shot Debut of the week with "Harakiri" at No. 22. With 39 career entries, Duki breaks from a tie with Maria Becerra for the fourth-most among all acts, trailing Bad Bunny's 57 entries, J Balvin's 49 and Bizarrap's 43 total entries. 


Emilia concurrently adds a new charting title as "Jagger.mp3" opens at No. 30.


Lastly, the week features five other debuts: Feid and Young Miko's "Classy 101" at No. 53; Big One, FMK and Ke Personajes' "Un Finde | CROSSOVER #2" at No. 70; Yami Safdie's "De Nada" at No. 73; Tiago PZK's "Que Se Parezca A Ti" at No. 79 and BM's "Ven Mami" at No. 81. 





via: https://www.billboard.com/pro/emilia-big-one-callejero-fino-en-la-intimidad-argentina-hot-100-2

King Charles' coronation concert officially has its lineup, with Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Andrea Bocelli leading the pack, according to People.


The BBC Studios Productions-organized event will also feature pop group Take That, Sir Bryn Terfel, Freya Ridings and Alexis Ffrench, and is set to take place on the grounds of Windsor Castle on May 7, one day after King Charles and Queen Camilla are crowned at Westminster Abbey. The Coronation Choir, which brings together singers from the Portishead RNLI sea shanty choir, farmers, cab drivers and reggae groups, will also deliver a special performance.


"The concert will celebrate a new chapter in the nation's history, with themes of love, respect and optimism, celebrating the four nations, their communities and the Commonwealth," the BBC said in a statement to the publication.


It's no surprise that American Idol judges Perry and Richie are performing at the coronation concert, as they've had ties to the royal family for years. The "Roar" superstar is an ambassador of The British Asian Trust, while Richie was appointed the First Global Ambassador and First Chairman of the Global Ambassador Group for The Prince's Trust in 2019. 


The coronation concert will stream on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.





via: https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/king-charles-coronation-performers-katy-perry-lionel-richie-andrea-bocelli-1235303552

Dove Cameron spilled the Ozian tea about auditioning for the big-screen adaptation of Wicked in a new interview on Friday (April 14).


Speaking to The Wrap at an FYC event for season 2 of Apple TV+'s Schmigadoon!, the "Boyfriend" singer confirmed that she was after the role of Glinda, which ultimately went to her pal Ariana Grande.







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Dove Cameron Explains Why She Almost Didn't Release Her Hit 'Boyfriend'







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"I definitely went out for it," she said. "I know that for everybody who did go out for it, it was a very long process. It was one of the longer processes I've been a part of."


However, despite losing the role of the future Good Witch of the North, Cameron doesn't hold any ill will toward her Hairspray Live! co-star. "I'm so excited for Ariana," she said. "She's a genuinely dear friend of mine. We met when we were super young. I think she's gonna kill it."


Instead, the Descendants alum is stepping into the dangerous world of Schmicago for the second season of the Apple TV+ musical series alongside returning stars Cecily Strong, Keegan-Michael Key, Aaron Tveit, Alan Cumming, Ariana DeBose, Ann Harada and original Wicked star Kristin Chenoweth.


"This was the era of musicals that raised me, and Cabaret was extremely influential on me," she said during the FYC panel. "Obviously, I hold Liza Minnelli in the highest of hallowed ground, as I know so many people do. And when I heard about [creator] Cinco [Paul]'s inspiration for the character of Jenny, I was equal parts petrified and super, super honored and just wanted to begin to even try to scratch the surface of trying to get it right."


Meanwhile, according to a recent post by Grande, Wicked is roughly halfway through filming, with the first of two planned films set to premiere on Nov. 27, 2024.





via: https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/dove-cameron-auditioned-wicked-movie-1235303534

While the BTS members are focusing more time on their solo careers, the pop icons are keeping their promise to deliver special group projects in the meantime.


Korean animated film Bastions announced on Friday, April 14, that BTS sings the theme song to its upcoming 3D superhero movie. According to a Korean media report shared by BIGHIT MUSIC, the single features BTS as a full group. Other reports shared the track was recorded before Jin enlisted in his mandatory South Korean military service last December.


Bastions also shared a 30-second preview of the track alongside clips from the flick described as a "K-pop action hero 3D animation" to tell a story of superheroes fighting environmental-pollution villains. Jung Kook and Jimin's unmistakable vocals were featured prominently in the clip of the bouncy K-pop song that sounds like it should fit nicely alongside bright BTS hits like "Boys With Luv" or "Butter."


The Bastions soundtrack will be a star-studded K-pop affair with songs also by BTS' HYBE label mates LE SSERAFIM, chart-topping female troupe Brave Girls, American Song Contest winner AleXa, soul-pop songbird Heize, rising K-R&B star P.Cassady and more.


The official Bastions websites shares the song's release is "coming soon," pointing to a May 12 release date, with the movie premiering on the public Korean TV channel SBS on May 14 at 7:30 a.m. local time. Bastions has shared plans to broadcast the film worldwide as well.


The new Bastions single will be BTS' first song credited to the full group after last year's "Bad Decisions" from August with Benny Blanco and Snoop Dogg. The track peaked at No. 10 on the Hot 100 and No. 26 on Pop Radio. Worldwide, the star-studded collab reached No. 6 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 7 on the Billboard Global Excl. US chart.








via: https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/bts-soundtrack-single-ost-bastions-preview-1235303508

Diplo is continuing the musical journey of his country persona Thomas Wesley with his newest release, the guitar-infused "Use Me (Brutal Hearts)," featuring Dove Cameron and Sturgill Simpson "reborn" under the name Johnny Blue Skies.


The Grammy-winning producer unveiled the corresponding music video on Friday (April 14) starring Cameron herself and Sean Penn stepping into the role of Blue Skies. In the clip, the singer and the actor trade sultry verses in a Western-style strip club and rodeo bar, as Diplo makes his way through the madness.

Diplo "Use Me (Brutal Hearts)" feat. Johnny Blue Skies & Dove Cameron


"Use Me (Brutal Hearts)" is set to appear on Diplo's upcoming country project, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 - Swamp Savant, out April 28 via Columbia Records. "To prepare for this new Thomas Wesley project, I went back to my father's house in Florida and I spent six months learnin guitar, gettin in touch with nature, working his boat when the shrimp were running on full moons at the trailer park," he said of the album in a press statement. "I tried on a lot of cowboy hats. I rode a lot of motorcycles and horses basically reflected on my whole life and career and connection with this music... there was a lot. It all started in the swamps I was raised in. This is the greatest single piece of work I've ever done, I can promise you that."


Diplo is also gearing up for a number of Thomas Wesley shows this year, including returning to Stagecoach for the third time for his annual Late Night in Palomino closer and his own stage at the festival, Diplo's HonkyTonk. He's also set to perform at Nashville's Wildhorse Saloon on May 10.


Watch the "Use Me (Brutal Hearts)" music video below.








via: https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/diplo-use-me-brutal-hearts-music-video-dove-cameron-sturgill-simpson-sean-penn-1235303503

The return of two highly popular dance artists has created new headaches for promoters dealing with increased public outcry over ticket scalping. Skrillex's first show in nine years at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, and Pretty Lights' comeback tour after a five-year absence have created supply and demand issues not often seen in the amphitheater and club space. That's meant new challenges with how to deal with resellers buying tickets en masse and posting them online for profit.


Earlier this week, AEG Presents announced plans to reclaim tickets purchased by scalpers for a sold-out April 29 show by Skrillex at Red Rocks and resell them to fans through the Fair AXS ticketing platform, AEG's own fan verification. Fair AXS requires fans to register in advance for high demand tickets, and like Ticketmaster's Verified Fan platform, is designed to weed out scalpers.


The company is now weighing whether a similar plan to claw back tickets for the upcoming, sold-out Pretty Lights tour that kicks off Aug. 6 at the Mission Ballroom in Denver and sell those to fans through Fair AXS.


With the Skrillex concert, says AEG Presents co-president and senior talent buyer Don Strausberg, when the company scraped the sales data, it found instances of buyers who bought multiple tickets, exceeding the four-ticket limit on purchases and violated the terms of service for AEG-owned ticketing system AXS tickets. Those ticket purchases were then canceled, refunded to the originally buyer and put back on sale through the Fair AXS platform, a registration-based identity-verification system that helps concert promoters determine the likelihood that a ticket purchaser is a legitimate fan and not a ticket broker. (This verification system was recently utilized by Zach Bryan for his 2023 tour and requires fans to register in advance and provide their credit card information.) Strausberg says AEG is now considering whether to do the same for the Peaking Lights tour.


Strausberg didn't identify how many Skrillex tickets were pulled back and sold through Fair AXS, but noted that demand for the April 29 show far exceeded supply at the world-famous 9,545-capacity venue.


"It's time consuming," to comb through all of the sales, and requires additional steps by both AEG and fans to register in advance for Fair AXS and to verify the accounts, Strausberg says, "but lately more people are asking for this." Trying to identify individuals who violated AXS's terms or service is "something we do without fail on nearly every large concert" says Strausberg, although the scale of unauthorized activity happening with the Skrillex show was larger than normal.


Scalping exists at every level of the concert business, but it's much rarer to see high volume ticket scalping at smaller capacity venues like those on the Pretty Lights tour, where the artist is playing 3,500-size rooms. AXS ticketed 18 of the 24 shows on the Pretty Lights tour, totaling about 60,000 tickets total.


Lately, ticketing companies like Ticketmaster and AXS have become more effective at reducing the number of tickets that end up on the secondary market. That's pushed some brokers into smaller capacity events, says a secondary market analyst who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "There's much less opportunity at the club and theater level," they add, where the majority of shows don't sell completely sell out.





via: https://www.billboard.com/pro/skrillex-pretty-lights-concerts-scalper-aeg

Drake is in his feelings.


On Friday (April 14), the chart-topping artist took to Instagram to voice his opinion about AI-generated versions of his voice, particularly a video that features him rapping Bronx artist Ice Spice's "Munch."


"This is the last straw," he wrote on his story, along with a post about the AI clip. The pairing of Drake with Ice Spice is particularly interesting, given the rappers' history. While Drake was an early advocate of Ice Spice, born Isis Gaston, he unfollowed her on Instagram, something Gaston had no explanation for in interviews. However, shortly after, he re-followed her.


Drake's complaint comes after Universal Music Group asked streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music to prevent artificial intelligence companies from accessing their copyrighted songs. AI companies would use the music to "train" their machines, something that is becoming a cause for concern within the music industry.


In an email sent to Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming platforms, UMG said that it had become aware that certain AI services had been trained on copyrighted music "without obtaining the required consents" from those who own the songs.


"We will not hesitate to take steps to protect our rights and those of our artists," UMG warned in the email, first obtained by the Financial Times. Billboard confirmed the details with sources on both sides. Although there isn't clarity on what those steps would be or what streaming platforms can do to stop it, labels and artists alike seem aligned about a needed change.


UMG later issued a statement regarding the email sent to DSPs. "We have a moral and commercial responsibility to our artists to work to prevent the unauthorized use of their music and to stop platforms from ingesting content that violates the rights of artists and other creators. We expect our platform partners will want to prevent their services from being used in ways that harm artists," it read.


Other AI covers making the rounds include Rihanna singing Beyoncé's "Cuff It," which sounded relatively believable, aside from a glitch during a melodic run.


While the implications of artificial intelligence poking its head into music can be scary for artists and labels alike, it's hard not to smirk at Drizzy rapping, "A- too fat, can't fit in no jeans."





via: https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/drake-reacts-ice-spice-munch-ai-1235303454

SEVENTEEN unveiled "F*ck My Life: Life in a Minute," the intense trailer for their upcoming mini-album FML, on Friday (April 13).


"How do you define the world that surrounds you?" an unseen narrator asks over dramatic, dystopian visuals of security officers wielding orange batons and a car crash. "In the middle of this f-king world. You're not allowed to feel happy. But you deserve to be happy. So fight. Fight for your life."







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SEVENTEEN Announces 10th Mini-Album 'FML': See the Teasers







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As one member drops a pin emblazoned with the latter phrase, the rest of the idols do just that - smashing a television with a baseball bat, gazing up at the stars surrounded by telescopes and sitting on a serene beach as the narration continues: "Be an explorer. Be spontaneous. Break free from the perfectly unhappy world. Where are we going? How's it going to end?"


The clip ends with all 13 members ecstatically racing down a beach towards an awaiting speedboat before the scene fades to black and the narrator concludes, "Inspired by everyone around the world. Coming soon."


FML is set to be released April 24, just nine months after the boy band's most recent full-length SECTOR 17. According to the tracklist released earlier this month on Twitter, the mini-album will contain six tracks including "F*ck My Life," "Fire," "I Don't Understand But I Luv U," "Dust" and "April shower."


Sub-unit BSS, made up of Seungkwan, DK & Hoshi, also dropped their new single album Second Wind back in February with guest appearances by Korean hip-hop star Lee Youngji (lead single "Fighting") and Norwegian singer-songwriter Peder Elias ("7PM").


Watch SEVENTEEN chase happiness in the trailer for FML below.








via: https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/seventeen-fml-trailer-1235303428