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Tag: Taylor Swift

Met Gala 2024: Rihanna to Taylor Swift – Celebs Who Skipped Gala Event | People News

New York: As usual, the 2024 Met Gala was a fashionable star-studded event with appearances from the biggest names across music, entertainment, and, of course, fashion. This year’s event, held on May 7 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, welcomed everything from red carpet debuts to couple goals and family outings to the fashion’s biggest night. However, many renowned names were noticeably absent.

Rihanna

Singer Rihanna, who is fondly called RiRi, has often unleashed her fashionable avatar at Met Gala. Surprisingly, this time she did not show up. As per The Hollywood Reporter, she stayed home due to an unexpected bout with the flu following an appearance in Miami over the weekend for the Formula 1 race.

Rihanna had even teased her strategy for this year’s event, telling ‘Extra’ that she had planned to keep it “real simple.”

Blake Lively

Blake, who recently embraced motherhood, skipped appearing at the Met Gala 2024. In 2023, she teased that she wouldn’t be attending but would be watching. She then posted an Instagram story that read, “First Monday in May”.

In 2022, Blake wowed everyone with her colour-changing dress for the 2022 Gilded Glamour-themed Met Gala.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has not been attending the Met Gala since she showed up in 2019 and delivered one look that was secretly four entirely different ensembles. Fans were expecting her presence this year but they got unlucky.

taylor swift

Singer Taylor Swift gave Met Gala a miss this year. As per People, the 14-time Grammy winner is busy preparing for her iconic Eras Tour in Europe starting this week and spanning until summer. Swift made her last Met Gala appearance as a bleach-blonde co-chair in 2016.

Jared Leto

The Oscar-winning actor has put on many head-turning performances at previous Met Galas. However, this year he did not show up.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, during an interview with E! News correspondent at the recent iHeartRadio Music Awards, Leto revealed the reason why. “Back on the road,” Leto said referencing his current tour with his longtime band 30 Seconds to Mars. “It’s been five years.”

Stars like Beyonce, Harry Styles, Ben Affleck, Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian let fans down by skipping the 2024 Met Gala.

May 7, 2024
What to stream this week: ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version),’ Emily Blunt and ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’

By Associated Press

Taylor Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” a Paramount+ documentary on the duo Milli Vanilli examining one of music’s biggest lip-syncing scandals and the horror movie “Five Nights at Freddy’s” are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you

Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are Julian Fellowes’ “The Gilded Age” back for a second season on HBO and Hollywood’s latest attempt to delve into the opioid crisis with the glossy “Pain Hustlers,” starring Emily Blunt, Chris Evans and Andy Garcia.

NEW MOVIES TO STREAM— Hollywood’s latest attempt to delve into the opioid crisis is the glossy, starry “Pain Hustlers,” starring Emily Blunt, Chris Evans and Andy Garcia. Based on a New York Times Magazine article (which then became a book) by Evan Hughes, “Pain Hustlers,” on Netflix on Friday, Oct. 27, centers on a pharmaceutical startup, Insys Therapeutics, which engaged in criminal activities like bribery and kickbacks and misleading insurers to push their addictive oral fentanyl spray called Subsys. Blunt plays a high school dropout who gets a job at the company, run by Garcia, where she excels. Directed by David Yates, “Pain Hustlers” was not generally well received by critics at its Toronto International Film Festival premiere, but Alyssa Wilkinson wrote for Vox that, though predictable, “’Pain Hustlers’ manages to be lively and moving.”

— The video game series “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is now a movie, available both in theaters and on Peacock on Friday, Oct. 27. The horror pic, from Blumhouse Productions, follows a security guard (played by “The Hunger Games’” Josh Hutcherson) who accepts a job at an old family entertainment center, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, where the animatronic mascots are mobile and murderous after midnight.

— Filmmaker Paul Schrader rounds out his unofficial Man in a Room trilogy (“First Reformed,” “The Card Counter”) with “Master Gardener,” arriving on Hulu on Thursday. Joel Edgerton plays a horticulturist named Narvel who works on the large estate of a wealthy dowager (Sigourney Weaver’s Norma). Narvel harbors some secrets under his gardening jumpsuits, though, including tattoos and a past with a body count. I wrote in my review that its ideas are many and perhaps not terribly coherent, but there are pleasures in the enjoyable performances from Edgerton, Weaver and Quintessa Swindell.

NEW MUSIC TO STREAM— It was the album that fully cemented her move away from country-pop to mainstream pop superstardom. On Friday, Oct. 27, Taylor Swift will release the fourth release of the six albums Swift plans to re-record, “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” The Taylor’s Version albums, instigated by music manager Scooter Braun’s sale of her early catalog, represent Swift’s effort to control her own songs and how they’re used. Like the others in the series, Swifties can expect five previously unreleased “From the Vault” tracks written around the time of the 2014 album’s initial release, as well as the fan-favorite “New Romantics,” originally released as a Target exclusive.

— Also on Friday: Barbra Streisand and Columbia Records will release “EVERGREENS: Celebrating Six Decades on Columbia Records” and “YENTL: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition,” arriving a few days before the publication date of her highly anticipated memoir, “My Name is Barbra.” Unreleased tracks abound. Welcome to Streisand season.

— In preparation for his latest studio album, “Action Adventure,” DJ Shadow took crate digging to the next level: he bought 200 tapes on eBay, a collection that was recorded off the radio from a mix station in the Baltimore/D.C. area in the 1980s, and dove through his vinyl record collection for new music. (That latter is 60,000 records deep, so discovery at home is easy.) If that doesn’t speak to the producer’s dedication to evolving his craft, what could?

— A new Paramount+ documentary on the German-French R&B duo Milli Vanilli (appropriately titled, “Milli Vanilli,”) examines one of music’s biggest lip-syncing scandals — and suggests Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan’s music producers were pulling the strings and knew more than they let on at the time.

NEW SERIES TO STREAM— Apple TV+ has a new family-friendly animated series from Dreamworks called “CURSES!” in time for Halloween. When a centuries-old family curse turns Alex Vanderhouven to stone, his wife, Sky, and their two kids Pandora and Russ team up to save him, break the spell, and return stolen artifacts to their owners. John Krasinski is an executive producer. Voice actors include Reid Scott (“Veep”, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Rhea Perlman (“Cheers”), Phylicia Rashad (“The Cosby Show”) and Robert Englund (“A Nightmare on Elm Street”). “CURSES!” debuts Friday, Oct. 27 on the streamer.

— Matt Bomer (“White Collar”) and Jonathan Bailey (“Bridgerton”) co-star as two men who meet and fall in love during the 1950s McCarthy-era. Their love story stretches across the cultural and political milestones in U.S. history including the Vietnam War protests, the age of disco, drug use and nightclubs of the 1970s, and into the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. The story is based on a novel by Thomas Mallon. “Fellow Travelers” will debut Friday, Oct. 27 on Paramount+ and on Showtime on Sunday, Oct. 29.

— Julian Fellowes’ “The Gilded Age” is back for a second season on HBO. The show features a large ensemble cast including Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector and Taissa Farmiga and takes place in New York during the industrialization period in the late 1800s. This time of extreme wealth and also extreme poverty became known as The Gilded Age, though is often more remembered for its extravagance. The Carnegies, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts and Morgans are prominent last names from this time period that still have relevance today. “The Gilded Age” series follows two wealthy families, one with inherited wealth and the other with new money, along with their domestic workers. Season two debuts Sunday, Oct. 29 on HBO and will stream on MAX.

NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY— In 2010, bestselling writer Alan Wake went on vacation in the Pacific Northwest and never came back. Turns out he’s been trapped all these years in “the Dark Place,” trying to maintain his sanity and write his way out of the nightmare. Enter Saga Anderson, an FBI agent investigating a series of ritual murders that she thinks might be connected to the missing novelist. That’s the setup for Alan Wake II, Remedy Entertainment’s long-awaited sequel to a game that’s become a cult favorite. If you were rattled by the David Lynch-meets-Stephen King vibe of the original, Remedy is promising to lean even further into the creepiness. The horror returns Friday, Oct. 27, on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S and PC. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

Taylor Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” a Paramount+ documentary on the duo Milli Vanilli examining one of music’s biggest lip-syncing scandals and the horror movie “Five Nights at Freddy’s” are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you

Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are Julian Fellowes’ “The Gilded Age” back for a second season on HBO and Hollywood’s latest attempt to delve into the opioid crisis with the glossy “Pain Hustlers,” starring Emily Blunt, Chris Evans and Andy Garcia.

NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
— Hollywood’s latest attempt to delve into the opioid crisis is the glossy, starry “Pain Hustlers,” starring Emily Blunt, Chris Evans and Andy Garcia. Based on a New York Times Magazine article (which then became a book) by Evan Hughes, “Pain Hustlers,” on Netflix on Friday, Oct. 27, centers on a pharmaceutical startup, Insys Therapeutics, which engaged in criminal activities like bribery and kickbacks and misleading insurers to push their addictive oral fentanyl spray called Subsys. Blunt plays a high school dropout who gets a job at the company, run by Garcia, where she excels. Directed by David Yates, “Pain Hustlers” was not generally well received by critics at its Toronto International Film Festival premiere, but Alyssa Wilkinson wrote for Vox that, though predictable, “’Pain Hustlers’ manages to be lively and moving.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

— The video game series “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is now a movie, available both in theaters and on Peacock on Friday, Oct. 27. The horror pic, from Blumhouse Productions, follows a security guard (played by “The Hunger Games’” Josh Hutcherson) who accepts a job at an old family entertainment center, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, where the animatronic mascots are mobile and murderous after midnight.

— Filmmaker Paul Schrader rounds out his unofficial Man in a Room trilogy (“First Reformed,” “The Card Counter”) with “Master Gardener,” arriving on Hulu on Thursday. Joel Edgerton plays a horticulturist named Narvel who works on the large estate of a wealthy dowager (Sigourney Weaver’s Norma). Narvel harbors some secrets under his gardening jumpsuits, though, including tattoos and a past with a body count. I wrote in my review that its ideas are many and perhaps not terribly coherent, but there are pleasures in the enjoyable performances from Edgerton, Weaver and Quintessa Swindell.

NEW MUSIC TO STREAM
— It was the album that fully cemented her move away from country-pop to mainstream pop superstardom. On Friday, Oct. 27, Taylor Swift will release the fourth release of the six albums Swift plans to re-record, “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” The Taylor’s Version albums, instigated by music manager Scooter Braun’s sale of her early catalog, represent Swift’s effort to control her own songs and how they’re used. Like the others in the series, Swifties can expect five previously unreleased “From the Vault” tracks written around the time of the 2014 album’s initial release, as well as the fan-favorite “New Romantics,” originally released as a Target exclusive.

— Also on Friday: Barbra Streisand and Columbia Records will release “EVERGREENS: Celebrating Six Decades on Columbia Records” and “YENTL: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition,” arriving a few days before the publication date of her highly anticipated memoir, “My Name is Barbra.” Unreleased tracks abound. Welcome to Streisand season.

— In preparation for his latest studio album, “Action Adventure,” DJ Shadow took crate digging to the next level: he bought 200 tapes on eBay, a collection that was recorded off the radio from a mix station in the Baltimore/D.C. area in the 1980s, and dove through his vinyl record collection for new music. (That latter is 60,000 records deep, so discovery at home is easy.) If that doesn’t speak to the producer’s dedication to evolving his craft, what could?

— A new Paramount+ documentary on the German-French R&B duo Milli Vanilli (appropriately titled, “Milli Vanilli,”) examines one of music’s biggest lip-syncing scandals — and suggests Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan’s music producers were pulling the strings and knew more than they let on at the time.

NEW SERIES TO STREAM
— Apple TV+ has a new family-friendly animated series from Dreamworks called “CURSES!” in time for Halloween. When a centuries-old family curse turns Alex Vanderhouven to stone, his wife, Sky, and their two kids Pandora and Russ team up to save him, break the spell, and return stolen artifacts to their owners. John Krasinski is an executive producer. Voice actors include Reid Scott (“Veep”, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Rhea Perlman (“Cheers”), Phylicia Rashad (“The Cosby Show”) and Robert Englund (“A Nightmare on Elm Street”). “CURSES!” debuts Friday, Oct. 27 on the streamer.

— Matt Bomer (“White Collar”) and Jonathan Bailey (“Bridgerton”) co-star as two men who meet and fall in love during the 1950s McCarthy-era. Their love story stretches across the cultural and political milestones in U.S. history including the Vietnam War protests, the age of disco, drug use and nightclubs of the 1970s, and into the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. The story is based on a novel by Thomas Mallon. “Fellow Travelers” will debut Friday, Oct. 27 on Paramount+ and on Showtime on Sunday, Oct. 29.

— Julian Fellowes’ “The Gilded Age” is back for a second season on HBO. The show features a large ensemble cast including Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector and Taissa Farmiga and takes place in New York during the industrialization period in the late 1800s. This time of extreme wealth and also extreme poverty became known as The Gilded Age, though is often more remembered for its extravagance. The Carnegies, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts and Morgans are prominent last names from this time period that still have relevance today. “The Gilded Age” series follows two wealthy families, one with inherited wealth and the other with new money, along with their domestic workers. Season two debuts Sunday, Oct. 29 on HBO and will stream on MAX.

NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
— In 2010, bestselling writer Alan Wake went on vacation in the Pacific Northwest and never came back. Turns out he’s been trapped all these years in “the Dark Place,” trying to maintain his sanity and write his way out of the nightmare. Enter Saga Anderson, an FBI agent investigating a series of ritual murders that she thinks might be connected to the missing novelist. That’s the setup for Alan Wake II, Remedy Entertainment’s long-awaited sequel to a game that’s become a cult favorite. If you were rattled by the David Lynch-meets-Stephen King vibe of the original, Remedy is promising to lean even further into the creepiness. The horror returns Friday, Oct. 27, on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S and PC. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

October 23, 2023
Swift bests Scorsese at box office, but ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ opens strongly

By Associated Press

NEW YORK: In a movie match-up almost as unlikely as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” Martin Scorsese took on Taylor Swift in cinemas over the weekend. And while the box office belonged for a second time to “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” got off to a strong start in Apple Studios’ first major theatrical gambit.

After a record-breaking opening weekend of $92.8 million, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” took in an estimated $31 million over the weekend from 3,855 locations, according to AMC Theaters. In an unconventional deal, the theater chain is distributing Swift’s concert film, and playing it only Thursdays through Sundays.

Most Swifties rushed to see the film on opening weekend, when a large percentage of sales were driven by advance ticketing. Sales dropped a steep 67% in its second weekend, potentially signifying that “The Eras Tour” was predominantly an opening-weekend phenomenon.

But “The Eras Tour” has still proved to be a movie event unlike any other. Within days, it became the highest-grossing concert film ever in North America, not accounting for inflation. It’s quickly accumulated $129.8 million domestically.

More was riding on “Killers of the Flower Moon,” a historical crime drama about a string of murders against the Osage nation in the early 1920s. The film, which cost at least $200 million to make, is the largest production yet from Apple Studios. The streamer partnered with Paramount Pictures to release Scorsese’s adaptation of David Grann’s bestseller in 3,628 theaters, with plans to later stream it on a not-yet-announced date on Apple TV+.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” debuted with $23 million, marking the third best opening for the 80-year-old Scorsese, following “Shutter Island” ($41 million in 2010) and “The Departed” ($26.9 million in 2006). Though Scorsese’s latest opus, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro, will have a hard road to reaching profitability, it’s a successful launch for a 206-minute-long adult-skewing drama – a type of movie that, outside “Oppenheimer,” has struggled mightily at the box office in recent years.

And “Killers of the Flower Moon,” with rave reviews, an “A-” CinemaScore from audiences and the backing of a robust Oscar campaign, should continue to play well over the long haul. It added $21 million overseas.

“Killer of the Flower Moon” also marks the best wide-release debut for a film from a streaming company. While Netflix (which backed Scorsese’s last narrative feature, “The Irishman,” in 2019) has charted a mostly limited approach to theatrical release, Apple and Amazon, which last year closed its purchase of MGM, have pursued more expansive theatrical strategies.

Earlier this year, Apple said it plans to spend $1 billion a year making movies that will have theatrical releases before reaching its streaming service. Apple is also behind Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Napoleon,” with Joaquin Phoenix, which Sony Pictures will distribute Nov. 22; and has partnered with Universal for Matthew Vaughn’s “Argylle,” due out Feb. 2.

Paramount had initially signed on to produce and distribute “Killers of the Flower Moon,” but transitioned into the deal with Apple when costs of project — shot during the pandemic — rose.

“If ‘flexibility’ is the new mantra of the theatrical movie business, then this is a significant success — it establishes a viable option for the companies,” David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, said of the “Killers of the Flower Moon” launch.

As dissimilar as “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” are, they’re alike in their extended run times. A double feature of the weekend’s top two movies would have taken six hours and 14 minutes, not counting ads and trailers.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” also reeled in more young moviegoers than one might have expected. Paramount said 44% of ticket buyers were under the age of 30.

“Exorcist: The Believer,” the horror sequel directed by David Gordon Green, came in a distant third with $5.6 million in its third weekend of release. The Universal, Blumhouse film has grossed $54.2 million domestically.

“PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie” came in at No. 4 with $4.5 million in its fourth weekend. The fifth spot went to the rerelease of Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” which collected $4.1 million 30 years after it first landed in theaters.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday are for U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.

1. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” $31 million.

2. “Killers of the Flower Moon,” $23 million.

3. “The Exorcist: Believer,” $5.6 million.

4. “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,” $4.5 million.

5. “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” $4.1 million.

6. “Saw X,” $3.6 million.

7. “The Creator,” $2.6 million.

8. “Leo: Bloody Sweet,” $2.1 million.

9. “A Haunting in Venice,” $1.1 million.

10. “The Blind,” $1 million. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

NEW YORK: In a movie match-up almost as unlikely as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” Martin Scorsese took on Taylor Swift in cinemas over the weekend. And while the box office belonged for a second time to “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” got off to a strong start in Apple Studios’ first major theatrical gambit.

After a record-breaking opening weekend of $92.8 million, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” took in an estimated $31 million over the weekend from 3,855 locations, according to AMC Theaters. In an unconventional deal, the theater chain is distributing Swift’s concert film, and playing it only Thursdays through Sundays.

Most Swifties rushed to see the film on opening weekend, when a large percentage of sales were driven by advance ticketing. Sales dropped a steep 67% in its second weekend, potentially signifying that “The Eras Tour” was predominantly an opening-weekend phenomenon.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

But “The Eras Tour” has still proved to be a movie event unlike any other. Within days, it became the highest-grossing concert film ever in North America, not accounting for inflation. It’s quickly accumulated $129.8 million domestically.

More was riding on “Killers of the Flower Moon,” a historical crime drama about a string of murders against the Osage nation in the early 1920s. The film, which cost at least $200 million to make, is the largest production yet from Apple Studios. The streamer partnered with Paramount Pictures to release Scorsese’s adaptation of David Grann’s bestseller in 3,628 theaters, with plans to later stream it on a not-yet-announced date on Apple TV+.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” debuted with $23 million, marking the third best opening for the 80-year-old Scorsese, following “Shutter Island” ($41 million in 2010) and “The Departed” ($26.9 million in 2006). Though Scorsese’s latest opus, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro, will have a hard road to reaching profitability, it’s a successful launch for a 206-minute-long adult-skewing drama – a type of movie that, outside “Oppenheimer,” has struggled mightily at the box office in recent years.

And “Killers of the Flower Moon,” with rave reviews, an “A-” CinemaScore from audiences and the backing of a robust Oscar campaign, should continue to play well over the long haul. It added $21 million overseas.

“Killer of the Flower Moon” also marks the best wide-release debut for a film from a streaming company. While Netflix (which backed Scorsese’s last narrative feature, “The Irishman,” in 2019) has charted a mostly limited approach to theatrical release, Apple and Amazon, which last year closed its purchase of MGM, have pursued more expansive theatrical strategies.

Earlier this year, Apple said it plans to spend $1 billion a year making movies that will have theatrical releases before reaching its streaming service. Apple is also behind Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Napoleon,” with Joaquin Phoenix, which Sony Pictures will distribute Nov. 22; and has partnered with Universal for Matthew Vaughn’s “Argylle,” due out Feb. 2.

Paramount had initially signed on to produce and distribute “Killers of the Flower Moon,” but transitioned into the deal with Apple when costs of project — shot during the pandemic — rose.

“If ‘flexibility’ is the new mantra of the theatrical movie business, then this is a significant success — it establishes a viable option for the companies,” David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, said of the “Killers of the Flower Moon” launch.

As dissimilar as “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” are, they’re alike in their extended run times. A double feature of the weekend’s top two movies would have taken six hours and 14 minutes, not counting ads and trailers.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” also reeled in more young moviegoers than one might have expected. Paramount said 44% of ticket buyers were under the age of 30.

“Exorcist: The Believer,” the horror sequel directed by David Gordon Green, came in a distant third with $5.6 million in its third weekend of release. The Universal, Blumhouse film has grossed $54.2 million domestically.

“PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie” came in at No. 4 with $4.5 million in its fourth weekend. The fifth spot went to the rerelease of Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” which collected $4.1 million 30 years after it first landed in theaters.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday are for U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.

1. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” $31 million.

2. “Killers of the Flower Moon,” $23 million.

3. “The Exorcist: Believer,” $5.6 million.

4. “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,” $4.5 million.

5. “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” $4.1 million.

6. “Saw X,” $3.6 million.

7. “The Creator,” $2.6 million.

8. “Leo: Bloody Sweet,” $2.1 million.

9. “A Haunting in Venice,” $1.1 million.

10. “The Blind,” $1 million. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

October 23, 2023
‘Swifties’ flock to movie theaters for record-breaking ‘Eras’ film

By AFP

LOS ANGELES: Taylor Swift fans sporting friendship bracelets and glittery cowboy boots packed into early screenings of the pop megastar’s concert film at movie theaters across the United States on Thursday.

Thanks to the hysteria surrounding the singer’s ongoing and record-setting world tour, a filmed version of her concert — “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” — is already tipped to be one of the year’s biggest movies.

Usual cinema etiquette has been thrown out the window, with multiplexes such as AMC encouraging customers to dance, sing and even take selfies throughout screenings.

“At the top of my lungs, I will be screaming in my seat, and dancing around, and hopefully trading more friendship bracelets,” said Jamie Concha, 20, at a screening in Los Angeles’ Century City.

“I love every Swiftie. I think we’re all very connected,” she said, referring to the nickname adopted by Swift’s fiercely loyal fanbase.

Shot during three recent sold-out Los Angeles shows, the film contains no interviews, commentary or behind-the-scenes footage.

Instead, the film’s demand relies on drawing fans who missed out on tickets to the actual tour, or want to relive the phenomenon again, up close and alongside fellow obsessives.

In the concession line before the first screening in Century City, a pair of teenage girls arrived carrying a bag stuffed with friendship bracelets, which they handed out to fellow Swifties.

The colorful, beaded accessories have become a key part of “Eras” fandom, with concertgoers creating and swapping bracelets bearing references to their favorite Swift lyrics and quotes.

The Midwest-based Marcus Theatres has even promised “friendship bracelet making stations” at its screenings.

Swift-branded popcorn tins

Almost all the moviegoers at Century City on Thursday had been to see the live shows already, and many were planning repeat viewings at the multiplex.

“I’m coming to four screenings, and I saw the concert three times,” said Amber Eaves, 33.

“It was the best concert experience I’ve ever been to… I was crying the entire time, I had makeup streaming down my face,” said Kasey Longstreet, 24.

“It was such a special night that I wanted to come back and see it again.”

Domestic opening weekend box office estimates are as high as $150 million — a record for a concert film, and numbers comparable to this summer’s reigning smash hit movie, “Barbie.”

Theaters — still recovering from the pandemic, and faced with a dearth of new movies thanks to the ongoing Hollywood strikes — were also cashing in on demand for Swift merchandise Thursday.

AMC charged $19.89 — a reference to Swift’s album “1989” — for Swift-branded popcorn tins.

Staff reported fans arriving since the morning just to purchase empty soda cups, at the full price of $11.99. Some left with the maximum five cups allowed per movie ticket.

The movie had been set to hit screens Friday, but the singer announced on Wednesday that “due to unprecedented demand,” preview screenings would begin a day earlier.

“I’m already going this weekend, but when she dropped this at the last second, I was like, ‘I gotta go after work, oh my god,” said Eaves.

“It’s just gonna be one of those cultural phenomenons that you can look back and say ‘I was a part of that.’” Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

LOS ANGELES: Taylor Swift fans sporting friendship bracelets and glittery cowboy boots packed into early screenings of the pop megastar’s concert film at movie theaters across the United States on Thursday.

Thanks to the hysteria surrounding the singer’s ongoing and record-setting world tour, a filmed version of her concert — “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” — is already tipped to be one of the year’s biggest movies.

Usual cinema etiquette has been thrown out the window, with multiplexes such as AMC encouraging customers to dance, sing and even take selfies throughout screenings.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

“At the top of my lungs, I will be screaming in my seat, and dancing around, and hopefully trading more friendship bracelets,” said Jamie Concha, 20, at a screening in Los Angeles’ Century City.

“I love every Swiftie. I think we’re all very connected,” she said, referring to the nickname adopted by Swift’s fiercely loyal fanbase.

Shot during three recent sold-out Los Angeles shows, the film contains no interviews, commentary or behind-the-scenes footage.

Instead, the film’s demand relies on drawing fans who missed out on tickets to the actual tour, or want to relive the phenomenon again, up close and alongside fellow obsessives.

In the concession line before the first screening in Century City, a pair of teenage girls arrived carrying a bag stuffed with friendship bracelets, which they handed out to fellow Swifties.

The colorful, beaded accessories have become a key part of “Eras” fandom, with concertgoers creating and swapping bracelets bearing references to their favorite Swift lyrics and quotes.

The Midwest-based Marcus Theatres has even promised “friendship bracelet making stations” at its screenings.

Swift-branded popcorn tins

Almost all the moviegoers at Century City on Thursday had been to see the live shows already, and many were planning repeat viewings at the multiplex.

“I’m coming to four screenings, and I saw the concert three times,” said Amber Eaves, 33.

“It was the best concert experience I’ve ever been to… I was crying the entire time, I had makeup streaming down my face,” said Kasey Longstreet, 24.

“It was such a special night that I wanted to come back and see it again.”

Domestic opening weekend box office estimates are as high as $150 million — a record for a concert film, and numbers comparable to this summer’s reigning smash hit movie, “Barbie.”

Theaters — still recovering from the pandemic, and faced with a dearth of new movies thanks to the ongoing Hollywood strikes — were also cashing in on demand for Swift merchandise Thursday.

AMC charged $19.89 — a reference to Swift’s album “1989” — for Swift-branded popcorn tins.

Staff reported fans arriving since the morning just to purchase empty soda cups, at the full price of $11.99. Some left with the maximum five cups allowed per movie ticket.

The movie had been set to hit screens Friday, but the singer announced on Wednesday that “due to unprecedented demand,” preview screenings would begin a day earlier.

“I’m already going this weekend, but when she dropped this at the last second, I was like, ‘I gotta go after work, oh my god,” said Eaves.

“It’s just gonna be one of those cultural phenomenons that you can look back and say ‘I was a part of that.’” Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

October 13, 2023
‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ will be a blockbuster — and might shake up the movie business

By Associated Press

NEW YORK: Greg Marcus has been in the movie business for years but he never expected to be urging moviegoers to take out their phones during a film — let alone to be crafting friendship bracelets in preparation for an opening weekend.

But there the chief executive and chair of the Marcus Corporation is in a promotion for his theatre chain headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, stringing beads together while humming “Shake It Off.”

Movie theatres are readying for an onslaught like they’ve never seen before, beginning Friday when “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” debuts. The concert film, compiled from several Swift shows at Southern California’s SoFi Stadium, is expected to launch with $100 million, or possibly more. Advance ticket sales worldwide have already surpassed $100 million.

Swifties will descend. Dancing will be encouraged.

“This is different,” says Marcus. “Take your phone out. Take selfies. Dance, sing, get up, have a good time. We want to create an atmosphere.”

Concert films, of course, aren’t anything new. Just last month, the Talking Heads classic “Stop Making Sense” returned to theatres for a decades-later encore. But “The Eras Tour” heralds something new and potentially game-changing in the movie industry.

Two of the biggest stars on the planet — Swift and, in December under a very similar arrangement, Beyoncé — are heading into cinemas in first-of-their-kind deals made directly with AMC Theaters that circumvent Hollywood studios and which, for now, leave streamers waiting on the sidelines.

But how did the once declared-for-dead multiplex become the go-to place this fall a pair of stars previously at home on Netflix?

When studios began diverting some of their titles to streaming platforms, movie theatres began thinking harder about how they could fill their screens — a question exacerbated this autumn by an actors’ strike that’s led to the postponement of big releases like “Dune: Part Two.”

Movie theatres are increasingly not just a marquee of movie showtimes but a big-screen stage for a variety of visual media. BTS earlier this year released a concert film, with higher ticket prices and limited showtimes. The Metropolitan Opera has for years done popular live broadcasts in theatres.

Few acts can do what Swift and Beyoncé can. Their expected success is unlikely to be replicated. But “The Eras Tour” could be the start of an expansion of what, exactly, a movie theatre can be. Think the Sphere, only much cheaper and in most towns.

“You could say we’re in the movie business, but really we’re in the getting-together-with-other-people business,” says Marcus. “The more we do of it, the more the customers will think about it and the more talent will go: This is something I could do.”

Swift’s camp was motivated to get the film out even as her stadium tour continues internationally. The tour, which is projected by Pollstar to gross some $1.4 billion, crashed Ticketmaster’s site, saw sky-high resale mark-ups and left many fans priced out.

The movie, directed by Sam Wrench, would be a way for millions more to experience the Eras Tour. Adult tickets are being sold for $19.89,” a reference to her birth year and 2014 album, a re-recording of which is due out Oct. 27. That’s higher than the average movie ticket but several thousand less than many tickets to see Swift live.

It’s arriving uncommonly fast, too, just a little over two months since the SoFi shows. Speed was one reason Swift’s father, Scott Swift, is said to have sought out a direct deal with AMC. Swift produced the film, herself, and, with 274 million followers on Instagram, didn’t need a studio to promote it.

The pop star’s apparent relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has only further brightened the spotlight on the movie. According to ad-tracking firm iSpot, TV ads for the film ran only a few dozen times as of Oct. 6, including several spots during NFL broadcasts. (A Marvel movie, by comparison, might run several thousand TV commercials.)

Ticket sales will be split 43% with theatres and 57% shared by Swift and AMC — with the lion’s share of that going to Swift. The film will play exclusively in theatres for at least 13 weeks — longer than many Hollywood releases do now. AMC CEO Adam Aron has called the deal “a coup for AMC” on social media.

Both AMC and representatives for Swift declined to discuss the film’s release.

After a premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday, there won’t be any advance screenings until the movie begins playing at 6 p.m. local time on Friday. Most wide-release movies open with Thursday showings and Friday daytime screenings. It’s another wrinkle in a nontraditional release that’s challenging Hollywood norms.

“Innovation comes out of challenging times in this business. We’re seeing a lot of changes, some subtle, some not so subtle,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. “It seems like, right now, there are no rules when it comes to being successful.”

Dergarabedian believes the two concert films should help lift the North American box office to more than $9 billion in 2023, up from the $7.4 billion of last year and edging closer to $11.4 billion in 2019.

“It really opens up the idea that other types of content can play really well in a movie theatre,” he says.

Some of those changes have been facilitated by the abolishment of long-held antitrust restrictions governing movie distribution. After more than 70 years of regulating divisions between exhibition and distribution, the Paramount consent decrees were terminated in 2020 at the urging of the Department of Justice, with a two-year sunset period that ran until last year.

“Innovation had effectively been stunted,” says Makan Delrahim, the former antitrust chief at the Justice Department who proposed ending the consent decrees.

Delrahim believes “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” — as a movie distributed by a theatre chain, with nontraditional ticket prices — could “fuel new business models to save the exhibitors.”

“There will be more appetite to experiment with different models for theatrical distribution,” Delrahim says. “The industry needs it and, frankly, so do consumers.”

Meanwhile, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is poised to become the biggest concert film ever in about two days of release. Not accounting for inflation, 2011’s “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” holds that mark with $73.1 million across its entire run. Accounting for inflation, it will be harder for “The Eras Tour” to catch “Woodstock,” which grossed $50 million in 1970, a total that translates to nearly $400 million today.

In Marcus’ theatres, like many other chains, there will be friendship bracelet stations. Sound systems have been modified for more of a concert feel. And while Marcus grants it will be strange to see an AMC logo before a film playing in his theatres, he doesn’t particularly mind.

“I’m just happy it’s there,” he says. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

NEW YORK: Greg Marcus has been in the movie business for years but he never expected to be urging moviegoers to take out their phones during a film — let alone to be crafting friendship bracelets in preparation for an opening weekend.

But there the chief executive and chair of the Marcus Corporation is in a promotion for his theatre chain headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, stringing beads together while humming “Shake It Off.”

Movie theatres are readying for an onslaught like they’ve never seen before, beginning Friday when “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” debuts. The concert film, compiled from several Swift shows at Southern California’s SoFi Stadium, is expected to launch with $100 million, or possibly more. Advance ticket sales worldwide have already surpassed $100 million.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

Swifties will descend. Dancing will be encouraged.

“This is different,” says Marcus. “Take your phone out. Take selfies. Dance, sing, get up, have a good time. We want to create an atmosphere.”

Concert films, of course, aren’t anything new. Just last month, the Talking Heads classic “Stop Making Sense” returned to theatres for a decades-later encore. But “The Eras Tour” heralds something new and potentially game-changing in the movie industry.

Two of the biggest stars on the planet — Swift and, in December under a very similar arrangement, Beyoncé — are heading into cinemas in first-of-their-kind deals made directly with AMC Theaters that circumvent Hollywood studios and which, for now, leave streamers waiting on the sidelines.

But how did the once declared-for-dead multiplex become the go-to place this fall a pair of stars previously at home on Netflix?

When studios began diverting some of their titles to streaming platforms, movie theatres began thinking harder about how they could fill their screens — a question exacerbated this autumn by an actors’ strike that’s led to the postponement of big releases like “Dune: Part Two.”

Movie theatres are increasingly not just a marquee of movie showtimes but a big-screen stage for a variety of visual media. BTS earlier this year released a concert film, with higher ticket prices and limited showtimes. The Metropolitan Opera has for years done popular live broadcasts in theatres.

Few acts can do what Swift and Beyoncé can. Their expected success is unlikely to be replicated. But “The Eras Tour” could be the start of an expansion of what, exactly, a movie theatre can be. Think the Sphere, only much cheaper and in most towns.

“You could say we’re in the movie business, but really we’re in the getting-together-with-other-people business,” says Marcus. “The more we do of it, the more the customers will think about it and the more talent will go: This is something I could do.”

Swift’s camp was motivated to get the film out even as her stadium tour continues internationally. The tour, which is projected by Pollstar to gross some $1.4 billion, crashed Ticketmaster’s site, saw sky-high resale mark-ups and left many fans priced out.

The movie, directed by Sam Wrench, would be a way for millions more to experience the Eras Tour. Adult tickets are being sold for $19.89,” a reference to her birth year and 2014 album, a re-recording of which is due out Oct. 27. That’s higher than the average movie ticket but several thousand less than many tickets to see Swift live.

It’s arriving uncommonly fast, too, just a little over two months since the SoFi shows. Speed was one reason Swift’s father, Scott Swift, is said to have sought out a direct deal with AMC. Swift produced the film, herself, and, with 274 million followers on Instagram, didn’t need a studio to promote it.

The pop star’s apparent relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has only further brightened the spotlight on the movie. According to ad-tracking firm iSpot, TV ads for the film ran only a few dozen times as of Oct. 6, including several spots during NFL broadcasts. (A Marvel movie, by comparison, might run several thousand TV commercials.)

Ticket sales will be split 43% with theatres and 57% shared by Swift and AMC — with the lion’s share of that going to Swift. The film will play exclusively in theatres for at least 13 weeks — longer than many Hollywood releases do now. AMC CEO Adam Aron has called the deal “a coup for AMC” on social media.

Both AMC and representatives for Swift declined to discuss the film’s release.

After a premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday, there won’t be any advance screenings until the movie begins playing at 6 p.m. local time on Friday. Most wide-release movies open with Thursday showings and Friday daytime screenings. It’s another wrinkle in a nontraditional release that’s challenging Hollywood norms.

“Innovation comes out of challenging times in this business. We’re seeing a lot of changes, some subtle, some not so subtle,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. “It seems like, right now, there are no rules when it comes to being successful.”

Dergarabedian believes the two concert films should help lift the North American box office to more than $9 billion in 2023, up from the $7.4 billion of last year and edging closer to $11.4 billion in 2019.

“It really opens up the idea that other types of content can play really well in a movie theatre,” he says.

Some of those changes have been facilitated by the abolishment of long-held antitrust restrictions governing movie distribution. After more than 70 years of regulating divisions between exhibition and distribution, the Paramount consent decrees were terminated in 2020 at the urging of the Department of Justice, with a two-year sunset period that ran until last year.

“Innovation had effectively been stunted,” says Makan Delrahim, the former antitrust chief at the Justice Department who proposed ending the consent decrees.

Delrahim believes “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” — as a movie distributed by a theatre chain, with nontraditional ticket prices — could “fuel new business models to save the exhibitors.”

“There will be more appetite to experiment with different models for theatrical distribution,” Delrahim says. “The industry needs it and, frankly, so do consumers.”

Meanwhile, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is poised to become the biggest concert film ever in about two days of release. Not accounting for inflation, 2011’s “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” holds that mark with $73.1 million across its entire run. Accounting for inflation, it will be harder for “The Eras Tour” to catch “Woodstock,” which grossed $50 million in 1970, a total that translates to nearly $400 million today.

In Marcus’ theatres, like many other chains, there will be friendship bracelet stations. Sound systems have been modified for more of a concert feel. And while Marcus grants it will be strange to see an AMC logo before a film playing in his theatres, he doesn’t particularly mind.

“I’m just happy it’s there,” he says. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

October 11, 2023
Taylor Swift cheers Travis Kelce at NFL game with Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Sophie Turner

By ANI

NEW JERSEY: American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift arrived at MetLife Stadium for NFL game in New Jersey on Sunday night to cheer on tight end her rumoured beau Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs as they play on the road against the New York Jets, Variety reported.

Several celebrities, including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Sophie Turner, Sabrina Carpenter, Shawn Levy, Olivia DeJonge, and others, joined the singer-songwriter at the game.

Much of the broadcast’s beginning featured the musician’s presence, including the game’s commentators greeting Swifties to the game.

As per Variety, the ‘The Voice’ host Carson Daly also gave a package from the set of the reality competition show, which was intended to introduce Swift fans to the game and provide background information about Kelce.

Taylor Swift arriving at MetLife Stadium for Travis Kelce’s game with Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.pic.twitter.com/BOhi9ZLdsr
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 1, 2023
It featured numerous puns based on her song titles and was set to the song ‘Welcome to New York,’ which alluded to the Kansas City Chiefs’ game against the New York Jets.

The broadcast also mentioned how disabled Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who attended the game for the first time since suffering a season-ending injury in the first game of the season, went on Swift’s Eras Tour with his friend Miles Teller over the summer.

Several times, both in the studio and on the field, the broadcasters referred to the game as “star-studded.”

Ok Taylor Swift Travis Kelce They are the best thing that happened pic.twitter.com/uuAesyQEa7
— Loly ¹⁹⁸⁹ ͭ ͮ (@midnera) October 2, 2023
Following the Chiefs’ first touchdown, the camera went to Swift, who was seen hugging those surrounding her.

There was also a commercial break early in the game that featured the theatrical run of Swift’s Eras Tour concert film, as well as a video of the singer-songwriter appearing on a Times Square billboard.

Travis Kelce can’t get enough Taylor Swift. He looks up and says “Damn, there she is right there.” pic.twitter.com/HXTHAXwwD1
— Geoff Abbott (@VisionaryDigMar) September 25, 2023

NEW JERSEY: American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift arrived at MetLife Stadium for NFL game in New Jersey on Sunday night to cheer on tight end her rumoured beau Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs as they play on the road against the New York Jets, Variety reported.

Several celebrities, including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Sophie Turner, Sabrina Carpenter, Shawn Levy, Olivia DeJonge, and others, joined the singer-songwriter at the game.

Much of the broadcast’s beginning featured the musician’s presence, including the game’s commentators greeting Swifties to the game.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

As per Variety, the ‘The Voice’ host Carson Daly also gave a package from the set of the reality competition show, which was intended to introduce Swift fans to the game and provide background information about Kelce.

Taylor Swift arriving at MetLife Stadium for Travis Kelce’s game with Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.pic.twitter.com/BOhi9ZLdsr
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 1, 2023
It featured numerous puns based on her song titles and was set to the song ‘Welcome to New York,’ which alluded to the Kansas City Chiefs’ game against the New York Jets.

The broadcast also mentioned how disabled Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who attended the game for the first time since suffering a season-ending injury in the first game of the season, went on Swift’s Eras Tour with his friend Miles Teller over the summer.

Several times, both in the studio and on the field, the broadcasters referred to the game as “star-studded.”

Ok Taylor Swift Travis Kelce They are the best thing that happened pic.twitter.com/uuAesyQEa7
— Loly ¹⁹⁸⁹ ͭ ͮ (@midnera) October 2, 2023
Following the Chiefs’ first touchdown, the camera went to Swift, who was seen hugging those surrounding her.

There was also a commercial break early in the game that featured the theatrical run of Swift’s Eras Tour concert film, as well as a video of the singer-songwriter appearing on a Times Square billboard.

Travis Kelce can’t get enough Taylor Swift. He looks up and says “Damn, there she is right there.” pic.twitter.com/HXTHAXwwD1
— Geoff Abbott (@VisionaryDigMar) September 25, 2023

October 2, 2023
As good as Shakespeare? Belgium students’ love story with Taylor Swift

By AFP

GHENT: A hubbub grips the class in the Belgian city of Ghent as university students eagerly discuss whether US pop star Taylor Swift is a “literary genius”.

The question elicits passionate responses from students, and it’s an exercise their professor hopes will enliven their engagement with more traditional figures of the English Literature canon.

The course is among a handful that have popped up at universities around the world as pop titan Swift has racked up hits and awards and as her Eras Tour is expected to set a record for the first billion-dollar tour.

“To read her lyrics without the context of the song, it can feel like poetry,” one student says after the teacher opens the floor to discussion.

Another student pipes up to suggest it’s too soon to say Swift, 33, has had the same cultural impact as William Shakespeare, known around the world for many centuries. While Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays, Swift has recorded 10 albums.

Some will wonder what Shakespeare and his peers share in common with today’s biggest US singer-songwriter.

Well, they are all the subject of Elly McCausland’s course called “Literature (Taylor’s Version)” for Master’s degree students at Ghent University, which will run until the end of the year.

During the first class on Monday, assistant professor McCausland piqued the students’ curiosity with controversial questions, including why certain authors and literature are considered timeless, while other books are not valued the same way.

McCausland’s goal? To make literature more accessible.

“I’d like to get people excited about literature, thinking about literature in a new way and realising that actually even literature from centuries and centuries ago still has something to add to our conversations,” she told AFP at the class.

‘Swift is a real poet’

The 10-session course will use Swift’s songs as references for themes and will focus on a series of historic texts including Charlotte Bronte’s Villette, lesser known than Jane Eyre.

The course has proved popular, with 61 students signed up, twice as many as usual.

There are even students from other parts of Belgium.

Zina Ringoot, 20, had learned just hours before that she could attend the course and made the 90-minute trip to Ghent from Antwerp in the northeast.

ALSO READ | Taylor Swift creates history as female artist with most No. 1 albums

“I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan,” said Ringoot, an English literature Master’s student.

“I’m hoping to write my thesis on Taylor Swift’s album ‘folklore’ and how it connects to romanticism. So I thought I would get a lot out of this class.”

Not everyone in the class is a Swiftie, as her fans call themselves.

Joris Verschelde, 21, admitted he was “not that big of a fan” but wanted to “see the connection between the songs and what we already learned” in the older texts.

Laughter often fills the windowless auditorium, despite the fact that serious themes are on the agenda, including feminism, sexism and misogyny.

When McCausland asks: “Who are the gatekeepers” of English literature, one student quips: “A bunch of old men!”

Even if critics reject comparisons with the canonical greats, Swift has fans even among Shakespeare experts including British academic Sir Jonathan Bate.

After attending a concert during Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour, Bate wrote in the Sunday Times in April: “I came away with confirmation of a thought I first had 15 years ago: this isn’t just high-class showbiz, Taylor Swift is a real poet.”

Beyond Belgium

University courses looking at Swift have been popping up around the world.

New York University’s Clive Davis Institute launched its first-ever course on Swift last year, and Queen Mary University of London offered a summer school this year looking at Swift through a literary lens.

In Arizona, PhD student Alexandra Wormley is hosting a course on the social psychology of Swift at Arizona State University this autumn.

Critics online and even some media pundits have pondered just what it is about Swift that is so appealing.

For Clio Doyle, an academic who hosted the summer course at Queen Mary, “Swift is a really fascinating songwriter”.

The lecturer in early modern literature added that another reason she looked at Swift was because of her popularity and the discussions surrounding her work.

“A course about Swift would be an opportunity for students both to deepen their readings of Swift’s lyrics and to think about what it means to study something as literature,” Doyle, who runs a similarly-themed podcast about Swift, told AFP.

The summer course will be offered again next year, and interest is not limited to the United States or Europe.

The University of Melbourne will host a three-day “Swiftposium” looking at Swift’s cultural, economic and global impact in February 2024, the same month her tour arrives in Australia.

GHENT: A hubbub grips the class in the Belgian city of Ghent as university students eagerly discuss whether US pop star Taylor Swift is a “literary genius”.

The question elicits passionate responses from students, and it’s an exercise their professor hopes will enliven their engagement with more traditional figures of the English Literature canon.

The course is among a handful that have popped up at universities around the world as pop titan Swift has racked up hits and awards and as her Eras Tour is expected to set a record for the first billion-dollar tour.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

“To read her lyrics without the context of the song, it can feel like poetry,” one student says after the teacher opens the floor to discussion.

Another student pipes up to suggest it’s too soon to say Swift, 33, has had the same cultural impact as William Shakespeare, known around the world for many centuries. While Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays, Swift has recorded 10 albums.

Some will wonder what Shakespeare and his peers share in common with today’s biggest US singer-songwriter.

Well, they are all the subject of Elly McCausland’s course called “Literature (Taylor’s Version)” for Master’s degree students at Ghent University, which will run until the end of the year.

During the first class on Monday, assistant professor McCausland piqued the students’ curiosity with controversial questions, including why certain authors and literature are considered timeless, while other books are not valued the same way.

McCausland’s goal? To make literature more accessible.

“I’d like to get people excited about literature, thinking about literature in a new way and realising that actually even literature from centuries and centuries ago still has something to add to our conversations,” she told AFP at the class.

‘Swift is a real poet’

The 10-session course will use Swift’s songs as references for themes and will focus on a series of historic texts including Charlotte Bronte’s Villette, lesser known than Jane Eyre.

The course has proved popular, with 61 students signed up, twice as many as usual.

There are even students from other parts of Belgium.

Zina Ringoot, 20, had learned just hours before that she could attend the course and made the 90-minute trip to Ghent from Antwerp in the northeast.

ALSO READ | Taylor Swift creates history as female artist with most No. 1 albums

“I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan,” said Ringoot, an English literature Master’s student.

“I’m hoping to write my thesis on Taylor Swift’s album ‘folklore’ and how it connects to romanticism. So I thought I would get a lot out of this class.”

Not everyone in the class is a Swiftie, as her fans call themselves.

Joris Verschelde, 21, admitted he was “not that big of a fan” but wanted to “see the connection between the songs and what we already learned” in the older texts.

Laughter often fills the windowless auditorium, despite the fact that serious themes are on the agenda, including feminism, sexism and misogyny.

When McCausland asks: “Who are the gatekeepers” of English literature, one student quips: “A bunch of old men!”

Even if critics reject comparisons with the canonical greats, Swift has fans even among Shakespeare experts including British academic Sir Jonathan Bate.

After attending a concert during Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour, Bate wrote in the Sunday Times in April: “I came away with confirmation of a thought I first had 15 years ago: this isn’t just high-class showbiz, Taylor Swift is a real poet.”

Beyond Belgium

University courses looking at Swift have been popping up around the world.

New York University’s Clive Davis Institute launched its first-ever course on Swift last year, and Queen Mary University of London offered a summer school this year looking at Swift through a literary lens.

In Arizona, PhD student Alexandra Wormley is hosting a course on the social psychology of Swift at Arizona State University this autumn.

Critics online and even some media pundits have pondered just what it is about Swift that is so appealing.

For Clio Doyle, an academic who hosted the summer course at Queen Mary, “Swift is a really fascinating songwriter”.

The lecturer in early modern literature added that another reason she looked at Swift was because of her popularity and the discussions surrounding her work.

“A course about Swift would be an opportunity for students both to deepen their readings of Swift’s lyrics and to think about what it means to study something as literature,” Doyle, who runs a similarly-themed podcast about Swift, told AFP.

The summer course will be offered again next year, and interest is not limited to the United States or Europe.

The University of Melbourne will host a three-day “Swiftposium” looking at Swift’s cultural, economic and global impact in February 2024, the same month her tour arrives in Australia.

September 26, 2023
Largest US newspaper chain hiring Taylor Swift and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter ‘journalists’

By Associated Press

LOS ANGELES: This week the United States’ biggest newspaper chain posted to its site two unusual job listings: a Taylor Swift reporter and a Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter.

Gannett, which owns more than 200 daily papers, will employ these new hires through USA Today and The Tennessean, the company’s Nashville-based newspaper. The chain is looking for “modern storytellers” adept in print, audio and visual journalism, said Michael Anastasi, the Tennessean’s editor and Gannett’s vice president for local news.

“Seeing both the facts and the fury, the Taylor Swift reporter will identify why the pop star’s influence only expands, what her fanbase stands for in pop culture, and the effect she has across the music and business worlds,” the company said in its job description.

Similarly, the company wants a journalist who can capture Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s effect on society and the industries in which she operates.

Anastasi said the Tennessean already has a three-person music team and “I put our sophisticated coverage up against anybody.” Gannett is always looking for opportunities to make itself essential for paying customers, he said.

Critics of the new roles cited layoffs at Gannett, where the workforce has shrunk 47% in the last three years due to layoffs and attrition, according to the NewsGuild. At some newspapers, the union said the headcount has fallen by as much as 90%. Last year alone, Gannett cut about 6% of its roughly 3,440-person U.S. media division.

Some journalists said that while hiring these massively popular artist-specific roles reflects their influence in pop culture, they do fail to invest in local journalism at a company known for its local dailies.

“At a time when so much serious news and local reporting is being cut, it’s a decision to raise some questions about,” Rick Edmonds, an expert at the journalism think tank Poynter Institute, said of the new positions.

Said Anastasi: “We’re not hiring a Taylor Swift reporter at the expense of other reporters.”

Some journalists criticized the job listings for presenting superfan behavior as a full-time journalism job. Music writer Jeremy Gordon said on social media that it “doesn’t feel great to see ‘full-time stan’ go out as an actual journalism job.” Stan is slang for “superfan.”

If the hire acts more like a fan than a journalist, the decision could backfire on Gannett. But if the job is done well, and the reporters can penetrate tightly-controlled operations to glean insights, they can establish themselves as national authorities on important cultural figures.

Omise’eke Tinsley, academic and author of “Beyoncé in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism,” says this type of role makes space for more positive stories about Black women.

But also, she adds, the existence of both jobs directly reflects Beyoncé and Swift’s economic power. “If there wasn’t that component to it, there wouldn’t be a Beyoncé reporter,” Tinsley said.

It is not uncommon for journalists to develop a beat on a specific figure, particularly in politics — as evidenced by Amy Chozick, who the New York Times hired in 2013 to cover Hilary Clinton exclusively. But most entertainment journalists are responsible for reporting on a wide range of talent — even if they are subject matter experts on a specific artist.

That was the case for Los Angeles Times reporter Suzy Exposito, who called herself an “unofficial” beat reporter on popular reggaetonero Bad Bunny because she spent a disproportionate amount of time in a previous job covering him compared to other priorities.

“His near-weekly output became really overwhelming, and it took away focus from a lot of other artists who were also making compelling work,” Exposito said. “He’s so prolific that I think I literally ran out of new words to describe him at some point. He could use his own reporter, too.”

She said a major challenge for entertainment journalists is the sheer volume of releases from pop artists. “The business of music is a numbers game,” Exposito said. “Hit records become deluxe editions become sold-out world tours, and it can be dizzying for a general music journalist to keep up.”

So, are artist-specific jobs the future of music journalism?

“It is a bit odd, but Taylor Swift Inc., I guess you would call it, is a big economic driver right now,” said Eric Grode, director of the Goldring Arts Journalism and Communications program at Syracuse University. “Taylor Swift is doing a lot of newsworthy things beyond just selling concert tickets.”

If a reporter takes the job seriously and provides more than breathless concert coverage, their established expertise could be valuable for a news organization, Grode said. Still, there are very few musicians who have such a wide cultural reach.

The likelihood of fans to click on stories about Swift or Beyoncé makes it an obvious motivating factor in designing the new jobs, Exposito said.

“Digital media is now competing with fan accounts on social media — not when it comes to accuracy, but when it comes to being the first source to report on pop stars’ developments,” she said.

Top artists prioritize the attention and work of expert reporters, leading to what critic Soraya Roberts has called a ” culture of sameness ” — yet another barrier to local arts coverage.

Tinsley believes that posts on social media criticizing the focus of these new roles may reflect a culture of sexism. “Adding to the pantheon of what figures and representatives matter has the potential to do something important,” she said. “I believe some of the dismissals (of these roles) have to do with what we value and don’t value as a society — and I think there’s an implicit misogyny in it.”

Representatives for Swift and Beyoncé did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

LOS ANGELES: This week the United States’ biggest newspaper chain posted to its site two unusual job listings: a Taylor Swift reporter and a Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter.

Gannett, which owns more than 200 daily papers, will employ these new hires through USA Today and The Tennessean, the company’s Nashville-based newspaper. The chain is looking for “modern storytellers” adept in print, audio and visual journalism, said Michael Anastasi, the Tennessean’s editor and Gannett’s vice president for local news.

“Seeing both the facts and the fury, the Taylor Swift reporter will identify why the pop star’s influence only expands, what her fanbase stands for in pop culture, and the effect she has across the music and business worlds,” the company said in its job description.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

Similarly, the company wants a journalist who can capture Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s effect on society and the industries in which she operates.

Anastasi said the Tennessean already has a three-person music team and “I put our sophisticated coverage up against anybody.” Gannett is always looking for opportunities to make itself essential for paying customers, he said.

Critics of the new roles cited layoffs at Gannett, where the workforce has shrunk 47% in the last three years due to layoffs and attrition, according to the NewsGuild. At some newspapers, the union said the headcount has fallen by as much as 90%. Last year alone, Gannett cut about 6% of its roughly 3,440-person U.S. media division.

Some journalists said that while hiring these massively popular artist-specific roles reflects their influence in pop culture, they do fail to invest in local journalism at a company known for its local dailies.

“At a time when so much serious news and local reporting is being cut, it’s a decision to raise some questions about,” Rick Edmonds, an expert at the journalism think tank Poynter Institute, said of the new positions.

Said Anastasi: “We’re not hiring a Taylor Swift reporter at the expense of other reporters.”

Some journalists criticized the job listings for presenting superfan behavior as a full-time journalism job. Music writer Jeremy Gordon said on social media that it “doesn’t feel great to see ‘full-time stan’ go out as an actual journalism job.” Stan is slang for “superfan.”

If the hire acts more like a fan than a journalist, the decision could backfire on Gannett. But if the job is done well, and the reporters can penetrate tightly-controlled operations to glean insights, they can establish themselves as national authorities on important cultural figures.

Omise’eke Tinsley, academic and author of “Beyoncé in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism,” says this type of role makes space for more positive stories about Black women.

But also, she adds, the existence of both jobs directly reflects Beyoncé and Swift’s economic power. “If there wasn’t that component to it, there wouldn’t be a Beyoncé reporter,” Tinsley said.

It is not uncommon for journalists to develop a beat on a specific figure, particularly in politics — as evidenced by Amy Chozick, who the New York Times hired in 2013 to cover Hilary Clinton exclusively. But most entertainment journalists are responsible for reporting on a wide range of talent — even if they are subject matter experts on a specific artist.

That was the case for Los Angeles Times reporter Suzy Exposito, who called herself an “unofficial” beat reporter on popular reggaetonero Bad Bunny because she spent a disproportionate amount of time in a previous job covering him compared to other priorities.

“His near-weekly output became really overwhelming, and it took away focus from a lot of other artists who were also making compelling work,” Exposito said. “He’s so prolific that I think I literally ran out of new words to describe him at some point. He could use his own reporter, too.”

She said a major challenge for entertainment journalists is the sheer volume of releases from pop artists. “The business of music is a numbers game,” Exposito said. “Hit records become deluxe editions become sold-out world tours, and it can be dizzying for a general music journalist to keep up.”

So, are artist-specific jobs the future of music journalism?

“It is a bit odd, but Taylor Swift Inc., I guess you would call it, is a big economic driver right now,” said Eric Grode, director of the Goldring Arts Journalism and Communications program at Syracuse University. “Taylor Swift is doing a lot of newsworthy things beyond just selling concert tickets.”

If a reporter takes the job seriously and provides more than breathless concert coverage, their established expertise could be valuable for a news organization, Grode said. Still, there are very few musicians who have such a wide cultural reach.

The likelihood of fans to click on stories about Swift or Beyoncé makes it an obvious motivating factor in designing the new jobs, Exposito said.

“Digital media is now competing with fan accounts on social media — not when it comes to accuracy, but when it comes to being the first source to report on pop stars’ developments,” she said.

Top artists prioritize the attention and work of expert reporters, leading to what critic Soraya Roberts has called a ” culture of sameness ” — yet another barrier to local arts coverage.

Tinsley believes that posts on social media criticizing the focus of these new roles may reflect a culture of sexism. “Adding to the pantheon of what figures and representatives matter has the potential to do something important,” she said. “I believe some of the dismissals (of these roles) have to do with what we value and don’t value as a society — and I think there’s an implicit misogyny in it.”

Representatives for Swift and Beyoncé did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

September 14, 2023
Taylor Swift and her ‘Anti-Hero’ top MTV VMAs in a show dominated by hip-hop, K-pop and Latin jams

By PTI

LOS ANGELES: Taylor Swift took home the top prize at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards for her “Anti-Hero” music video on a night full of surprises.

“This is unbelievable. The fact that this is a fan-voted award means so much to me,” Swift said in her acceptance speech.

“I can’t believe it was a year ago that I announced the Midnights album.”

The show, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, was Swift’s from nearly the beginning.

The night’s first presenters were none other than NSYNC, who reunited to hand the Best Pop Video award to Swift.

The face of someone who just won #VMA Video of the Year for the second year in a row!!!!!CONGRATS @TAYLORSWIFT13 pic.twitter.com/ffYm7Ze2nb
— Video Music Awards (@vmas) September 13, 2023
In coordinating suits, Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez shared the stage with Swift.

Bass handed her a friendship bracelet, just as fans do at the superstar’s shows.

“You’re pop personified,” she told the group.

The night’s top nominee later returned to the stage to pick up the Song of the Year trophy for “Anti-Hero” and also the Best Direction award.

Swift took home nine of the 11 awards she was up for, including Artist of the Year in a category made up entirely of women nominees for the first time in VMA history.

Her “Karma (Remix)” collaborator, Ice Spice, won best new artist.

“Oh my God, this is so cool,” she said. “I just want to thank my munchkins.”

New music was abundant throughout the show.

Host Nicki Minaj performed her latest single, the dreamy “Last Time I Saw You” before jumping into a brand-new tease of a fiery new trap cut from her highly-anticipated “Pink Friday 2” album.

“I ain’t nothing like you,” she raps, “I’m on a whole other level.”

As much as Swift dominated, the VMAs centred on music’s global power.

i just realised #StrayKids is the only kpop group to be announced as the winner, accept the trophy and give their speech on the main stage at this year’s cmiiwpic.twitter.com/qyJyw1H8pD
— ً (@bangcvnt) September 13, 2023
K-pop boy band Tomorrow X Together and Brazilian superstar Anitta premiered their new collaboration, the glossy retro-pop of “Back for More.”

Another K-pop group, Stray Kids, brought their billboard chart hit “S-Class” to the stage, regional Mexicana star Peso Pluma performed “Lady Gaga” and reggaeton era Karol G delivered “Oki Doki” and “Ta OK (remix).”

Comedian Tiffany Haddish presented the award for “Best Afrobeats” in the category’s inaugural year, given to Rema and Selena Gomez for their massive hit “Calm Down.”

“Africa in the house!” Rema started his acceptance speech.

“Shout out to Fela (Kuti) who started Afrobeats in the first place, and I want to give a big shout-out to the next generation of Afrobeats.”

Gomez stood a few feet from the microphone but jumped in when Rema asked her to, telling the crowd: “I want to send all of my love to Nigeria, thank you.”

Colombian icon Shakira received the Video Vanguard Award and performed an incredible bilingual medley of her decades of hits.

“MTV, thank you for being such a big part of my career since I was only 18 years old,” Shakira said, also thanking her parents and her children, whom she brought to the show.

“This is for you my people, my Latin American people, inside and outside this country,” she said, switching to Spanish.

“Thank you for inspiring me and for injecting me with so much strength and so much desire to move forward, I love you so much.”

She also took home the award for best collaboration for “TQG,” her song with Karol G.

The duo gave their acceptance speech entirely in Spanish.

“If collaborating with the legendary Shakira had been impressive, having an award with her is something from another planet,” Karol G exclaimed.

HQ｜230912 VMA award-Straykids FelixCongratulations my precious#felix #필릭스 #straykids #스트레이키즈#StrayKids_VMA_BestKPop pic.twitter.com/2t3sOTPMEH
— G(｡ì _ í｡)G (@04_GW_04) September 13, 2023
Diddy received the Global Icon Award from Mary J.Blige and his daughter Chance Combs.

He is the third recipient of the award, following the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2022 and the Foo Fighters in 2021.

The legendary rapper also performed at the VMAs for the first time since 2005.

It was an incredible collection of some of his biggest hits like “Bad Boy for Life” and “Mo Money Mo Problems,” joined by some of his greatest collaborators: Yung Miami, Keyshia Cole, and sweetest of all, his son, King Combs.

“Love wins, y’all, love wins,” he started his speech.

“I started out as a paper boy, I didn’t know I was going to be here.” He then led the audience with a chant of “bad boy.”

“This is for 30 years,” he continued.

“I pray to God that you get to do what you love for 30 years.”

Lil Wayne opened the show with a performance of his new single “Kat Food.”

| Taylor Swift with her 9 VMAs awards from the 2023 MTV VMAs! #VMA pic.twitter.com/YzKbvg5Fbx
— The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour) September 13, 2023
Immediately afterwards, Olivia Rodrigo brought her “Vampire” music video set to the stage, before launching into her cheeky pop-punk single “Get Him Back!” Between the two tracks, snippets of her sold singles played aloud, At the same moment, she was rushed from the stage in a pre-planned “malfunction,” further mirroring the “Vampire” video and symbolising a move from her first record to her second.

The live sets were many: Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion brought “Bongos” to life with big choreography; Demi Lovato played a rock n’ roll medley of her biggest hits: “Heart Attack,” into “Sorry Not Sorry,” “Cool for the Summer” before the best K-pop award was given to Stray Kids.

Later, Anitta would win the “best Latin” award for the second year in a row, delivering one of the more endearing acceptance speeches of the night — “I wanna thank myself,” she laughed.

“Because I work so hard!” French Montana used his position as best R&B presenter alongside Ashanti to draw attention to Morocco earthquake relief, spotlighting a relief fund that he said he would personally donate to.

Montana grew up in Morocco.

Near the end of the show, the MTV Video Music Awards celebrated 50 years of hip-hop with a star-studded finale performance.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five started with “The Message,” which led to Doug E.Fresh and Slick Rick’s “The Show.”

Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J and DMC of Run-DMC closed it out — an energetic celebration of a multigenerational culture.

LOS ANGELES: Taylor Swift took home the top prize at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards for her “Anti-Hero” music video on a night full of surprises.

“This is unbelievable. The fact that this is a fan-voted award means so much to me,” Swift said in her acceptance speech.

“I can’t believe it was a year ago that I announced the Midnights album.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

The show, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, was Swift’s from nearly the beginning.

The night’s first presenters were none other than NSYNC, who reunited to hand the Best Pop Video award to Swift.

The face of someone who just won #VMA Video of the Year for the second year in a row!!!!!
CONGRATS @TAYLORSWIFT13 pic.twitter.com/ffYm7Ze2nb
— Video Music Awards (@vmas) September 13, 2023
In coordinating suits, Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez shared the stage with Swift.

Bass handed her a friendship bracelet, just as fans do at the superstar’s shows.

“You’re pop personified,” she told the group.

The night’s top nominee later returned to the stage to pick up the Song of the Year trophy for “Anti-Hero” and also the Best Direction award.

Swift took home nine of the 11 awards she was up for, including Artist of the Year in a category made up entirely of women nominees for the first time in VMA history.

Her “Karma (Remix)” collaborator, Ice Spice, won best new artist.

“Oh my God, this is so cool,” she said. “I just want to thank my munchkins.”

New music was abundant throughout the show.

Host Nicki Minaj performed her latest single, the dreamy “Last Time I Saw You” before jumping into a brand-new tease of a fiery new trap cut from her highly-anticipated “Pink Friday 2” album.

“I ain’t nothing like you,” she raps, “I’m on a whole other level.”

As much as Swift dominated, the VMAs centred on music’s global power.

i just realised #StrayKids is the only kpop group to be announced as the winner, accept the trophy and give their speech on the main stage at this year’s cmiiwpic.twitter.com/qyJyw1H8pD
— ً (@bangcvnt) September 13, 2023
K-pop boy band Tomorrow X Together and Brazilian superstar Anitta premiered their new collaboration, the glossy retro-pop of “Back for More.”

Another K-pop group, Stray Kids, brought their billboard chart hit “S-Class” to the stage, regional Mexicana star Peso Pluma performed “Lady Gaga” and reggaeton era Karol G delivered “Oki Doki” and “Ta OK (remix).”

Comedian Tiffany Haddish presented the award for “Best Afrobeats” in the category’s inaugural year, given to Rema and Selena Gomez for their massive hit “Calm Down.”

“Africa in the house!” Rema started his acceptance speech.

“Shout out to Fela (Kuti) who started Afrobeats in the first place, and I want to give a big shout-out to the next generation of Afrobeats.”

Gomez stood a few feet from the microphone but jumped in when Rema asked her to, telling the crowd: “I want to send all of my love to Nigeria, thank you.”

Colombian icon Shakira received the Video Vanguard Award and performed an incredible bilingual medley of her decades of hits.

“MTV, thank you for being such a big part of my career since I was only 18 years old,” Shakira said, also thanking her parents and her children, whom she brought to the show.

“This is for you my people, my Latin American people, inside and outside this country,” she said, switching to Spanish.

“Thank you for inspiring me and for injecting me with so much strength and so much desire to move forward, I love you so much.”

She also took home the award for best collaboration for “TQG,” her song with Karol G.

The duo gave their acceptance speech entirely in Spanish.

“If collaborating with the legendary Shakira had been impressive, having an award with her is something from another planet,” Karol G exclaimed.

HQ｜230912 VMA award-Straykids Felix
Congratulations my precious#felix #필릭스 #straykids #스트레이키즈#StrayKids_VMA_BestKPop pic.twitter.com/2t3sOTPMEH
— G(｡ì _ í｡)G (@04_GW_04) September 13, 2023
Diddy received the Global Icon Award from Mary J.Blige and his daughter Chance Combs.

He is the third recipient of the award, following the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2022 and the Foo Fighters in 2021.

The legendary rapper also performed at the VMAs for the first time since 2005.

It was an incredible collection of some of his biggest hits like “Bad Boy for Life” and “Mo Money Mo Problems,” joined by some of his greatest collaborators: Yung Miami, Keyshia Cole, and sweetest of all, his son, King Combs.

“Love wins, y’all, love wins,” he started his speech.

“I started out as a paper boy, I didn’t know I was going to be here.” He then led the audience with a chant of “bad boy.”

“This is for 30 years,” he continued.

“I pray to God that you get to do what you love for 30 years.”

Lil Wayne opened the show with a performance of his new single “Kat Food.”

| Taylor Swift with her 9 VMAs awards from the 2023 MTV VMAs! #VMA pic.twitter.com/YzKbvg5Fbx
— The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour) September 13, 2023
Immediately afterwards, Olivia Rodrigo brought her “Vampire” music video set to the stage, before launching into her cheeky pop-punk single “Get Him Back!” Between the two tracks, snippets of her sold singles played aloud, At the same moment, she was rushed from the stage in a pre-planned “malfunction,” further mirroring the “Vampire” video and symbolising a move from her first record to her second.

The live sets were many: Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion brought “Bongos” to life with big choreography; Demi Lovato played a rock n’ roll medley of her biggest hits: “Heart Attack,” into “Sorry Not Sorry,” “Cool for the Summer” before the best K-pop award was given to Stray Kids.

Later, Anitta would win the “best Latin” award for the second year in a row, delivering one of the more endearing acceptance speeches of the night — “I wanna thank myself,” she laughed.

“Because I work so hard!” French Montana used his position as best R&B presenter alongside Ashanti to draw attention to Morocco earthquake relief, spotlighting a relief fund that he said he would personally donate to.

Montana grew up in Morocco.

Near the end of the show, the MTV Video Music Awards celebrated 50 years of hip-hop with a star-studded finale performance.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five started with “The Message,” which led to Doug E.Fresh and Slick Rick’s “The Show.”

Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J and DMC of Run-DMC closed it out — an energetic celebration of a multigenerational culture.

September 13, 2023
Taylor Swift announces October release of ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ at Eras Tour show in Los Angeles

By Associated Press

LOS ANGELES: Taylor Swift closed the 2023 U.S. leg of her landmark Eras Tour at the Los Angeles SoFi Stadium in a big way by announcing the fourth edition of her re-recording project: “1989 (Taylor’s Version.)”

After playing a few tracks from her “1989” era live, the pop star approached the center of the stage with an acoustic guitar in hand and suggested to the audience that she’d been working on something big.

“Instead of telling you about it, we’ll just show you,” she told the crowd as the screen illuminated behind her. “1989 (Taylor’s Version) available October 27th!” she cheered.

Across three-and-a-half hours, the pop superstar offered fans a bevy of career-spanning hits that was less of a greatest hits collection, and more of a live celebration of an artist in her veterancy.

Throughout the dozen tracks, it was as if the ground shook with the rapturous sound of 70,000 fans scream-singing along to a popstar’s deep cuts. This is Taylor Swift’s house — filled with fans in light Taylor Swift cosplay (pink dresses for her 2019 album “Lover,” black leather and snakeskin prints for 2017’s “Reputation,” sequins and A-line skirts for 2014’s “1989,” and so on.)

In a summer stacked with superstar tours celebrating giant new releases — like the larger-than-life experiences of Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour and Drake’s 56-date “It Was All a Blur” tour — Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stands proudly among them.

LOS ANGELES: Taylor Swift closed the 2023 U.S. leg of her landmark Eras Tour at the Los Angeles SoFi Stadium in a big way by announcing the fourth edition of her re-recording project: “1989 (Taylor’s Version.)”

After playing a few tracks from her “1989” era live, the pop star approached the center of the stage with an acoustic guitar in hand and suggested to the audience that she’d been working on something big.

“Instead of telling you about it, we’ll just show you,” she told the crowd as the screen illuminated behind her. “1989 (Taylor’s Version) available October 27th!” she cheered.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

Across three-and-a-half hours, the pop superstar offered fans a bevy of career-spanning hits that was less of a greatest hits collection, and more of a live celebration of an artist in her veterancy.

Throughout the dozen tracks, it was as if the ground shook with the rapturous sound of 70,000 fans scream-singing along to a popstar’s deep cuts. This is Taylor Swift’s house — filled with fans in light Taylor Swift cosplay (pink dresses for her 2019 album “Lover,” black leather and snakeskin prints for 2017’s “Reputation,” sequins and A-line skirts for 2014’s “1989,” and so on.)

In a summer stacked with superstar tours celebrating giant new releases — like the larger-than-life experiences of Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour and Drake’s 56-date “It Was All a Blur” tour — Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stands proudly among them.

August 10, 2023