Latest news with #Contenders
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How High Will Taylor Swift's ‘Reputation' Land on Next Week's Billboard 200 Following Her Masters Purchase?
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard 200 dated June 14, we look at a handful of albums likely to impact the top tier of the chart – a couple brand new, and a couple recently revitalized, led by a likely rebound from the biggest pop star in the world. Taylor Swift, (Big Machine): On a day of big new releases, last Friday (May 30) was still dominated by the news that Taylor Swift had officially acquired her own masters. Billboard reported from sources that she paid around $360 million for the acquisition from private equity firm Shamrock Capital, which had acquired the catalog in late 2020 from Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings, after Braun had bought Swift's old label Big Machine the year before. Braun's initial purchase, and Swift's negative reaction to her professional adversary having such a big stake in her history, had of course inspired the entire Taylor's Version project — which led to Swift re-recording four of her first six albums over the course of 2021-2023, along with a number of period-appropriate rarities. That endeavor not only proved wildly successful for Swift, but played a major part in her 2020s ascension to a level of solo superstardom not seen before this century. More from Billboard Watch SEVENTEEN Bring the 'Thunder' to 'Kelly Clarkson Show' Performance 'This Is What You Asked For': Watch Linkin Park Star in Ice-Shattering Stanley Cup Final Promo Sylvia Rhone, Ciara & More Honored at Inaugural Black Women in Music Dinner One of the two Big Machine-era albums she had yet to get to with her Taylor's Version series was Reputation, the divisive 2017 album that followed both her ultimate pop breakthrough with 2014's 1989 and the backlash that ensued, particularly after her back-and-forth feuding with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. Along with the announcement of the acquisition of her masters, Swift also revealed that Reputation (Taylor's Version) had been the most challenging of the series for her to put together, as she found it difficult to get back into the headspace of that album era — and thus had not even finished re-recording a quarter of it. Fans could infer from her letter that now that Swift's back catalog was once again her own, she would be unlikely to finish re-recording the rest of it anytime soon. But while some fans may have been disappointed that they would not get the full Reputation (Taylor's Version) package anytime soon — which was so long-anticipated that the original album got a consumption bump a couple weeks ago merely based on rumors that she might reveal something about it on the AMAs — most were ready to revisit the original album anyway. With no re-recording imminent, and Swift once again the owner of her back catalog, fans flocked to the original Reputation, resulting in it leaping to the top of the iTunes albums chart, and launching five of its tracks back onto the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA chart for Saturday (May 31). The major bump in sales and streams, for an album that was still ranking at No. 78 on the Billboard 200 in its 349th week on the chart, could see the album make a major rebound next week. It's unlikely to supplant Morgan Wallen's I'm the Problem — but no album is, as Problem posted 286,000 units this week (according to Luminate) in its second week atop the chart, and is likely to still be comfortably in the six figures in its third week, thanks to the 37-track set's gargantuan streaming numbers. But it could get as high as the top five, maybe even to the runner-up spot, if fan enthusiasm maintains the further we get away from Swift's Friday announcement. (Swift could also perhaps give sales a boost if she made the album available for sale on her webstore — as of publishing, it was still not listed there.) Miley Cyrus, (Columbia): Perhaps Swift's main competition for the biggest chart-crasher this week is her old Hannah Montana: The Movie co-star Miley Cyrus. The veteran pop superstar returned on Friday with her new LP Something Beautiful, the audio part of a visual album project whose film accompaniment is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this Friday (June 6). Something Beautiful follows 2023's Endless Summer Vacation, and its galactically successful lead single 'Flowers,' which became the biggest chart hit of Cyrus' career and won her her first two Grammys. So far, none of the advance releases from Something Beautiful appear to be on anywhere near a 'Flowers' trajectory, however — the only one of them to even reach the Billboard Hot 100 so far was official lead single 'End of the World,' which debuted at No. 52 and fell off the chart after just four weeks. While Something Beautiful is unlikely to be an immediate streaming blockbuster — as of midweek, none of its tracks appear on either the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA or the Apple Music real-time charts — it should sell relatively well. To help with that, the album is available in six different vinyl variants (including an artist webstore-exclusive signed version), as well as standard and signed CDs and two deluxe branded boxed sets with the CD and branded merch. At the very least, the set should extend Miley's streak of top five albums on the Billboard 200 — which encompasses every one of her official studio releases dating back to 2007's Meet Miley Cyrus, excepting 2015's Miley Cyrus & Dead Petz, which was not initially given a commercial release. SEVENTEEN, (Pledis/YG Plus): Also aiming for the top five next week is an act with less stateside household-name recognition as Swift and Cyrus, but nearly as much of a presence on the albums chart. SEVENTEEN has reached the Billboard 200's top 10 six times already in the 2020s, and even gotten as high as No. 2 with two 2023 releases, the EP FML and the mini-album Seventeenth Heaven. The 13-member group is likely to return to the top 10 next week with its fifth full-length album, Happy Burstday — a 16-track effort that includes contributions from two of the biggest U.S. hitmakers of the early 21st-century in Pharrell and Timbaland. While SEVENTEEN has never been a major force on streaming in the U.S., the group are reliable high-sellers, and Burstday is available for purchase in a whopping 14 CD variants — all of which contain collectible branded paper ephemera, some of which is randomized. It should be enough for Burstday to be a real contender for the Billboard 200's runner-up spot, along with the Swift and Cyrus sets. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Four Decades of 'Madonna': A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut Album on the Charts Chart Rewind: In 1990, Madonna Was in 'Vogue' Atop the Hot 100
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Will Morgan Wallen & Tate McRae Be Able to Hold at No. 1 on the Hot 100?
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100 dated June 7, we look at the chances of Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae's star-powered duet to continue its reign on the chart. Morgan Wallen feat. Tate McRae, 'What I Want' (Mercury/Big Loud/Republic): The combined star power of country superpower Morgan Wallen and rising pop phenom Tate McRae helped boost 'What I Want' to being not just the highest-ranking of Wallen's record-breaking 37 tracks on the Hot 100 last week, but the No. 1 song period – Wallen's fourth and McRae's first. The debut came on the back of 31.2 million official streams, according to Luminate, allowing it to bow atop the Streaming Songs chart and making up for its relative lack of radio presence as a new song. More from Billboard The Amity Affliction Cover Turnstile's 'Holiday' for 'Like a Version' Mariah Carey Celebrates 20 Years of 'The Emancipation of Mimi': Stream It Now Miley Cyrus' New Album 'Something Beautiful' This Way Comes: Stream It Now That streaming presence should still be very pronounced in its second week, as the song continues to reign on the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA chart and the Apple Music real-time chart. And the song is already starting to make a radio impact: After debuting at Nos. 32 and 38 on Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay, respectively, on this week's charts (dated May 31), it's pushing toward the top 25 on both. (On Country Airplay, it debuted at No. 55 this week but looks likely to fall off next week – granted it's being promoted so far only to pop and adult formats.) If the song can hold for a second week, it will become the first multi-week Hot 100 No. 1 from I'm the Problem, pulling past the one-week No. 1 'Love Somebody,' which topped the chart last November. (It would still have another 14 weeks to go to tie the longest-reigning single from prior album One Thing at a Time, the 16-week No. 1 'Last Night' in 2023.) Alex Warren, 'Ordinary' (Atlantic): If not for Morgan Wallen's I'm the Problem album debut, we might be talking about Alex Warren celebrating his first Hot 100 No. 1 single this week. After multiple frames of being at stuck at No. 2 behind Kendrick Lamar and SZA's 'Luther,' 'Ordinary' finally moves ahead of that 13-week No. 1 – but still only ranks at No. 4 on this week's chart, after falling behind three tracks from I'm the Problem. Nevertheless, 'Ordinary' should remain a strong contender for the top spot. It still ranks towards the top of the major streaming charts, and after reaching the Radio Songs top 10 this week, the song is now aiming for the top five; it's up 16% in audience May 23-26 over the previous building week. It's also challenging for No. 1 next week on Adult Pop Airplay, and could come for the crown on Pop Airplay not long after. Meanwhile, Warren has a new song out in the Jelly Roll collab 'Bloodline,' which should also be headed for a strong Hot 100 debut. But as shown with the success of recent artists like Teddy Swims and Benson Boone, having simultaneous follow-up hits can be more helpful than harmful to the original hits these days, so 'Bloodline' doing well might boost 'Ordinary' in its pursuit of the top spot. Morgan Wallen, 'Just in Case' and 'I'm the Problem' (Mercury/Big Loud/Republic): Morgan Wallen will still be seeing an awful lot of himself in the rearview mirror, as his solo songs that rank at No. 2 and 3 on the Hot 100 this week — 'Just in Case' and 'I'm the Problem,' respectively – should remain big factors on the chart next week as well. Though the two songs rank behind 'What I Want' on DSPs, they still have the head start on radio: 'Just in Case' continues climbing Country Airplay, though it could be still outside the top 10 next week, after rising to a new No. 13 high this week. Meanwhile, 'I'm the Problem' has ruled Country Airplay for six weeks already, and could be on pace for a seventh week at No. 1. If one of these other I'm the Problem tracks is able to pass 'What I Want' on next week's Hot 100, Wallen would replace himself on top for the first time in his career – becoming the first artist to do so since… Kendrick Lamar just a couple months ago, after a Super Bowl-rebounded 'Not Like Us' gave way to 'Luther' and its months-long reign. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Four Decades of 'Madonna': A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut Album on the Charts Chart Rewind: In 1990, Madonna Was in 'Vogue' Atop the Hot 100
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Will Morgan Wallen's Hot 100 Deluge Prevent Teddy Swims From Setting an All-Time Chart Record?
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100 dated May 31, we look at the chances of 'Lose Control' to set a record for chart endurance – if it can fend off a swarm of new Morgan Wallen chart hits, one of which may debut at No. 1. Teddy Swims, 'Lose Control' (Warner): It's been a staggering 91 weeks and counting on the Hot 100 for Teddy Swims' crossover soul ballad 'Lose Control.' Since the song debuted on the chart in August of 2023 (!!), it's topped both the weekly chart (in March 2024) and the year-end Hot 100 (for all 2024), won a pair of Billboard Music Awards, and even been succeeded by another pair of top 40 hits in 'The Door' and 'Bad Dreams.' But all the while, 'Lose Control' has lingered on the chart, scarcely losing momentum – and this week (on the chart dated May 24), spends a record-extending 62nd week inside the top 10, holding at No. 7. More from Billboard Bow Wow Reveals Beats He Passed On - Including Rick Ross, Drake & French Montana's 'Stay Schemin' SZA Says She's 'Actually So Shocked' by the 'Bullying' Megan Thee Stallion Is Facing in Tory Lanez Shooting Case Karol G Lands First No. 1 on Hot Latin Pop Songs Chart With 'Milagros' This week also sees 'Lose Control' tie Glass Animals' 'Heat Waves' for the longest total stay on the entire chart – and given its still-lofty position, it would seem a near-foregone conclusion that it would go on to break that mark next frame with a 92nd week. Complicating things, however, is the man who's been most unmissable on the Billboard charts this decade: country superstar Morgan Wallen, whose new album I'm the Problem was released on Friday (May 16). Seven tracks from the album already appear on the Hot 100 this week – five of them in the top 25 – but the set's full 37-track drop could add as many as 30 extra songs to the mix, some of them likely quite high. Could the new Wallen swarm really push 'Lose Control' all the way off the chart? Well, it only would have to push it out of the top 25 – since the song has already spent over a year on the chart, Billboard's rules about recurrent entries on the Hot 100 mean that it would drop off the listing entirely if it dropped to No. 26 or lower. But since 'Control' is still No. 7 this week, that would still take a mighty showing from Wallen's latest – likely requiring about half the 37-track album to outperform it on the chart next week. A tall ask, and with the relatively steady radio and streaming support for 'Lose Control,' it might not end up having too much of a Problem with Wallen after all. Morgan Wallen, 'Just in Case,' 'What I Want' (with Tate McRae), 'I'm the Problem' (Mercury/Big Loud/Republic): Even if he doesn't crowd Teddy Swims out of the Hot 100 top 25 next week, Wallen should launch his fair share of entries into the top 10 – including a couple that may be contending for No. 1. 'Just in Case,' which debuted at No. 3 in April and sits at No. 11 this week, may be the frontrunner, as it has roosted at No. 2 on both Spotify's Daily Top Songs USA and Apple Music's real-time chart for most of the week following I'm the Problem's release — and is also growing significantly in radio play, as Wallen's latest single being promoted to country radio was up to 9.4 million in airplay audience for the first four days of this tracking week (May 16-19), according to Luminate, after debuting at No. 47 on the most recent Radio Songs listing. It should receive some serious competition from albummate 'What I Want,' however – Wallen's duet with Tate McRae, marking the first time he's sung with a female artist on an officially released track. While the brand-new collab is unsurprisingly slower-going on radio in its first week, it also is the lone song ranking above 'Just in Case' on both Spotify and Apple Music this week. If it debuts in the Hot 100's top two, it will mark the highest-ranking hit of Tate McRae's career – with 'Greedy' holding her previous high-water mark with its No. 3 peak in early 2024. Also not to be counted out: the I'm the Problem title track, which is currently the highest-charting of Wallen's eight Hot 100 entries, rating at No. 6 in its 15th week on the chart (after debuting at No. 2 back in February). The song also ranks in the top five on both the aforementioned DSP charts, while remaining Wallen's top-performing song on radio – likely topping Country Airplay for a sixth week next frame, and holding in the top 15 on the all-format Radio Songs ranking. Kendrick Lamar & SZA, 'Luther' (pgLang/Interscope/ICLG) & Alex Warren, 'Ordinary' (Atlantic): The two songs that have been duking it out for No. 1 on the Hot 100 the past couple weeks – with 'Luther' thus far reigning victorious – will likely find themselves on the undercard for the Hot 100 title fight next week following the waterfall of Wallen entries. However, as those I'm the Problem songs inevitably recede some in week two, Alex Warren and Kendrick Lamar & SZA could be back in the main event the week after. In the meantime, 'Ordinary' should continue to close the all-important airplay gap, as it is up 21% in radio audience for the first four days of the tracking week (May 16-19) to 20.9 million, while 'Luther' is down 3% to 35 million. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Four Decades of 'Madonna': A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut Album on the Charts Chart Rewind: In 1990, Madonna Was in 'Vogue' Atop the Hot 100
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elisabeth Moss Explains Why She First Passed On ‘Handmaid's Tale' Role: 'It Seems Insane Now'
With The Handmaid's Tale coming to an end, Elisabeth Moss is reflecting on her time in Gilead over the past nine years. The 2x Golden Globe winner said she's 'so glad I did' take the role of June Osborne after originally passing on the part in the Hulu series adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel, which concludes its sixth and final season on May 27. More from Deadline 'The Testaments' Creator Bruce Miller Gives Updates On 'The Handmaid's Tale' Sequel Series & Explains Why The Gilead Viewers Encounter Will Feel Like 'Exactly The Opposite World' 'The Handmaid's Tale' Stars Elisabeth Moss, Bradley Whitford & Yvonne Strahovski, EP Yahlin Chang Say Final Season Shows Results Of June's Positive Influence – Contenders TV Everything We Know About 'The Testaments,' Sequel Series To 'The Handmaid's Tale' So Far 'Thank God that worked out the right way,' said Moss on The Jennifer Hudson Show, explaining that she was hesitant to commit to another series right after her eight-season run on Mad Men (2007-'15). Moss added, 'I wasn't quite sure if I was ready to make that commitment again, so I actually passed the first time they offered it to me. I know, it seems insane now. I'm so glad I've corrected that. And then they came back, and they very nicely offered it again, blah, blah, blah. Then the thing that clinched it was … they leaked it to me—obviously on purpose—who they were going to offer it to if I didn't take it, and I was like, 'Over my dead body.' 'It was the thing that made realize that I needed to do it. I couldn't stand the idea of anyone else playing that role, you know what I mean?' she explained. 'That was the thing that made me realize how badly I wanted to do it.' Set in the dystopian society of Gilead, The Handmaid's Tale follows June (aka Offred) as she's forced to reproduce with a high-ranking commander, all while secretly plotting to overthrow the totalitarian government and reunite with the daughter who was taken from her. As of last month, series creator Bruce Miller is in the casting phase of the upcoming sequel series The Testaments, based on Atwood's 2019 followup book. Best of Deadline 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg Everything We Know About Amazon's 'Verity' Movie So Far Everything We Know About 'The Testaments,' Sequel Series To 'The Handmaid's Tale' So Far
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean 'Diddy' Combs Admits Rejecting Feds' Sex Trafficking Plea Deal Just Before Trial; Jury Selection Begins Next Week
Days before jury selection is set to start in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial, a federal judge today sought confirmation from the Bad Boys Records founder that prosecutors put forth a plea deal and that he rebuffed it 'Yes, I did,' a glasses wearing Combs said in court in Manhattan Thursday before Judge Arun Subramanian. Offering a reduction in time served if Combs took the deal and entered a guilty plea, the agreement put before the 'All About the Benjamins' performer seems to have been on the table in the last few weeks More from Deadline As Sean Combs Faces Trial, 'The Fall Of Diddy' Uncovers Alleged Shocking Pattern Of Abuse - Contenders TV: Documentary, Unscripted & Variety Sean "Diddy" Combs Fails To Have Cassie Ventura 2016 Hotel Beating Footage Excluded From Sex Trafficking Trial; Rejected Plea Deal Revealed Shannon Sharpe To Be Benched By ESPN's 'First Take' Amid Rape Lawsuit, $10M Settlement Offer Beyond that, no details are known about the written offer. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York are keeping it that way. In the legal ether for months, the plea deal was made public in an almost casual manner by an assistant U.S. attorney at an April 25 hearing. Looking at likely life behind bars if found guilty on the racketeering, sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and more, the not guiltily pleading 55-year-old Combs (a.k.a .inmate 37452-054) has been held in one of the more low-key units of Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrest last September. A defendant not just in this criminal case, but in dozens and dozens of civil cases alleging assaults and abuse, Diddy has always sworn he is innocent, and all the interactions were consensual. A major element in Combs' rejection of the plea deal appears to be he truly wants his day in court to prove his innocence and beat the charges, well-placed sources tell us. The rest of today's hearing dealt with jury selection questionnaires and procedure, including what will and will not happen in open court Determined to keep the sometimes-wayward case on track, Judge Subramanian once again made it clear to Combs, prosecutors and the defense Thursday that he wants jury selection to begin on May 5. A panel needs to be seated for opening statements on May 12 in the Manhattan courtroom, the judge has insisted. At the end of the less than one hour hearing Judge Subramanian told everyone he looked forward to seeing them on Monday morning. Of course, a spanner in the works of that could be the quickly settled ($30 million) assault and abuse suit and more from Victim-1, a.k.a former Combs girlfriend Cassie Ventura Unlike many such high-profile cases and the other accusations against Combs, there is visual evidence of the violence and attacks Ventura says she endure from Diddy for years. Judge Subramanian ruled last week that 2016 LA hotel security footage of the couple, that CNN aired last spring, will be shown to the jury. The video, which Combs apologized for on social media when it became public, shows a half-naked Combs chasing an escaping Ventura down a corridor hitting and kicking her and dragging her back to his room where allegedly one of his so-called freak offs was happening. Having deleted his seemingly forced Instagram apology now, Combs and his lawyers have tried almost every trick in the book to undermine or dispute the footage – footage that Combs almost immediately bought for $50,000 the day after the apparent attack occurred Add to that, among four victims id'd by the feds, Ventura has said she will testify in open court in this trial under her own name. Prosecutors allege that Combs and his aides coerced Ventura, other women and men into marathon debauched sexual encounters called 'freak-offs.' The sessions included male and female prostitutes, drug use, threats of violence and imprisonment in the hotel rooms where the acts were staged and videotaped. At asserted today, direct questioning of about 150 jury candidates starts on Monday morning. Judge Subramanian intends to bring each prospect into his courtroom, one at a time, to ask them about their backgrounds and potential biases, with none of the other jury candidates present. The judge called it 'sequestered questioning,' designed to protect juror privacy around sensitive personal matters in a case dealing with sex trafficking. Prospective jurors will also be allowed to answer some questions in sidebar conferences with the judge and lawyers, out of earshot of reporters, if they consider the information to be too personal to discuss in open court, the judge said. If all goes as scheduled, it will take three days of sequestered questioning to whittle the field down to 45 jury and alternate candidates, who will then undergo voir dire questioning on bias, etc by the lawyers for both sides. The aim is to seat the 12 jurors and handful of alternates who will hear the case beginning the following week. Emphasizing that 'time is of the essence,' Judge Subramanian today wondered aloud whether they can stay on schedule if sequestered questioning leads to a lot of breaks in the action for privacy sidebars. No one in court Thursday could promise him it wouldn't be an issue. In what will likely be major tenet of the soon to expand Marc Agnifilo- and Teny Geragos-led legal team's approach against SDNY, the defense has repeatedly complained the feds are using 'racist' laws against Combs and seeking to 'police non-conforming sexual activity.' Back on February 24, the defense took a swipe at 'unconstitutionally broad' search warrants that had been used on Combs as part of spring 2024 raids of his Los Angeles and Miami homes, devices, digital storage and more. After coming up short over and over in bail and keeping certain evidence out of the case, this week saw a small but significant notch in the defense's belt. One time mini-mogul Combs received permission on Wednesday from the court to wear 'non-prison clothing' during his six-week estimated trial. To that, the April 30 order say that starting next week, the past and present Sean John owner is allowed 'up to five button down shirts, up to five pairs of pants, up to five sweaters, up to five pairs of socks, and up to two pairs of shoes without laces to wear to court.' No mention of hair dye, so the prospective jurors will see Combs with the white hair he has had since being arrested last September. Unlike almost all the past hearings in this case, no blood members of Combs' family appeared to be in court Thursday offering their support. A self-declared 'godbrother' was there and Combs waved to him from the defense table. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 So Far 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More 'Ginny & Georgia' Season 3: Everything We Know So Far
