New quarter, same celeb mess. Bazil Frueh has the hottest stories to keep you culturally informed.
WELCOME TO THE B-LIST, YOUR WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF CELEBRITY MESS AND POP CULTURE. THIS WEEK: “Cowboy Carter”, Kate Middleton, the Miami Open, “Quiet on Set” and “Godzilla x Kong”.
Beyoncé is back, releasing her eighth studio album last Friday to critical acclaim. The album, titled “Cowboy Carter,” sees the artist embrace the country and Western genres and serves as the second project in a trilogy she conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic. The album features numerous collaborations with country legends like Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Linda Martell, as well as with up-and-coming Black country artists like Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, Shaboozey and Willie Jones.
In celebrity, Princess of Wales Kate Middleton is continuing to limit her public appearances in light of the announcement of her cancer diagnosis this past month. The member of the British royal family was previously the subject of widespread gossip and talk on social media due to her disappearance from the public eye, with numerous rumors being thrown around about her health and status.
In sports, this year’s Miami Open concluded yesterday, seeing the United States’s Danielle Collins and Italy’s Jannik Sinner take the women’s and men’s singles titles respectively. This marks the third and biggest WTA title for Collins, coming just two months after the announcement of her retirement from the sport later this year. Collins triumphed in straight sets over Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who previously won Wimbledon in 2022.
In television, the Investigation Discovery docu-series “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” is continuing to make waves online. The show, which dives into the behind-the-scenes of numerous popular children’s television shows of the ’90s and 2000s, is receiving widespread attention due to its focus on the abuse and mistreatment suffered by child actors of the time, with a specific focus given to long-time producer Dan Schneider’s work at Nickelodeon.
Finally, the monster action flick “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” was released this past Friday to mixed reviews. The film, which serves as the sequel to 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong”, stars Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry and Dan Stevens.
THAT’S ALL FOR THE B-LIST THIS WEEK. CHECK IN NEXT MONDAY TO HEAR ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS THIS WEEK IN POP CULTURE. FOR WNUR NEWS, I’M Bazil Frueh.
