WELCOME TO THE B-LIST, YOUR WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF CELEBRITY MESS AND POP CULTURE. THIS WEEK: Grammy nominations, Tekashi 6ix9ine, “Wicked” premiere, “Stranger Things,” and the WTA Finals.
*music out*
Nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards were announced last Friday, with music icon Beyoncé making history yet again. The singer led the pack with 11 nods for her country and Americana-inspired album “Cowboy Carter,” bringing her to a career total of 99 nominations. Other big names struck gold in the nominations field, with pop girlies Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Charli xcx all grabbing Album of the Year nods for their chart-topping efforts. The awards ceremony is set to take place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 2.
In other music news, rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine struck a deal to end his current jail stint, agreeing to spend a month behind bars for violating the terms of his release after a felony conviction. The rapper was originally jailed after pleading guilty for racketeering in 2019, landing him a two year sentence. Though originally released months early in 2020, the rapper has continued to find himself in trouble after not following the rules of his probation.
In movie news, “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu wasn’t able to attend the Los Angeles premiere of the film after welcoming his fifth child with wife Kristin Hodge. Though he wasn’t able to attend the event in person, he was still able to speak to the crowd through a video, saying “I’ve waited for three years to have this moment to share a movie with you but I’ve waited my whole life to have this moment, to have a fifth child right now.” “Wicked” is set to debut in theaters on November 22, with the second part of the two part adaptation slated for November 2025.
In television news, the Netflix phenomenon “Stranger Things” is set to return for its fifth and final season next year following a two year hiatus. The final season is slated to have eight episodes, the titles of which were announced last Wednesday. Though previously predicted to be released in 2026 following delays because of the 2023 Writers’ Strike, fans thankfully won’t have to wait as long as expected to return one more time to Hawkins, Indiana.
Lastly, in sports news, the WTA Finals concluded this past Saturday, with America’s number three ranked Coco Gauff clinching the victory. Her win came after a three-set thriller final against China’s Qinwen Zheng, who had won the Olympic gold medal this past summer. Guaff previously won the U.S. Open Championship in 2023, though this marks her first end-of-year championship on the WTA tour. Played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Guaff walked away with a $4.8 million check for her win.
*music in*
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.
