WELCOME TO THE B-LIST, YOUR WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF CELEBRITY MESS AND POP CULTURE. THIS WEEK: JOJO SIWA ON BIG BROTHER, NEW ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES, SINNERS AT THE BOX OFFICE, AND LORDE’S NEW MUSIC. STICK WITH ME.
*music out*
IN CELEBRITY NEWS, JOJO SIWA, ONE OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST ATTENTION GRABBERS, IS MAKING HEADLINES FOR A NEW KIND OF SCANDAL: PUBLIC RELATIONSHIP DRAMA INVOLVING A MAN. SHE AND LOVE ISLAND STAR CHRIS HUGHES ENTERED THE CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER U.K. HOUSE ON APRIL 7 AS STRANGERS AND, IN JUST 21 DAYS, EXITED WITH A RELATIONSHIP SO CLOSE THEY’RE NOW DEFENDING IT ON BRITISH MORNING TELEVISION. KATH EBBS CLAIMED IN A TIKTOK POSTED ON APRIL 26 THAT JOJO SIWA ENDED THEIR RELATIONSHIP AT THE CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER U.K. AFTERPARTY. EBBS SHARED THAT SIWA TOLD THEM SHE HAD “CONFUSED FEELINGS” AND REALIZED DURING THE SHOW THAT EBBS WASN’T THE PERSON SHE WANTED TO SPEND HER FUTURE WITH.
IN MUSIC, AFTER FOUR YEARS, LORDE IS BACK WITH A NEW SINGLE TITLED “WHAT WAS THAT,” RELEASED OVER THE WEEKEND. THE SONG DIVES INTO THEMES OF NOSTALGIA, HEARTBREAK, AND SELF-DISCOVERY, MARKING HER FIRST NEW MUSIC SINCE HER 2021 ALBUM “SOLAR POWER.”
CYNDI LAUPER STANDS OUT AS THE ONLY FEMALE SOLO ARTIST AMONG THIS YEAR’S ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES, A CLASS OTHERWISE DOMINATED BY MALE ACTS. ANNOUNCED DURING THE “ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME NIGHT” EPISODE OF AMERICAN IDOL ON APRIL 27, THE NEW INDUCTEES INCLUDE BAD COMPANY, CHUBBY CHECKER, JOE COCKER, CYNDI LAUPER, OUTKAST, SOUNDGARDEN, AND THE WHITE STRIPES, MARKING A RETURN TO A MORE TRADITIONAL ROCK LINEUP.
IN FILM, WARNER BROS.’ SINNERS, DIRECTED BY RYAN COOGLER AND STARRING MICHAEL B. JORDAN, CONTINUED ITS BOX OFFICE DOMINATION THIS WEEKEND WITH A STUNNING $45.7 MILLION, DROPPING JUST 5 PERCENT FROM ITS OPENING. THE SUPERNATURAL VAMPIRE FILM HAS NOW EARNED $123.2 MILLION DOMESTICALLY AND $163.2 MILLION GLOBALLY, DEFYING EARLY DOUBTS AND BREAKING RECORDS FOR AN R-RATED HORROR TITLE. SINNERS IS BEING PRAISED FOR ITS BROAD AUDIENCE APPEAL, NEAR-PERFECT SCORES, AND SOME OF THE BEST REVIEWS OF COOGLER’S CAREER. SINNERS ALSO MARKS ANOTHER MILESTONE IN THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN RYAN COOGLER AND MICHAEL B. JORDAN, WHO HAVE WORKED TOGETHER ON EVERY ONE OF COOGLER’S FILMS SINCE 2013’S FRUITVALE STATION. COOGLER, NOW BACKED BY A GROUNDBREAKING DEAL WITH WARNER BROS. THAT GRANTS HIM OWNERSHIP RIGHTS AFTER 25 YEARS, IS REDEFINING WHAT’S POSSIBLE FOR DIRECTORS IN HOLLYWOOD.
*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 ELLA BARNES.
Theme music is from MixKit “What What?! Wowow!” by Michael Ramir C.
