WELCOME TO THE B-LIST, YOUR WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF CELEBRITY MESS AND POP CULTURE. THIS WEEK: SNL, Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fight, and the Wicked movie hits the big screen.
*music out*
In music news, singer-songwriter and music legend Taylor Swift was joined onstage by musician Gracie Abrams at the Eras Tour show in Toronto on Saturday night. Abrams, a longtime fan of Swift’s, has expressed multiple times her lifelong dream to co-write a song with Swift, which finally came to fruition with the song “Us,” released in June. To fans’ delight, the two hit the stage at the Rogers Centre with a mashup of “Us” and Swift’s “Out of the Woods” from her album “1989.”
In other music news, singer Charli XCX hosted and performed as the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” this past weekend, the singer’s first time doing double duty for the sketch comedy show. The singer performed hits from her “Brat” album, including fan-favorite “360.”
In television news, late night TV personality Conan O’Brien will be the next host of the Academy Awards on March 2, 2025. While that’s a long time away, we’ve now entered the movie release season for Oscars frontrunners, so be on the lookout for the newest films throughout the rest of fall and winter. O’Brien will join a long list of comedy legends like Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock and Billy Crystal.
In movie news, the “Wicked” movie is just around the corner and will be released on Friday, November 22. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film stars Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba as well as a star-studded supporting cast. This will most likely be the movie to see in the fall season. “Gladiator II” starring Paul Mescal releases the same day, so for movie fans who enjoyed the Barbenheimer trend of 2023, there is a new double feature to see in just one week.
Lastly, for the latest in sports news, Youtuber-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul went head to head with heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson on Friday, with Paul ultimately coming out on top. The matchup was broadcasted for over 60 million households, according to CNN, live from a packed AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Tyson, who has not boxed professionally in around 20 years, was defeated decisively by a unanimous decision, and boxing fans expressed disappointment in the legend’s poor performance.
*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 Mary Amelia Weiss.
*Theme music is from MixKit “What What?! Wowow!” by Michael Ramir C.*
