Selena Gomez breaks silence on ‘Emilia Pérez’ co-star’s offensive posts

Selena Gomez breaks silence on ‘Emilia Pérez’ co-star’s offensive posts

KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY

February 11, 2025 at 1:22 AM

Selena Gomez is breaking her silence as her film “Emilia Pérez” is embroiled in a PR crisis due to past social media posts from co-star Karla Sofía Gascón.

In a Q&A about her Virtuosos Award win during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Sunday, the Golden Globe nominee admitted that the recent controversy has impacted the way she’s been feeling as the Netflix crime drama musical collects trophies at Hollywood award shows.

“I’m good. I’m really good,” Gomez, 32, said. “Some of the magic has disappeared. But I choose to continue to be proud of what I’ve done, and I’m just grateful. I live with no regrets, and I would do this movie over and over again if I could.”

Gomez’s comment comes days after director Jacques Audiard distanced himself from Gascón in a Feb. 5 interview with Deadline, calling her past social media posts “inexcusable” and confirming he had not been in contact with her since they became public. In recent weeks, Gascón has made a number of public statements in response to her racist and xenophobic social media posts that an X user resurfaced at the end of January.

This is a critical time for Hollywood’s award season, with final votes for the March 2 Academy Awards due on Feb. 18. “Emilia Pérez” leads with 13 nominations.

Gascón has offered her “sincerest apologies” for her past comments aimed at Muslim people, Oscars diversity and George Floyd, which were seemingly posted as recently as 2020. However, she also denounced the people who brought her years-old posts to the forefront, writing, “They have achieved their objective, to stain my existence with lies or things taken out of context.”

In a 50-minute interview with Juan Carlos Arciniegas for CNN en Español on Feb. 2, Gascón said she did not “recognize” some of the old posts social media users have called out, per CNN.

Selena Gomez casts doubt on future of her music career

During the Q&A, Gomez expressed excitement for her acting career, which has been marked by Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for “Only Murders in the Building” and “Emilia Pérez,” respectively.

“Having someone see something in me besides the obvious was such a special experience,” Gomez said. “The director just really trusted me, and I was so grateful because I’ve gotten to show people that I am capable of doing more. And I hope this is just the beginning for me in this field.”

She also cast doubt on her future as a singer.

‘Emilia Pérez’ controversy: Why ‘torturous’ movie is criticized for its representation

“I’m ready to just focus on this for a while,” Gomez said. ” I think film and art making and being around such incredible, talented people that have done nothing but uplift me along the way. I don’t know, it’s going to be hard for me to ever go back to music after this.”

After the film festival crowd expressed shock at this admission, Gomez laughed for at least 10 seconds. When asked whether she would “never say never,” the Disney Channel alum replied: “Maybe.”

Gascón was also among this year’s recipients of the Virtuosos Award but was not in attendance at the film festival. The award, which is presented to “‘up-and-coming’ actors for achieving a breakthrough performance,” also named Kieran Culkin, Ariana Grande, Mikey Madison Harris Dickinson, Clarence Maclin and John Magaro as honorees.

Meanwhile, “Emilia Pérez” co-star Zoe Saldaña was named the recipient of SBIFF’s American Riviera Award, which honors “outstanding achievement in American film.” The actress has also criticized Gascón’s posts.

“It makes me really sad because I don’t support (it), and I don’t have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric towards people of any group,” Saldaña said at a Q&A on Jan. 31, per a video by The Hollywood Reporter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Selena Gomez breaks silence on Karla Sofia Gascon’s offensive tweets

What did Serena Williams have to do with the Super Bowl halftime show? A lot, actually

Serena Williams is known for her killer moves on the tennis court, but it’s her dance moves that have fans spiraling after the Super Bowl.

The athlete made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 9.

The camera panned to Williams during Lamar’s song “Not Like Us” and showed the 43-year-old dancing like a pro for a few seconds.

As she moved to the beat, the athlete raised her hands and kicked her feet as she swayed from side to side in a dance move known as crip-walking (more on that later).

After the Super Bowl, Williams took to X to reflect on her moment in the spotlight.

Williams’ appearance in the halftime show is also raising eyebrows because Lamar brought her out on stage during a song that’s commonly known as a diss to Drake. Lamar and Drake feuded over the years, culminating in a series of diss tracks about one another last summer — and a lawsuit.

Add to the mix that Williams and Drake also dated, and you’ll see why the tennis champion’s appearance was so potent.

Crip-walking is a dance move that derives its name from the Crips, a Los Angeles street gang.

According to the book “Hip Hop Around the World,” the crip walk originated in California in the early 1970s.

The footwork, when the move started, was meant to spell out words, especially C-R-I-P. “As the dance developed over time, leg movements such as bending the knees and then straightening to create a pumping action or pointing the feet outward from the knees then sliding the feet in unison also became common,” the encyclopedia entry, written by humanities professor Anthony J. Fonseca, explains.

Anything that’s associated with gang life is often mired in controversy, and crip-walking is no exception. In 2002, some Los Angeles schools banned the move from parties and proms, per the Los Angeles Times.

Williams herself made headlines for crip-walking in 2012 after beating Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon. The Guardian at the time captured Williams fielding questions about it at a press conference three weeks after the winning match. “All people know that the crip walk is not just a dance,” a journalist said.

Williams responded, per the Guardian, “It was just a dance. I didn’t know that’s what it was called. Second, why are you asking me that? If anything, you should be trying to ask me questions to lift me up not bring such things … I’m done with that question.”

Both Lamar and Williams grew up in Compton, California. It’s also the city where Williams’ half-sister, Yetunde Price, was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2003. A local gang member was later convicted of Price’s murder.

After Williams was essentially cancelled for crip-walking in 2012, her Super Bowl performance brought mixed reactions from social media users. Some were impressed with her dance moves, including one X user who commented, “I saw you and screamed, ‘That’s Serena, I know that crip walk!’”

Another wrote, “I think half of my neighborhood heard me screaming your name! Looking good.”

Still, some X users wondered why Williams would do a dance that’s associated with gangs given the way her sister died.

“Was kinda of shocked…. Always figured you as more class than crip walking on live TV given your sister’s situation. Still love ya but shocked!” one commented.

This isn’t the first time Williams has publicly crip-walked since Wimbledon, however. She also did the move at the ESPY Awards during her opening monologue in July 2024 — and happened to mention Lamar and Drake’s beef.

“If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that none of us — not a single one of us, not even me — should ever pick a fight with Kendrick Lamar,” she said.

When the song “Not Like Us” began to play, Williams briefly crip-walked then said, “He will make your hometown not like you. The next time Drake sits courtside at a Raptors game, they’re going to ‘Forrest Gump’ him. Seat’s taken!”

Williams has been married to Alexis Ohanian since 2017 and the couple shares two children. But once upon a time, Williams dated Drake, a rapper known for hits like “Hotline Bling” and “Hold On, We’re Going Home.”

Drake references Serena in a few of his songs, including the 2013 song “Worst Behavior,” where he raps, “I swear I could beat Serena when she playin’ with her left.”

The rapper also name-dropped the tennis player in his 2022 song “Middle of the Ocean,” where he rapped, “Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie.”

Ohanian appeared to address the diss in a post on X, writing, “The reason I stay winning is because I’m relentless about being the absolute best at whatever I do — including being the best groupie for my wife & daughter.”

Williams responded with a string of hearts.

Lamar, meanwhile, also has sung about Williams. In the Drake diss track “Not Like Us,” Lamar suggests that Drake “better not speak on Serena.”

“Not Like Us” also levels more serious accusations against Drake. In “Not Like Us,” Lamar raps, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young/ You better not ever go to cell block one.” He later says, “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles,” a play on Drake’s 2021 album, “Certified Lover Boy.”

Drake has since filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group, which represents both Drake and Lamar, for defamation and harassment, saying that the company helped to spread a “false and malicious” narrative about him.

During the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, Lamar didn’t use the word “pedophile” when he performed “Not Like Us,” but he seemed to pretend to pat a child’s head while saying, “Drake, I hear you like ’em young.”

X users had a range of mixed reactions to the performance. For starters, some didn’t know Williams dated Drake.

“I’m prolly the only person who didn’t know Serena Williams & Drake was ever even a thing,” one wrote.

Some social media users were entertained by Williams’ cameo, including one who commented, “Kendrick bringing one of Drake’s exes out to literally dance on his grave was so good.”

Others were confused about the rationale behind Williams’ appearance, including one who wrote, “I don’t understand the logic in Kendrick bringing Serena Williams, Drakes older ex-girlfriend, onstage to dance to a song about Drake being a pedophile.”

In the midst of all the chatter, some X users stopped to remind the world that Williams isn’t just someone’s ex-girlfriend appearing at the Super Bowl.

“The fact that people are marginalizing that cameo to her being Drake’s ex is appalling.. That’s Fkn SERENA WILLIAMS! One of the all time best athletes in the world! Crip Walking at the MF Super Bowl reppin Compton! Put some respect on her name!!” one wrote.

“Serena’s husband prolly set her clothes out the night before like it was the first day of school the next day,” one person tweeted.

Another tagged Ohanian asking him to “confirm or deny.” Ohanian replied with a photo of Lamar at the moment that he sings, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young.”

Kid Rock storms off stage after fans fail to clap at Nashville show

Kid Rock abruptly ended his performance at Jon Bon Jovi’s bar in Nashville after growing frustrated with the audience’s lack of participation.

The 54-year-old musician attended Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan’s birthday celebration as a special guest at JBJ’s on Saturday.

The Cowboy rocker — who recently performed at an inauguration rally for President Donald Trump — became irate while singing a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Proud Mary, as the crowd failed to clap like he had asked them to.

He stopped the performance mid song, as seen in footage shared on YouTube, and told the female singer of the band, which also included Bryan himself, ‘F**k them. F**k them. Hey, hey, stop.’

Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, then demonstrated how he wanted the crowd to clap, telling them, ‘If you ain’t gonna clap, we ain’t gonna sing. That’s how it’s gonna go.’

A few people clapped briefly, but it wasn’t enough for the All Summer Long hitmaker, as he stormed off the stage, telling the audience, ‘You know what, f**k y’all. You ain’t gonna clap, I’m gone.’

Kid Rock, 54, abruptly ended his performance at Jon Bon Jovi’s bar in Nashville after growing frustrated with the audience’s lack of participation; seen performing in Washington in January

The band, including Bryan — who turned 63 on February 7 — appeared confused as they looked around following his departure.

Read More Kid Rock reveals the real reason why Trump has gained so many celebrity supporters

Bryan then seemed to throw up his hand while speaking to another musician as Rock made his hasty exit.

The rocker did not return for the rest of the show.

Rock has not yet commented on the incident.

He is next set to hit the stage in April for his Rock the Country co-headlining tour with Nickelback.

It comes following his performance at Trump’s inauguration event last month in Washington, D.C.

Rock also performed at the Republican National Convention last summer.

Rock said more celebrities now ‘feel it’s safe’ to support Trump after he won the White House for a second time.

The musician made the comments on Fox News ahead of Trump’s pre-inauguration rally.

The raucous event, held at Washington D.C.’s Capital One Arena, also featured performances from The Village People, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lee Greenwood.

He attended Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan’s birthday bash on Saturday, but became irate during a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Proud Mary, as the crowd failed to clap; seen in January

He stopped the show mid song and told the female singer of the band, which also included Bryan himself, ‘F**k them. F**k them. Hey, hey, stop’; seen in 2024

A few moments later he stormed off the stage, telling the audience, ‘You know what, f**k y’all. You ain’t gonna clap, I’m gone’; seen in 2024

The band, including Bryan — who turned 63 on February 7 — appeared confused as they looked around following his departure; (L-R) Bryan, Bon Jovi, and Tico Torres seen in 2024

‘Now they feel it’s safe to go in the water after dipping their toe in it for four to eight years,’ Rock said regarding the rise in Trump acceptance in Hollywood and beyond.

‘I mean, welcome to the party, like I’ve said. Better to have them on board than not,’ he added. ‘You can just tell there’s a whole change in the air.’

Rock also delighted fans as he posted his reaction to Trump winning the US presidential election.

The staunchly Republican singer, who has campaigned for Trump, posted a video showing the reactions of ‘Kid Rock vs Bob Ritchie’ – his birth name.

Set to his track American Rock ‘n Roll, Kid Rock walked out clad in a fiery red tracksuit – before donning a MAGA hat, smoking a cigar and picking up a mic.

He then dropped the mic, grabbed his crotch and swore at the camera.

Switching to Bob’s reaction, the musician – now clad in a baseball cap, tee and shorts, said: ‘Let me convey to my friends, family and supporters, now is not the time to gloat.’

‘We must remember that most of our left leaning friends are good people who want the same things in life as we do but simply think differently on how to get there.’

‘It is now time to be the bigger man, to extend an olive branch and unite all reasonable people of this great nation.’

‘God has blessed America and together with President Trump we will make America great again.’

Last month Eminem and Kid Rock were praised by fans for putting their differing political views aside ahead of the election.

It comes following his performance at President Donald Trump’s inauguration event last month in Washington, D.C. (pictured)

The singer is next set to hit the stage in April for his Rock the Country co-headlining tour with Nickelback; pictured at the Kentucky Derby in 2024

In the clip a shirtless Kid Rock says: ‘I love Eminem. We’ve been friends for many years. I don’t agree with his politics, but I do give credit to him and people like Taylor Swift for standing up and not being afraid to be vocal for that which they believe.

‘Thinking differently and having the freedom to do so is what makes this country great. My stance is unequivocally MAGA as I know in my heart, mind, body and soul that President Trump will make America great again. God bless the U.S.A.’

Eminem – real name Marshall Mathers – responded: ‘Here’s one thing @KidRock and I do agree on… GO @Lions!!!! Appreciate you, Bob.

Kid Rock replied: ‘Thanks @Eminem – Who would of thought it would be 2 white rappers from Detroit / Michigan to show our divided Country what class is and how it should be done! Appreciate ya too Marshall!’

Kendrick Lamar Vs. Drake Is a Decade Too Late

Finally, after a decade of false starts and errant subliminals and cold war, Kendrick Lamar full-out dissed Drake.

Better yet, Kendrick dissed Drake on perhaps the spiciest terms he could’ve arranged: on a song (“Like That”) with Drake’s favorite collaborator and longtime frenemy, Future. “Like That” is six tracks into Future and Metro Boomin’s new album, We Don’t Trust You, and Future also appears to be dissing Drake on the title track, though in much more opaque and ambiguous terms. Kendrick is exceedingly clear on “Like That,” though: “Fuck sneak-dissing / ‘First Person Shooter,’ I hope they came with three switches … / Motherfuck the big three, nigga, it’s just big me!”

These lyrics are written largely in response to Drake and J. Cole’s recent collaboration, “First Person Shooter,” from Drake’s latest album, For All the Dogs, which is a bit odd as far as provocations go since “First Person Shooter” isn’t a particularly disrespectful song. Drake and Cole both flatter themselves, in a lengthy celebration of their own greatness, and Cole mentions Kendrick only to flatter him, too: “Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me? / We the big three like we started a league.” Maybe Kendrick found this bit of deference rather patronizing. Cole’s verse does ominously recall Jay-Z on “Where I’m From,” rapping a few years before he fell into his legendary feud with Nas: “I’m from where niggas pull your card and argue all day about / Who’s the best emcees, Biggie, Jay-Z, or Nas?” Maybe he objected to Cole going on to compare himself to Muhammad Ali. But Drake — Drake didn’t have to say anything on “First Person Shooter,” really. Drake vs. Kendrick has been a long time coming, regardless.

We could sit here all day dissecting the interpersonal dynamics and theorizing about the motivations of all the relevant players behind the scenes. Is Metro, as long rumored, really still pressed that Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss supposedly overshadowed his own chart-topping album Heroes & Villains during award season last year? Are Future and Drake, as recently speculated, really fighting over a stripper from Miami? What did J. Cole even do, exactly, to get lumped into this conflict? I doubt we’ll ever know for sure — such is the fog of hip-hop gossip. But the deeper question isn’t “Why?” so much as “Why now?” And what does this beef even mean now, compared to when it was supposed to be the defining rap beef of a generation in the mid-to-late 2010s, at the height of Drake’s and Kendrick’s respective careers?

Jay-Z vs. Nas — the legendary 2000s feud that in many ways set the standard for high-profile, nonviolent hip-hop conflicts — is especially instructive in the case of Kendrick vs. Drake, if largely because they’re in contrast. By the turn of the century, Jay had hits, and, as a protégé of the late Notorious B.I.G., he had stature. He was spoiling for a title: best rapper alive. But he had to contend with a series of hip-hop superstars — Ja Rule, DMX, Eminem, 50 Cent — who each for a time outsold him and overshadowed him in some way or another. Meanwhile, Nas, during the same period, was in a very different position. He’d fallen off for the most part. “Oochie Wally” was a modest hit but also, given its uncharacteristic sound and its club-oriented appeal, a worrisome sign of creative decline and selling out. Jay and Nas needed to overcome each other to elevate themselves to the top of the pile. Their inevitable conflict was one of fitting contrasts. Jay was from Brooklyn; Nas was from Queens. Jay was the savvy cosmopolitan hitmaker; Nas was the insular prodigy. Jay was the overlord; Nas was the underdog. Jay vs. Nas was a great story.

This is also why the feud had to end as it did in October 2005: with Jay calling his surprise guest, Nas, from backstage at his much-hyped I Declare War concert in New Jersey to sing the hook on “Dead Presidents II.” (This was the song that sparked the feud between Jay and Nas in the first place; Nas supposedly resented Jay for sampling “The World Is Yours,” from Illmatic, for the hook.) This was a year into Jay’s tenure as the president of Def Jam and a few months before Def Jam would sign Nas away from Columbia. Suddenly Jay and Nas were business partners and musical collaborators. Their legacies were settled, and now there was a new story to be told, about the great reconciliation of the rap gods. And there was money to be made, as hip-hop was on track to become the world’s biggest genre in terms of sales and, later, streams. So of course the war ended.

What is the story of Drake and Kendrick Lamar, then? They have a couple of early collaborations — “Fuckin’ Problems” and “Poetic Justice” in 2012 — but conspicuously, they haven’t worked together in more than a decade. “Conspicuously” because, all the while, rumored tensions and implicit contrasts lingered between the most successful artist in the history of streaming music (Drake, with more than 75 billion lifetime streams on Spotify) and the only rapper to have ever won a Pulitzer Prize (Kendrick, for Damn.). Drake and Kendrick simply avoided each other. Instead, Drake fought Meek Mill, then Pusha T, then Kanye West. Each of these conflicts was entertaining in its own way, but none of them ever really seemed as vital as a potential feud with Kendrick. Kendrick, for his part, avoided rap beefs altogether. His famous tirade against several rappers, including Drake and Cole, on 2013’s “Control” was iconically provocative but also prohibitively broad and vague. He’s otherwise proved too high-minded to pick a fight with any rapper individually and see it through with a proper diss track. (Say what you will about Drake and the heavily passive-aggressive aspects of his songwriting and persona; he nuked Meek Mill with not one, but two diss tracks within a week of Meek tweeting about Drake’s alleged use of ghostwriters.) The story of Kendrick Lamar in the past decade is that of a rapper ascending to rarefied air, miles above the field of competition, years removed from any obligation to prove himself to Drake or anyone else.

But perhaps this was foolish of both Kendrick and Drake, thinking they could skip this step in forging their respective legacies. Jay-Z and Nas scrapped in the primes of their respective careers. Nas was in a rut before Stillmatic, sure, but he was 28, and Stillmatic would mark his return to mainstream relevance through the present day. In contrast, Kendrick is 36, and Drake is only a year older. Drake is nine albums and seven mixtapes deep. Kendrick is canonized. These guys are good money. And yet … their stories aren’t finished, if only because they’ve deferred the explicit realization of this feud for so long, until now. They need to overcome each other, to ultimately validate their elevation. Rap beefs (the nonviolent ones, at least) are in some sense quite silly — fits of name-calling and chest-beating and tedious gossip. But all those boasts and threats — the stuff of rap lyrics — have to pay off somehow, at some point. Also recall Jay on “Where I’m From,” outlining the iron laws of the Marcy Projects: “Your word was everything, so everything you said you’d do? / You did it, couldn’t talk about it if you ain’t live it.” It took Kendrick a decade to recognize as much. Now, let’s see how long it takes Drake to properly respond.

Kanye West exits X, credits Elon Musk with ‘allowing me to vent’ via venomous rants

Ye, after a weekend of spewing more antisemitic and hateful comments on X, offered a message of praise for the app’s owner, Elon Musk.

“I appreciate Elon for allowing me to vent,” the controversial rapper formerly known as Kanye West tweeted Sunday evening, according to KTLA. “It has been very cathartic to use the world as a sounding board.”

Ye gave kudos to Musk as he announced he would be going dark on X. The “Vultures 1” rapper, 47, seemingly deactivated his account days after using Musk’s platform to declare himself a Nazi and express renewed praise for Adolf Hitler. In addition to the antisemitic posts, Ye called for the release of jailed music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and declared his “dominion” over wife Bianca Censori.

The “Heartless” musician has a long history of making provocative and harmful statements and in recent years faced scrutiny for his comments about the Jewish community — a number of which he published on X. In 2022, Ye had threatened on X that he would go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” prompting suspensions from both that platform and Instagram. His comments also prompted multiple clothing companies and management firms to cut ties with Ye. But both X and Instagram eventually reinstated the Grammy winner’s account and he continued to double down.

In December 2023, Ye apologized for another round of antisemitic “outbursts” and said he would commit himself to “learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future.”

During Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, Ye aired a cryptic commercial directing viewers to a link for his Yeezy clothing line. The website touts only one item: a $20 white T-shirt bearing a black swastika.

Before Ye credited Musk’s platform for hosting his venomous posts, the X owner on Sunday tweeted that the rapper had been posting illicit content. Musk, also head of the Department of Government Efficiency, apparently found time between gutting various government agencies over the weekend to chime in on Ye’s internet activity. Musk also flirted with Nazi imagery earlier this year when he extended multiple salutes with his right arm during an inauguration event for President Trump.

“Given what he has posted, his account is now classified as NSFW,” Musk replied to an X user who alleged Ye had posted pornography. “You should not be seeing that anymore.”

Only time will tell.

Mumba criticises Eurosong panel after losing out

Samantha Mumba has criticised members of the Eurosong judging panel, saying their comments were “unnecessarily rude and vile” following The Late Late Show Eurosong Special on Friday night.

Mumba came second with her track My Way when the public votes, international jury, and national jury votes were counted, losing out to Norweigan singer EMMY who was victorious with her song, Laika Party.

Posting on Instagram at the weekend, Mumba thanked her supporters and expressed pride in her performance.

Mumba wrote: “This that got it, GOT IT… and those that didn’t, that’s OK too. It’s my art, and I stand by it.”

She also commented on the panel, saying: “Special mention to the “panel” (aside from Bambie, who I stan) who not only didn’t have the credentials, experience, or professionalism required and were unnecessarily rude and vile to all the finalists…. (Would have said this in person but they all left the green room before I had the opportunity to) unsurprisingly.”

The panel for this year’s Eurosong featured choreographer and Dancing with the Stars judge Arthur Gourounlian, 2FM broadcaster Laura Fox, chef and TV presenter Donal Skehan and Bambie Thug, who represented Ireland at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

In response to Mumba’s comments, a spokesperson for RTÉ said: “We are extremely grateful to The Late Late Show Eurosong panel for their professionalism, insight, integrity and good humour.

“Their role is to give their honest reaction to the performances on the night, offering their thoughts on the likely success of the song and act at the Eurovision Song Contest.

“Our panel did this in a thoughtful and considered way. It seems this was in line with the public vote that ultimately made the decision on the artist and song they wished to represent Ireland at this year’s contest.

“It’s never easy to offer a personal opinion, as not everyone will agree. Our panel did that with the utmost care and we wish to extend our thanks to them for the excellent job they did on Friday night.”

During the broadcast, the panel provided feedback on all competing entries. Speaking about My Way, Gourounlian said: “It felt like ten different demos put together in one song…. The vocals were there, but I couldn’t relate at all.”

Fox said: “Samantha Mumba is an icon in her own right… I just think My Way might be a little too slow.”

Skehan suggested that “if she goes to Eurovision, there is an opportunity for a revamp,” while Bambie Thug said a revamp “could actually boost it”.

After being selected to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland this May with her song Laika Party, EMMY said she was “in shock”.

Reacting to her win, the 24-year-old said: “I’m just in shock, thank you so, so much. This can’t be happening!”

In her Instagram post, Mumba also congratulated EMMY, writing: “The very best of luck to the sweetest @emmykgk00 (EMMY). Please fly the flag and make us proud in Switzerland!”

Watch: Norwegian singer EMMY perform Laika Party which is Ireland’s entry for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest

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Green Day Are Making A Live Nation Comedy Movie

Did you know Live Nation, the concert promoter, is in the movie business? The company is behind Rolling Loud, the upcoming Owen Wilson/Matt Rife film set at the titular hip-hop fest. And now Green Day are making their own Live Nation feature.

New Years Rev is a coming-of-age comedy about three friends who mistakenly believe they’re going to open for Green Day, The Wrap reports. Lee Kirk will write and direct the film, which stars Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman, and Ryan Foust. Kirk’s wife, Jenna Fischer, and her The Office castmate Angela Kinsey are also in the cast, as are Ignacio Diaz- Silverio and Keen Ruffalo.

In a statement, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong says the movie is inspired by their early years touring in a van:

Van days rule. You will drive all night on no sleep then play a show for 10 kids in a basement of a friend of a friend’s house 50 miles east of anywhere you’ve ever heard of. But you’ll do it again the next day, and the one after that. Because you’re doing it with your bandmates who become your family and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever known. It’s electric. Let the music and mischief ensue.

Armstrong and his Green Day bandmates Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool are producers on the project. Filming is reportedly underway in Oklahoma. I would say I wonder what they think about this at Gilman, but I’m pretty sure I already know.

Kendrick Lamar Is A Certified Pulitzer-Prize Artist, Hater, And The True Winner Of The Super Bowl

Lamar played with danger, controversy, and his unapologetic art.

On Sunday night, in front of the world, Kendrick Lamar demonstrated for all why he is one of the most thrilling, uncompromising, and culturally consequential artists of his era.

The Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show was never going to be just another performance, we all knew it was a moment of reckoning. In a league notorious for playing it safe, Lamar played with danger, controversy, and his unapologetic art. He declared himself as the moment, the movement, and the menace all at once.

Before we talk about the Super Bowl, let’s take a step back. Kendrick Lamar is not just another rap superstar he’s a Pulitzer Prize winning artist. When he received the award in 2018 for DAMN., he shattered a barrier, becoming the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win the prize. The Pulitzer board called the album “a virtuosic song collection” that captures “the complexity of modern African-American life.” That distinction alone places him in a different league than any of his contemporaries.

For more than a decade, Lamar has proven himself to be not just a lyricist but a storyteller who will not be boxed in. He tells tales that challenge race, power, and life in America. His music is not just rap. It is literature, cinema, and history combined. That is why his name must be grouped with the greats, from Toni Morrison to James Baldwin.

It was fitting, then, that when Lamar occupied the center stage of the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show was the lead up to a true masterpiece. With a Samuel L. Jackson-portrayed Uncle Sam hovering over him, Lamar played off of the fears that he’s “too dangerous” for America’s largest stage. Well instead of toning down his message, he leaned into it. He didn’t merely wish to perform for the Super Bowl crowd because he knew they weren’t here for him, so instead he wished to unsettle them. Dancers dressed in red, white, and blue formed a moving flag, and Lamar stood in its center, defiant, a rip in the fabric of American idealism. It was a visual and thematic extension of what he’s always represented: a mirror held up to reflect America’s hypocrisy back onto itself.

And then came the moment everyone was waiting for.

For weeks, there was speculation about whether Lamar would take the stage to perform “Not Like Us,” his blistering diss track against Drake, a song that was a cultural moment unto itself in 2024. A lawsuit, a simmering industry feud, and millions of curious fans provided layers of anticipation. Lamar played with expectations. Initially, he teased the song, smiling as the instrumental boomed through the Superdome. Then he pump-faked, going into the more crowd-pleasing All the Stars with SZA.

“They tried to rig the game, but you can’t fake impact,” he snarled, launching into a full-throttle performance of “Not Like Us.” And in case the world wasn’t paying attention, the cameras panned to Serena Williams — a Compton icon, tennis star, and Drake ex-girlfriend — crip walking to the beat.

It was poetic, brutal, and absolutely unforgettable.

Football fans may recall Super Bowl LIX for the Eagles vs. Chiefs matchup, and the Eagles well deserved win, but the true victor was Kendrick Lamar. His set wasn’t a halftime performance for those looking to forget about it the next day. It was a hostile takeover of American pop culture. He didn’t stage a spectacle; he solidified his legacy as the artist who won’t play by the rules, be it in music, in industry feuds, or on the world’s largest stage.

A Pulitzer winner, a virtuosic hater, and the unequivocal voice of his generation Kendrick Lamar showed once more that he isn’t merely a part of the culture. He is the culture.

Man accused of stabbing Salman Rushdie goes on trial – UPI.com

Feb. 10 (UPI) — The trial of a man accused of stabbing renowned British Indian author Salman Rushdie on a New York stage in 2022 began Monday for opening statements in his attempted murder and assault trial.

Hadi Matar, 27, is accused of running onstage during an event featuring Rushdie and stabbing him in front of a large crowd at the Chautauqua Institute’s amphitheater. Rushdie recovered but one of the stab wounds left him blind in one eye.

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Charlie Puth Condemns Kanye West’s Super Bowl Ad

“Please man, I beg you to stop,” Puth wrote on an Instagram Story.

West appeared in an ad toward the end of the Super Bowl on Sunday directing fans to the website of his brand, Yeezy. Though the website featured various products for sale on the day of the ad’s release, by Monday morning it only showed one item: a T-shirt with an image of a swastika.

“MILLIONS of people are influenced by you,” Puth continued. “Please I BEG you to stop, PLEASE.”

The Anti-Defamation League also issued a response to West’s stunt on Monday. “As if we needed further proof of Kanye’s antisemitism, he chose to put a single item for sale on his website — a T-shirt emblazoned with a swastika,” their statement read. “The swastika is the symbol adopted by Hitler as the primary emblem of the Nazis. It galvanized his followers in the 20th century and continues to threaten and instill fear in those targeted by antisemitism and white supremacy. If that wasn’t enough, the T-shirt is labeled on Kanye’s website as ‘HH-01,’ which is code for ‘Heil Hitler.’ Kanye was tweeting vile antisemitism nonstop since last week. There’s no excuse for this kind of behavior. Even worse, Kanye advertised his website during the Super Bowl, amplifying it beyond his already massive social media audience.”

The Super Bowl ad appeared to be a local buy and did not air nationally. It was reportedly “paid for by Yeezy LLC” and aired again on Fox later Sunday, around two hours after the game ended.

The back and forth comes within days of West’s controversial appearance at the 2025 Grammy Awards, where he arrived with his wife, Bianca Censori, who unveiled a black coat to reveal reveal a sheer dress with no underwear. West later defended his wife’s outfit. Though reports later surfaced of Censori asking for help on social media, the model’s rep denied those claims.