Taylor Swift took the high road as she won six American Music Awards on Sunday to surpass Michael Jackson's record, avoiding any direct mention of a bitter dispute with her old record company.
Swift won the top award, artist of the year, and four others. She was also given an honorary artist of the decade award, taking her total to 29 American Music Awards, organizers said. That easily outstripped the 24 awards Jackson picked up.
"All that matters to me is the memories that I have had with you guys, with you, the fans, over the years," Swift, 29, told the audience at the ceremony in Los Angeles after performing a medley of her old hits.
Swift had been expected to speak out about a long feud with record industry executive Scooter Braun, who owns the master recordings to her first six albums after Swift signed with a new label in 2018.
Swift accused Braun last week of refusing permission for her to sing songs from her back catalog at the awards show. The public spat culminated last week with Braun's saying his family had received numerous death threats after Swift urged her 122 million Instagram fans to let Braun "know how you feel about this."
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But on Sunday, Swift made no mention of the dispute, although she opened her performance wearing a white shirt printed with the titles of her old albums.
"This year for me has been a lot. It's been a lot of good. It's been a lot of really complicated," she said without elaborating. She beat Drake, Ariana Grande, Halsey and Post Malone as artist of the year.
Newcomer Billie Eilish, 17, took home two statuettes for best new artist and best alternative rock artist after a breakout year that saw her top the U.S. charts with her single "Bad Girl."
"You made it all happen," said Eilish, thanking her fans.
Eilish showed her support for environmental causes by wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "No Music on a Dead Planet" as she gave her first awards show performance with "All the Good Girls Go to Hell."
Selena Gomez kicked off the ceremony in her first live TV performance in two years after she underwent a kidney transplant in 2017 and battled anxiety and depression.
R&B singer Lizzo performed her new single, "Jerome," and Camila Cabello and her boyfriend, Shawn Mendes, sang their hit pop single "Senorita," which won the award for collaboration of the year.
British rocker Ozzy Osbourne, 70, who has been sidelined by serious health problems for a year, was mostly seated as he took to the stage with rappers Post Malone and Travis Scott and rocker WATT for their single "Take What You Want."
Punk rockers Green Day got the audience to their feet as they marked the 25th anniversary of their 1994 breakout album, "Dookie."
Other performers included the Jonas Brothers, Kesha, Halsey, Christina Aguilera and Shania Twain.
South Korean singer and actress Goo Hara has been found dead at her home in Seoul, police say.
The 28-year-old is best known as a former member of the K-Pop group Kara, which she joined in 2008.
Goo had also appeared on television and released music by herself.
Police say the cause of death is still under investigation. She appeared at a series of comeback performances last week after being hospitalised in May following an alleged suicide attempt.
The singer later apologised for causing "concerns and a commotion" among her fans over the incident. Reports said her manager had, at the time, found her unconscious.
Goo was found dead about 18:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on Sunday in her home, the Gangnam Police Department was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying.
Her last post on Instagram, shared with her 1.5m followers on Saturday, was a photograph of herself in bed with the caption: "Good night".
Kara, her former band, were one of the first to K-pop groups to break through on the international stage.
Goo's first solo EP, released in 2015, peaked at number four in the Korean music charts.
She had signed with a talent management agency in Japan earlier this year and released a song named Midnight Queen earlier this month.
Over the last year her career was overshadowed by events in her life off the stage. In September 2018 Goo filed a lawsuit against an ex-boyfriend after he threatened to damage her career by exposing an illicit video of her.
Her former partner was given a suspended jail term in August for physically assaulting and blackmailing the star.
The two celebrities were close friends and after Sulli's death, Goo described their relationship as being "like sisters".
Fans have been taking to social media to express their shock at news of Goo's death and many have shared photographs of the late friends together.
South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, according to World Health Organisation data.
If you or someone you know are feeling emotionally distressed, BBC Action Line has more information.
In the UK you can call for free, at any time to hear recorded information 0800 066 066.In addition, you can call the Samaritans free on 116 123 (UK and Ireland). Mind also has a confidential telephone helpline- 0300 123 339 (Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm).
South Korean singer and actress Goo Hara has been found dead at her home in Seoul, police say.
The 28-year-old is best known as a former member of the K-Pop group Kara, which she joined in 2008.
Goo had also appeared on television and released music by herself.
Police say the cause of death is still under investigation. She appeared at a series of comeback performances last week after being hospitalised in May following an alleged suicide attempt.
The singer later apologised for causing "concerns and a commotion" among her fans over the incident. Reports said her manager had, at the time, found her unconscious.
Goo was found dead about 18:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on Sunday in her home, the Gangnam Police Department was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying.
Her last post on Instagram, shared with her 1.5m followers on Saturday, was a photograph of herself in bed with the caption: "Good night".
Kara, her former band, were one of the first to K-pop groups to break through on the international stage.
Goo's first solo EP, released in 2015, peaked at number four in the Korean music charts.
She had signed with a talent management agency in Japan earlier this year and released a song named Midnight Queen earlier this month.
Over the last year her career was overshadowed by events in her life off the stage. In September 2018 Goo filed a lawsuit against an ex-boyfriend after he threatened to damage her career by exposing an illicit video of her.
Her former partner was given a suspended jail term in August for physically assaulting and blackmailing the star.
The two celebrities were close friends and after Sulli's death, Goo described their relationship as being "like sisters".
Fans have been taking to social media to express their shock at news of Goo's death and many have shared photographs of the late friends together.
South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, according to World Health Organisation data.
If you or someone you know are feeling emotionally distressed, BBC Action Line has more information.
In the UK you can call for free, at any time to hear recorded information 0800 066 066.In addition, you can call the Samaritans free on 116 123 (UK and Ireland). Mind also has a confidential telephone helpline- 0300 123 339 (Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm).
Justin Timberlake was hands-on with his new co-star Alisha Wainwright during a recent night out.
Wainwright, 30, was seen touching the knee of singer Timberlake— wed to actress Jessica Biel, 37 — before he took hold of her hand.
In photos obtained by The Sun, the pair were snapped around midnight chatting and drinking in a bar in New Orleans while on a break from filming a movie in which they play lovers.
The pair, currently filming American football drama film "Palmer," were part of a small group out drinking at The Absinthe House, on Bourbon Street, in New Orleans on Thursday.
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel pictured at the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Spring/Summer 2020 show on October 01, 2019 in Paris, France, have been married since 2012. They share one child.
(Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
But they were alone on a balcony for around 40 minutes, before going inside. It is believed they left via a rear exit around 12.30 am.
Wainwright is best known for her role as Maia Roberts in the television series "Shadowhunters," and can currently be seen starring alongside Michael B Jordan in the Netflix series "Raising Dion."
Timberlake and Biel, who wed in 2012, are widely considered to have one of the most rock-solid marriages in Hollywood. Both regularly post heartfelt videos on Instagram.
Will Ferrell joined the infamous “Saturday Night Live” Five-Timers Club with his Nov. 23 hosting stint. But he was far from the only big name to return to Studio 8H for the episode.
Ryan Reynolds, who hosted “SNL” in 2009, was in the audience during Ferrell’s monologue and promptly distracted the former cast member, causing him to ask multiple times if it was really him. Reynolds said that he gets that a lot, but yes it is really him, and he’s a big fan.
“Can you just pretend I’m not here?” Reynolds asked Ferrell.
“No way, I’m locked in. It’s like the rest of the audience is not here,” Ferrell replied.
Ferrell then slipped into an impression of Tracy Morgan, noting that that is what happens when he gets nervous. Reynolds asked him not to do that, to which Ferrell replied, “Will Ferrell can do whatever he wants.”
Morgan then joined Ferrell on stage with Ferrell to back up Ferrell’s claims: “You listen to me. The prophecy must be fulfilled. This is Will Ferrell, he can do what he wants to do. I suckled from his comedy bosom, but like a young Luke Skywalker, it filled me with strength.”
Ferrell thanked Morgan for that, telling him he felt so much better.
“Anything for you, Ferrell. But you talk like that again, I’m going to bust your ass,” Morgan said.
Baby Yoda is perfection, and I won’t hear otherwise. Not that I’m worried anyone will disagree, because this is one take the world seems to stand behind.
The TV show that birthed him, the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian, got off to a slow start, in part because it’s full of big-name character actors playing unfamiliar intergalactic heroes and villains. But the final moment of its otherwise-unexciting premiere gave many Star Wars fans a sign that The Mandalorian would be more than an expensive exercise in bringing the franchise to streaming TV.
When the Mandalorian saved an infant in a floating bassinet from certain death at the end of the episode, the adorable baby was revealed to be a lot more recognizable than the rest of the show’s new heroes and villains. Because that adorable baby looked a heckuva lot like Yoda.
As far as we know, this character is not the 900-year-old green wiseman that Star Wars fans have long revered; Yoda himself died at the end of Return of the Jedi, which is set five years before the start of The Mandalorian. But the youngster appears to be from the same species as Yoda. And as we learned in episode two, there’s much more to him than his resemblance to one of Star Wars’ most beloved characters: Referred to on the show as “the Child,” he is 50 years old, so still a baby in Yoda years. But he’s shockingly powerful for someone who appears to be just an infant, able to use the Force to take down giant beasts.
We all want to protect Baby Yoda. He’s baby!
Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Pictures via Disney+
This makes him a great companion for the Mandalorian, who’s committed to protecting Baby Yoda from the dangers of the galaxy after members of what remains of the evil Empire offered him a hefty bounty for bringing the Child to them. The Mandalorian quickly fell in love with the sweet, cooing baby, and refused to let him become little more than a trophy for unfeeling villains.
So did viewers. Predictably, the fact that this big-eyed, big-headed, pure-hearted alien isn’t actually Yoda hasn’t stopped people from dubbing him Baby Yoda. And Baby Yoda has already become an online phenomenon.
Memes, odes to his cuteness, and fanart have spread widely across Twitter and other corners of the internet since The Mandalorian’s November 12 debut, especially after he was granted more screen time in episode two. The character seems to have broadened interest in the show immensely. He clearly appeals not just to Star Wars fans, but a bigger demographic: lovers of all things tiny-baby-adorable.
If The Mandalorian hadn’t leaned into Baby Yoda as hard as it has so far — as it’s done by giving him plenty of screen time in episode two, “The Child,” and episode three, “The Sin” — there’s a chance no one would even be talking about him right now.
Disney hyped up the series ahead of its debut as a live-action Star Wars TV show of grand scale, a first for the franchise. Previous efforts to translate Star Wars for live-action television have notoriously fizzled out, like the aborted Star Wars: Underworld project of the mid-aughts. But The Mandalorian had much more promise from the start.
Disney assembled a team that gave the show immediate credibility: Jon Favreau (Iron Man) as showrunner, a cast that includes Carl Weathers and Werner Herzog, and episode directors like Rick Famuyiwa (Dope) and Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok; Jojo Rabbit) among them. Early promotional photos teased a project reminiscent of the Star Wars movies themselves: There were sandy dunes, a variety of aliens, and plenty of droids. And the mysterious main character (played by Pedro Pascal) was shown to be a bounty hunter in the vein of fan-favorite villains Boba and Jango Fett. What wasn’t to love?
Early promotional photos released for The Mandalorian focused on making the title character look badass af.
Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Pictures
But critics raised plenty of complaints when The Mandalorian debuted as the crown jewel of Disney+’s original programming lineup. Vox critic at large Emily VanDerWerff called the first episode “fundamentally empty entertainment and not a great harbinger for many Disney+ original programs to come.” Slate described it as “truncated and half-sketched.” Entertainment Weekly wrote that “this was a very strange debut, merging grim toughness with mawkish softening twists.”
The negative response hinged on the concern that The Mandalorian would inch toward its meaningful reveals, a questionable approach to a story whose hero’s primary trait is how little is known about him. (It didn’t help that Disney+ chose not to screen the series for critics ahead of its premiere, which didn’t give them anything to go on beyond the first episode.)
Baby Yoda, at least, was a point of interest. Some spoiler-y reviews of his surprise introduction made mention of the baby’s appearance more dismissively, writing off the character as an obvious marketing ploy or cheap and unoriginal twist. Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone: “Even the twist at the very end — that the Mandalorian’s latest target is a baby from the same species as Yoda — echoes the plot of the Clone Wars film.” VanDerWerff of Vox: “You’re probably just seeing the big-eyed, big-eared baby alien as yet another merchandising opportunity.”
He is beauty. He is grace. He’s ... a toy for anxious parents to chase?
Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Pictures via Disney+
But toys and plushes will arrive into a world where Baby Yoda is already a more fleshed-out character than some critics expected. In episode two, fittingly called “The Child,” The Mandalorian made an effort to show off that this baby is a meaningful part of the show, not just a toy in the making.
The show is ostensibly focused on its title character, but in “The Child,” every move the Mandalorian made was followed by the camera holding on Baby Yoda’s reaction, with clear affection for his emotive blue eyes and goofy oversized coat. When the Mandalorian boarded his ship, Baby Yoda waddled along behind him. (The character was brought to life through a combination of animatronic puppeteering and computer-generated graphics, lending a nice sense of practicality to his movements.) When the Mandalorian got roughed up in a fight while trying to protect his ship, Baby Yoda outstretched his little arm to reach for his new friend. When the Mandalorian was busy fighting some bad guys, the show paused to let us know what Baby Yoda was up to, and it turned out he was eating a frog that made him sick. (He’s even cute when he’s sick!)
All of these scenes added lighthearted moments to a show that had initially come off as meditative, if not quite dour. The addition of a pure-hearted baby alleviated the solitude and tension that comes with a story of a silent bounty hunter.
It also made the show more memorable and evocative. So few events occurred in episode one that it quickly escaped recall. But “The Child” began to properly introduce this instantly likable mystery character with an apparent tie to one of Star Wars’ most beloved figures. And episode three, “The Sin,” further balanced Baby Yoda’s extreme cuteness with intrigue well enough to prove that his appeal is no fluke — by putting him in real danger and introducing life-or-death stakes that forced the stoic Mandalorian into full-on Good Dad mode to make sure the kid stayed alive.
Werner Herzog, who plays a man known as the Client, has even admitted that Baby Yoda has made him “cry,” which encapsulates his power better than anything.
Entertainment outlets are eager to celebrate the Baby Yoda goodness. Vox is not immune to that impulse, clearly! Because we would give our lives to protect Baby Yoda’s in an instant. He’s a new friend who is feeling out a world that evil bounty hunters didn’t want him to survive in. How could anyone not love a creature this cute?
The desire to protect Baby Yoda at all costs has been the dominant response from Mandalorian viewers and non-viewers alike, as fans have waxed poetic about the character’s button nose and shining eyes online.
“The bottom line is that Baby Yoda is the best part of The Mandalorian so far, and right now, the main thing persuading me to watch more episodes,” Vulture’s Jen Chaney wrote after episode two. At Wired, Emmy Grey Ellis acknowledged that a contingent of haters are protesting Baby Yoda as nothing more than marketing — and then argued that “Baby Yoda is, in fact, so lovable that its lovability is evidence of storytellers and character designers at the peak of their powers.”
Ellis continued: “Typically, building a character out of elements people are sure to adore is a ticket to Try-Hardsville. ... Baby Yoda is different. The character is simply a mashup of the most beloved being in the Star Wars universe, Disney’s cuteness formula, and a superbaby.”
The 6 stages of Baby Yoda (1) denial: it cannot be this cute (2) pain: it's so cute it hurts me (3) anger: it's so cute, i want to hurt it (4) depression: will anything ever be this cute (5) reflection: what did i do to deserve something so cute (6) acceptance: it cute pic.twitter.com/TmqxSedivQ
Baby Yoda has definitely cemented The Mandalorian as one of the cutest shows on streaming, against all odds. But his cuteness is only one reason why Baby Yoda fever has exploded. Another, more major reason is that Disney made a very smart move in choosing to unveil the character the way it did, and meting out his development by releasing The Mandalorian one episode at a time.
Disney+ launched on a Tuesday, along with the first episodes of its initial wave of exclusive original programming. The most advertised of the lot was The Mandalorian, what with the weight of Star Wars and a $100 million budget behind it.
Disney had announced in late August that it would release new episodes of its original Disney+ series weekly, rather than drop them all season at once.
But the company did launch The Mandalorian (and other Disney+ originals) on a slightly compressed schedule, with the second episode premiering just three days after the first. Future new episodes will also premiere on Fridays. This ended up being a smart play by Disney, especially in the wake of critics’ reactions to The Mandalorian’s first episode.
By launching the show’s first two installments so close together, Disney encouraged viewers to at least give The Mandalorian two episodes’ worth of their time. It’s hard to say whether skeptics who raised an eyebrow at Baby Yoda’s surprise appearance would have returned for episode two if they’d been asked to wait a full week (or longer) to see it. The episode’s arrival in quick succession helped make a case that The Mandalorian has more charm than the first episode implied — namely because of Baby Yoda, but also because of a more exciting story and brighter set design in general.
The show’s more traditional release schedule has fueled the excitement around Baby Yoda. While Netflix and Amazon Prime Video typically release their original series one full season at a time, encouraging viewers to consume all of the episodes as quickly as possible, Disney+’s decision to release episodes weekly allows those episodes more time and space to drive individual conversation. And Baby Yoda has certainly given viewers something to talk about.
As Vox sister site the Verge has noted: “Tying new content to beloved franchises, then doling it out a bit at a time is a way for Disney, in particular, to keep subscribers hooked.” Making sure viewers got to know Baby Yoda in episodes two and three was a way to assuage any fears that The Mandalorian would be all style with little substance, or that Baby Yoda himself would be a cash grab trotted out by the show to sell merchandise. Now, many viewers are in love with the lil’ cutie. And for Star Wars fans who want to know every inch of the franchise’s expansive canon, the mystery of what Baby Yoda will teach us about the Yoda species is alluring.
With each passing episode, those fans will have to subsist on the latest Baby Yoda developments until the next episode arrives. And they’ll have to stay on Disney+ to do so, to make sure that Baby Yoda is A-OK.
Because if something ever happens to him, Disney, y’all will have thousands of us Baby Yoda Stans knocking on your door with pitchforks.
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