Tag Archives: Justin Timberlake

Kid Cudi Joins Voice Cast of Trolls Threequel “Trolls Band Together”

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Kid Cudi is on a t(roll)…

The 39-year-old half-Mexican American rapper, singer, songwriter record producer and actor has joined the voice cast of Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation’s next Trolls film.

Kid Cudi The studios have unveiled the official title for the third film in their hit animated musical franchise, which opens in theaters nationwide on November 17.

Returning to lead the threequel, Trolls Band Together, as expected, are Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick.

In addition to Kid Cudi, others set for the film include Eric André, Daveed Diggs, Troye Sivan, Camila Cabello, Amy Schumer, Andrew Rannells, RuPaul Charles, Zosia Mamet, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Icona Pop collaborators Aino Jawo and Caroline Hjelt, Anderson .Paak, Ron Funches , Kunal Nayyar and Kenan Thompson.

Trolls is a jukebox musical franchise that has thus far grossed over $396M worldwide between 2016’s Trolls, which landed a Best Original Song Oscar nom for the Timberlake-voiced pop hit “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” and 2020’s somewhat pandemic-hampered Trolls World Tour.

The new film will pick up with trolls Poppy (Kendrick) and Branch (Timberlake) after two films of true friendship and relentless flirting, at a point when they’re now officially, finally, a couple (#broppy)! As they grow closer, Poppy discovers that Branch has a secret past. He was once part of her favorite boyband phenomenon, BroZone, with his four brothers: Floyd (Sivan), John Dory (André), Spruce (Diggs) and Clay (Cudi).

BroZone disbanded when Branch was still a baby, as did the family, and Branch hasn’t seen his brothers since. But when Branch’s bro Floyd is kidnapped for his musical talents by a pair of nefarious pop-star villains —Velvet (Schumer) and Veneer (Rannells) — Branch and Poppy embark on a harrowing and emotional journey to reunite the other brothers and rescue Floyd from a fate even worse than pop-culture obscurity.

Walt Dohrn returned to direct Trolls Band Together after helming both past installments, with Trolls World Tour’s head of story Tim Heitz coming aboard as co-director, and Gina Shay returning as producer.

Romeo Santos Reaches No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay Chart with Rosalia-Collab “El Pañuelo”

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Romeo Santos is back at the top of the charts…

The 41-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American singer has logged a new career No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart as his Rosalia-collab “El Pañuelo” rules the February 4-dated ranking.

Romeo Santos & RosaliaThe song rises 3-1 with 9.9 million audience impressions, an 8% gain, earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 26, according to Luminate.

Rosalía scores her third straight No. 1, and second through a bachata single. Thanks to “El Pañuelo,” Santos becomes the fourth artist to accumulate at least 18 No. 1s since Tropical Airplay chart launched in 1994. He joins Marc Anthony, who leads with 35, followed by Victor Manuelle (29), and Prince Royce (22).

The new No. 1 also marks the 10th time a pair-up comprising a female and a male on lead role has reached No. 1 since the chart’s inception.

Here’s a look at the chart-topping pair-ups:

Peak Date, Title, Artist, Weeks at No. 1
Aug. 15, 1998, “Corazón Encadenado,” Gisselle & Sergio Vargas, one
June 26, 1999, “No Me Ames,” Jennifer López & Marc Anthony, seven
June 18, 2016, “La Bicicleta,” Carlos Vives & Shakira, one
Dec. 31, 2016, “Olvídame y Pega La Vuelta,” Jennifer López & Marc Anthony, two
April 29, 2017, “Deja Vu,” Prince Royce & Shakira, 11
Oct. 26, 2019, “La Mejor Versión de Mí,” Natti Natasha & Romeo Santos, 15
May 29, 2021, “Víctimas Las Dos,” Victor Manuelle & La India, one
May 28, 2022, “Te Espero,” Prince Royce & Maria Becerra, four
Dec. 3, 2022, “Monotonía,” Shakira & Ozuna, nine
Feb. 4, 2023, “El Pañuelo,” Romeo Santos & Rosalía

Further, Santos also unlocks another achievement on the current chart: “Solo Conmigo,” his latest single, takes the Greatest Gainer award, rising 19-12 with a lofty 310% gain in audience, to 2 million.

Plus, “Sin Fin,” with Justin Timberlake, holds at No. 9 for a second week (after its previous No. 1 debut last September), while “Siri,” with Chris Lebron, dips 18-22.

All songs are on Santos’ latest album, Formula, Vol. 3, which crowned Tropical Albums for 15 weeks.

Beyond its Tropical Airplay coronation, “El Pañuelo” bests its previous Latin Airplay ranking with a 3-2 jump.

Maluma’s “Junio” Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay Chart

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Maluma is celebrating his first No. 1 debut in almost six years…

The 28-year-old Colombian singer, songwriter and actor has debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart with the arrival of “Junio” on the October 15-dated ranking.

Maluma, Quay Australia,While he’s scored 22 champs, he last debuted at No. 1 through his featured role in Shakira’s “Chantaje” in November 2016.

“Junio” storms in at No. 1 after its first official tracking week with 8.9 million in audience impressions earned in the week ending October 9, according to Luminate.

The track was released via Sony Music Latin/WK on September 29 and performed live at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards that same night.

“Junio” is the third song to debut at No. 1 on Latin Airplay in 2022, of the total 38 songs that have reached the top this year.

Only one other Latin act has achieved the feat, Romeo Santos through two No. 1 debuts: “Sus Huellas” (February 26-dated ranking) and “Sin Fin,” his first team-up with Justin Timberlake (list dated September 17).

Among Maluma’s 22 champs, “Junio” marks his ninth win as a soloist, unaccompanied by any other act. He first earned a No. 1 on his own with “Borro Cassette” in 2015.

With 22 crowns on his account, Maluma ties with Wisin for the fifth-most overall since the chart launched in 1993.

Here’s a look at the scoreboard:

35, J Balvin
32, Enrique Iglesias
28, Ozuna
27, Daddy Yankee
22, Maluma
22, Wisin
20, Romeo Santos

Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “Junio” concurrently debuts at No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay. It’s Maluma’s 19th ruler there and his first debut atop the ranking since “Chantaje” in 2016.

Further, the pop rhythmic “Junio,” also makes progress on Latin Pop Airplay, rallying 19-1 in its second week. It’s the biggest jump since 2007, when Juanes’ “Me Enamora” surged 23 rankings (24-1) also in its second week.

Elsewhere, “Junio” opens at No. 28 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, which blends airplay, streams, and sales.

Rosalía Earns Second No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay Chart with “Despechá”

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Rosalía is embracing the tropical sound… And, she’s finding success with it.

The 30-year-old Spanish singer and songwriter, known for her flamenco-urban sound, has secured her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart as her latest single, “Despechá,” rises from the runner-up slot to lead the chart dated October 1.

Rosalia“Despechá” rises to the top of the chart just five months after Rosalia scored her first No. 1 through “La Fama,” the two-week champ which features The Weeknd (May 14-dated ranking). The R&B singer-songwriter also collected his first win in his first showing on the list.

“Despechá” leads with 8 million in audience impressions, a 12% gain which makes the Greatest Gainer of the week, earned in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 25, according to Luminate.

The song outs a pairing from the top: Romeo Santos and Justin Timberlake’s “Sin Fin,” after the song’s one week in charge. It falls to No. 2 with 7.8 million in audience impressions.

Beyond its Tropical Airplay coronation, “Despechá” pushes Rosalía closer to lead on the all-genre Latin Airplay chart, at No. 3, after spending two weeks at No. 5.

Elsewhere, the song makes progress on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, which blends airplay, digital sales, and streaming data, with a 9-7 move.

Plus, it holds strong at No. 65 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, after its No. 63 peak (September 17-dated list).

Bad Bunny Earns 19th No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay Chart with “Titi Me Preguntó”

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There’s no questioning Bad Bunny’s popularity… 

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican superstar has notched his 19th No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as “Titi Me Preguntó” climbs 7-1 on the September 24-dated ranking.

Bad BunnyIt’s the third track from Bad Bunny’s historic, chart-topping album Un Verano Sin Ti to lead the all-genre tally.

“Titi Me Preguntó” tops Latin Airplay just a month after “Me Porto Bonito,” with Chencho Corleone, ruled for one week (August 20-dated ranking).

Un Verano Sin Ti’s second single, “Moscow Mule,” earned the set its first champ (list dated July 30).

“Titi Me Preguntó” visits the summit for the first time after a 25% boost in audience impressions — to 9 million — earned in the U.S. in the week ending September 18, according to Luminate.

It sends Romeo Santos and Justin Timberlake’s “Sin Fin” to No. 3 after its debut at No. 1 the week prior.

His 19th No. 1 breaks Bad Bunny from a tie with Ricky Martin for the eighth-most champs among all acts since Latin Airplay launched in 1994.

Here’s a look at the scoreboard:

35, J Balvin
32, Enrique Iglesias
28, Ozuna
27, Daddy Yankee
22, Wisin
21, Maluma
20, Romeo Santos
19, Bad Bunny
18, Ricky Martin

Further, “Titi Me Preguntó” reaches No. 1 on Latin Airplay in its fifth week. Notably, the only song out of his 19 hits to match “Me Porto Bonito’s” equal trek to the penthouse. Previously, “Qué Pretendes,” with J Balvin, reached the top in its sixth week (August 10, 2019).

In addition to its Latin Airplay coronation, “Titi Me Preguntó” advances 3-1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay, Bad Bunny’s also 19th champ there. With the move, he matches Wisin as a solo act and Wisin & Yandel for the fourth-most No. 1s, behind Daddy Yankee and J Balvin’s 34 leaders and Ozuna’s 27.

Elsewhere, “Titi Me Preguntó” holds strong at No. 13 for a third nonconsecutive week on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart after its No. 5 debut and peak in May. Plus, it’s one of two titles still ranking in the list’s top 20 among the nine tracks from his No. 1 LP, Un Verano Sin Ti, currently on the chart.

Romeo Santos Releases New Album “Fórmula Vol. 3”

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Romeo Santos is expanding his formula…

The 41-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American singer-songwriter, known as The King of Bachata, has released this latest album Fórmula Vol. 3.

Romeo SantosSantos, the lead member and vocalist of Aventura who has pushed the genre to new sonic boundaries and commercial heights over the course of his solo career, has grounded the majority of the album’s 21 tracks in the style he’s made a home.

Yet Santos also isn’t content to keep reinventing his respective wheel, so Fórmula Vol. 3 offers glimpses of tropical music (“Sexo Con Ropa”), merengue (“15,500 Noches,” with several luminaries of the style) and flamenco (“El Pañuelo,” with current torch-bearer Rosalía).

The album even finds room for a Justin Timberlake-assisted pop crossover, “Sin Fin,” that could bring a towering veteran like Santos to a whole new audience.

Romeo Santos Releases Teaser of Justin Timberlake Collaboration “Sin Fin”

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Romeo Santos is (n)syncing up with a pop icon…

The 41-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican-American singer, known as the King of Bachata, is joining voices with Justin Timberlake for the new single “Sin Fin.”

Romeo SantosSantos offered a sneak peek at the upcoming collaboration, dropping a 15-second preview of their highly anticipated single via social media on Monday.

The preview of the track from Santos’ Formula, Vol. 3 album, due September 1, spotlights JT’s vocals, as he sings, “You already know this love is all your, baby/ So take it/ We’ve been here before, it’s strong enough to save us, oh baby,” over what appears to be black and white footage from the song’s video. The various set-ups range from JT and Santos laughing and goofing around on set to Santos dancing with a woman and taking a ride in his expensive car.

The song will appear on an album that also boasts a collaboration with Rosalía and which will focus not on reggaetón, trap or rap, but on bachata, the traditional, guitar-based Dominican heartbreak music that Santos has made his calling card.

“If I do an urban song, it could be massive. I don’t want it to be a distraction,” Santos recently told Billboard in a cover story. “You have these amazing artists who right now are in their prime offering urban music. I wanted to make a difference and speak for my genre. Bachata needs me. I needed to put on my Superman cape for my culture.”

Santos, a longtime JT fan, had never met the “Sexy Back” singer and they had few connections before working together. In fact, just feeling out Justin’s interest in recording a song took nearly a year, but Santos was determined to make it happen.

“Ninety-nine percent of my records are written and produced by me,” he said. “But on Aventura’s first album, I took ‘Gone’ by *NSYNC and rewrote and translated it to Spanish,” he added, referring to an all-acoustic cover from his group’s 2002 album, We Broke the Rules. “It’s crazy how things line up. That was history in the making without realizing it.”

Once the song was in the works, however, it came together quickly, with Santos recruiting longtime collaborator Rico Love and producer Danja (who, along with Timbaland, co-produced all of Timberlake’s 2006 album, FutureSexLoveSounds) to come up with “Sin Fin.”

“He said, ‘I dig this.’ What I respect about JT is he not only recorded his vocals but he turned that song that now I feel was at 30% into something completely different for the better,” said Santos. “He changed the melody, the lyrics; he wrote, he produced. There was a moment where I was at the studio and he was directing my guitarist. To me, that was surreal: JT is producing a bachata.”

Anthony Ramos to Star in “Trolls” Half-Hour Animated Musical Special “Trolls Holiday in Harmony”

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Anthony Ramos is about to let it troll….

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican actor/singer has joined the voice cast of Trolls Holiday in Harmony, starring Trolls alums Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Kenan Thompson and Rachel Bloom.

Anthony Ramos

The new half-hour animated musical special hails from the DreamWorks Animation franchise set on NBC.

Other Trolls alums joining the cast include Ron Funches, Kunal Nayyar, Anderson .Paak, Ester Dean, Walt Dohrn, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Karan Soni.

The special will air on Friday, November 26 at 9:00 pm on NBC.

In the special, as the holidays near, Queen Poppy (Kendrick) plans the first annual Trolls Kingdom Secret Holiday Gift Swap. Things take an unexpected turn, however, when she and Branch (Timberlake) draw each other’s name. Meanwhile, Tiny Diamond (Thompson) comes down with a bad case of writers’ block trying to think of a special holiday rap for his dad.

The special, which includes four original songs, is written and directed by Sean Charmatz and Tim Heitz with Gina Shay and Walt Dohrn serving as the executive producers.

The Trolls DreamWorks Animation franchise includes the 2016 film Trolls and 2020’s Trolls World Tour starring Kendrick, Timberlake, among others, as well as two original TV series, digital content, videos games and more.

Following its premiere on NBC, Trolls Holiday in Harmony, will be available for purchase on digital and DVD November 30 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. A digital soundtrack for the special will be released by RCA Records on November 26 to coincide with the special airing on NBC.

Camila Cabello Among Celebrities Calling on Corporate America to Urge Congress to Support President Joe Biden’s Climate Plan

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Camila Cabello is urging the U.S. Congress to support President Joe Biden’s climate change plan…

While Democratic leadership tries to unite its progressive and moderate wings, a group of 80-plus artists, celebrities and activists, including the 24-year-old Cuban/Mexican singer, are calling on the leaders of Google, Disney, Amazon, Fox, Facebook to join them in urging Congress to support Biden’s Build Back Better plan.

Camila Cabello

The effort was spearheaded by the National Resources Defense Council Action Fund and Cabello, who convinced the sizable group of A-listers to speak out, specifically about the need to address climate change.

In addition to Cabello, signatories to the group letter included J.J. Abrams, Greg Berlanti, Cate Blanchett, Jack Antonoff, Don Cheadle, Ellen DeGeneres, Selena Gomez, Shakira, Chris Evans, Jimmy Kimmel, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Chuck Lorre, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sean Penn, Joaquin Phoenix, Billy Porter, Robert Redford, Ryan Reynolds, Shakira, Barbra Streisand, Wes Studi, Justin Timberlake, Kerry Washington and many more.

On Monday, a group of 17 Nobel Prize-winning economists also came out in support of Biden’s plan.

Manish Bapna, President and CEO of the NRDC Action Fund said, “These are the tastemakers of our time—and in moments like these they have an opportunity to be the changemakers, too. What started as an idea by Camila Cabello has exploded into a clarion call from entertainers overnight to take action. Congress holds in its hands our best chance at combating our biggest environmental challenge yet. We need all hands on deck to make sure they seize it, and these industry leaders can play a critical role in making sure that they do.”

In today’s initiative, the artists call out the following execs by name: Lincoln Benet at Access Industries (Warner Music Group), Sundar Pichai at Alphabet (Google, YouTube), Andy Jassy at Amazon, Tim Cook at Apple, John Stankey at AT&T (WarnerMedia), Brian Roberts at Comcast, David Zaslav at Discovery (and soon Warner Bros. Discovery), Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook, Lachlan Murdoch at Fox, Reed Hastings at Netflix, Kenichiro Yoshida at Sony, Robert Bakish at ViacomCBS, Arnaud de Puyfontaine at Vivendi (Universal Music Group) and Bob Chapek at Walt Disney.

“It’s no secret that climate change is here and is already affecting people’s lives across the globe,” wrote Cabello in her post on Instagram about the effort. “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to act boldly to fight the climate crisis, so I am honored to join over 60 fellow artists to call on leaders of the entertainment industry to use their power and demand that Congress pass @potus’s #BuildBackBetter agenda this fall.”

Here’s the full text of the letter and a list of its signatories:

Dear Entertainment Industry Executives:

Climate change has arrived on our doorstep: California is on fire, record-breaking and deadly storms are flooding New York City, hurricanes are devastating the Gulf. This summer alone, nearly one in every three people in the United States experienced an extreme weather event.

Scientists warn that if we fail to act now, every single one of us will feel the impacts, a billion people will be displaced, and low-income people and communities of color will continue to be hit first and worst. Right now, we have a critical window of opportunity to do something about it. And we need all hands on deck to demand that our leaders protect the people we love and the places they live before it’s too late.

Congress has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in a clean, just, and equitable future for all by passing the robust climate action that President Biden called for in his Build Back Better agenda. This legislation will create healthier communities, put millions to work in clean energy jobs, and free us from the fossil fuels that are driving climate change.

As the top leaders of the entertainment industry—one of the nation’s most powerful and influential business sectors—you are needed to lead our community’s call for action and embrace this vision for a better world. The entertainment community has a long, proud tradition of driving societal change. Our industry is already leading the charge toward more sustainable practices within our own businesses and productions. Now is the time to use your influence to shape our future.

Congress needs to hear you demand, unequivocally, that it put forward and pass the most ambitious climate change agenda in U.S. history.

The plan currently before Congress will protect people’s health and clean up our drinking water. It will create a just transition away from dirty fossil fuels and create millions of new jobs. It will protect communities from climate change through investments in clean energy, clean transportation, and infrastructure upgrades. And it will make sure we finally prioritize and invest in the low-income communities and communities of color that are hit hardest by both fossil fuel pollution and climate impacts.

This plan will create a stronger, brighter, and more just America—and we need you to help make this vision a reality.

At this pivotal moment, please lead the call. Demand publicly and loudly that our senators and representatives in Congress pass this critical legislation.

And we pledge to do our part as well. We will use our platforms to remind all Americans: Tell your senators and representatives in Congress that you demand climate action now. Advocate for Congress to take up the president’s climate agenda. And don’t stop there. Tweet. Post. E-mail. Call. Whatever it takes.

Sincerely,

J.J. Abrams
Anitta
Jack Antonoff
Troian Bellisario
Greg Berlanti
Cate Blanchett
Benny Blanco
Dave Burd aka “Lil Dicky”
Camila Cabello
Dove Cameron
Alessia Cara
Don Cheadle
Glenn Close
Coldplay
Jacob Collier
Lily Collins
James Corden
Ellen DeGeneres
Cara Delevingne
Leonardo DiCaprio
Zac Efron
Billie Eilish
Chris Evans
Jimmy Fallon
Finneas
Selena Gomez
Conan Gray
Grimes
Todrick Hall
Hugh Jackman
Jimmy Kimmel
Joey King
Liza Koshy
Lady Gaga
Cyndi Lauper
John Legend
Adam Levine
Kevin Liles
Dua Lipa
Lorde
Chuck Lorre
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Demi Lovato
Ziggy Marley
Shawn Mendes
Idina Menzel
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Sean Penn
Joaquin Phoenix
Billy Porter
Zachary Quinto
Addison Rae
Robert Redford
Ryan Reynolds
Mark Ronson
Kyra Sedgwick
Shakira
Lilly Singh
Troye Sivan
Barbra Streisand
Wes Studi
Ryan Tedder
Justin Timberlake
Kerry Washington
Sigourney Weaver
Shailene Woodley
Calum Worthy

Netflix Acquires Worldwide Right to Benicio Del Toro’s “Reptile”

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Benicio Del Toro will be shedding new skin online…

Netflix has acquired the worldwide rights to Black Label Media’s Reptile, starring the 54-year-old Puerto Rican Oscar winner (Sicario, Traffic).

Benicio del Toro

Del Toro will star opposite Justin Timberlake (Palmer, The Social Network) in the project.

The film picks up following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, following a hardened detective (Del Toro) as he attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems. In doing so, he finds himself dismantling the illusions in his own life.

Prolific music video director Grant Singer is helming the film in his feature directorial debut. He wrote the script with Benjamin Brewer.

Del Toro won an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of the jaded but morally upright police officer Javier Rodriguez in the film Traffic.