Sofia Carson to Perform Oscar-Nominated Track “Applause” at This Year’s Academy Awards

Sofia Carson has a date with Oscar

The 29-year-old Colombian American actress/singer and Diane Warren will perform “Applause,” the Oscar-nominated Best Song track, at the 95th annual Academy Awards next month.

Sofia CarsonWarren wrote the music and lyrics for the track from the film Tell It Like a Womanearning her 14th Best Song Oscar nod since 1988 and sixth in as many years.

She has yet to claim the hardware but did receive a Governors Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in November and snagged an Emmy for The Hunting Ground song “Til It Happens to You,” sung by Lady Gaga.

Carson played the Evil Queen’s daughter Evie in Disney’s Descendants and its sequels, and the first film’s soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 chart in 2015.

She released her self-titled debut album in 2022.

She also starred in last year’s Netflix film Purple Hearts and next appears in Jaume Collet-Serra’s Carry On.

“Applause” is competing for the Best Song Oscar against “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: MaverickLift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — which Super Bowl halftime star Rihanna will perform at the ceremony — “Naatu Naatu” from RRR and “This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once.

The 95th Academy Awards will be handed out on Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Will Sofia Carson Perform at This Year’s Academy Awards Show?

Sofia Carson could have a date with Oscar…

The 29-year-old Colombian American actress/singer may perform at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony.

Sofia CarsonCarson, whose parents hail from Barranquilla, is the voice of Diane Warren’s “Applause” from the film Tell It Like a Woman, which received an Oscar nomination for best original song.

“We’re going to the Oscars @dianewarren,” Carson wrote in an Instagram post, sharing a sweet video of their reaction to the news.

Beautifully performed by the “Night Falls” singer, “Applause” is a ballad of empowerment and self-love that invites women to pause for a moment and celebrate their achievements.

“Recognize who you are/ Sometimes, I know it’s so hard/ But you shine/ You’re a supernova superstar,” the song says. “Give yourself some applause, you deserve it/ Give yourself some respect ’cause you’ve earned it/ Give yourself some love ’cause you’re worth it, you’re worth it.”

Warren, who now collects her 14th nomination in the category, also competed last year with “Somehow You Do,” from the movie Four Good Days. But the Academy Award went to Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell for “No Time to Die,” from the James Bond film of the same name.

This time around, the veteran songwriter — who has yet to win the prize — competes again with some music superstars. The contenders are: “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverickco-written by Lady Gaga; “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” with Rihanna among its composers; “Naatu Naatu” from RRR; and “This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once.

The Oscar for best original song goes to the songwriters, not to the performers.

However, it is likely that Carson will take the stage of Hollywood’s Dolby Theater to sing “Applause” live, since it has become tradition that the nominated songs be presented at the ceremony — although the official program has not been announced yet and plans have changed from time to time.

The 95th annual Academy Awards will air live on ABC on March 12 at 8:00 pm ET.

Selena Gomez’s “My Mind & Me” Makes Oscars Short List for Best Original Song

Selena Gomez is in the running for an Academy Award nomination…

The 30-year-old Mexican American actress/singer’s last single has been shortlisted for an Oscar for best original song.

 

Selena GomezGomez’s “My Mind & Me” from her documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, is part of a list that includes Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga.

But Gomez isn’t the only Latin talent to make the short list…

Guillermo del Toro, who co-directed Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio with Mark Gustafson, is among the co-writers of “Ciao Papa,” which has earned a lot of Oscar buzz.

A total of 81 songs were eligible in the category. Members of the music branch voted to determine the shortlist and will ultimately choose the final nominees.

Here’s a complete list of the 15 songs that were shortlisted for best original song.

Per Academy custom, they are listed alphabetically by film title:

“Time”
Drake, Giveon Evans, Jahaan Akil Sweet, Daniel Pemberton
Amsterdam, 20th Century Studios 

“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)”
The Weeknd, Steve Angello Josefsson, Sebastian Ingrosso, Axel Hedfords, Simon Franglen
Avatar: The Way of Water, 20th Century Studios 

“Lift Me Up”
Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, Rhianna, Tems
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Studios 

“This Is a Life”
David Byrne, Ryan Lott, Mitski
Everything Everywhere All at Once, A24 

“Ciao Papa”
Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Netflix 

“Til You’re Home”
Rita Wilson
A Man Called Otto, Sony Pictures

“Naatu Naatu”
Kala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani, Rahul Sipligunj
RRR, Variance Films 

“My Mind & Me”
Amy Allen, Jonathan Bellion, Selena Gomez, Jordan K Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Michael Pollack
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, Apple Original Films 

“Good Afternoon”
Benj Pasek, Justin Paul
Spirited, Apple Originals 

“Applause”
Diane Warren
Tell It Like a Woman, Samuel Goldwyn Films 

“Stand Up”
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, Jazmine Sullivan
Till, Orion/United Artists Releasing 

“Hold My Hand”
BloodPop (Michael Tucker), Lady Gaga
Top Gun: Maverick, Paramount Pictures 

“Dust & Ash”
Ralph
The Voice of Dust and Ash, Matilda Productions 

“Carolina”
Taylor Swift
Where the Crawdads Sing, Sony Pictures 

“New Body Rhumba”
Pat Mahoney, James Murphy, Nancy Whang
White Noise, Netflix

Nominations for the 95th Oscars will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2023.

The telecast, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on Sunday, March 12, 2023, airing live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

Barbie Ferreira to Star in the Drag Comedy Feature “The Young King”

Barbie Ferreira has landed a royally exciting role…

The 25-year-old Brazilian American actress will star in the drag comedy feature The Young King.

Barbie FerrieraFerreira will star opposite Michael Shannon and Kiersey Clemons in the film.

Set in the 1990s drag king scene of 1990s Las Vegas, the feature from Mister Smith Entertainment is the directorial debut of Larin Sullivan.

Clemons stars as Jules, an aspiring drag king who comes to Las Vegas to reconnect with her estranged dad Mick (Shannon), a legendary gambler and part-time children’s party clown, and to make her debut performance in the U.S.’s biggest drag king revue. Mick is less than excited to see his daughter ‘Julia’ presenting as masculine, wearing suits and chasing after Ronnie (Ferreira), a no-nonsense dancer.

Sullivan wrote the script for the film, which Corporate Witchcraft’s Kim Bailey and Isabel Marden are producing alongside Clemons. Songwriter Justin Tranter, who has worked with Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and others, serves as Executive Music Producer and is creating original music for the film.

Production begins in Vegas in the first quarter of 2023.

The project has received support from GLAAD, Sundance Institute, IFP’s Project Forum, Tribeca Film Institute, and Inside Out Toronto.

Mister Smith Entertainment’s CEO David Garrett stated: “We are delighted to present Larin’s fresh twist on a classic Vegas story by shining a light on the drag king scene, which has rarely, if ever, been explored on the big screen. Led by our stellar cast, this is an incredibly emotional father-daughter story that will resonate with buyers and audiences.

Ferreira most recently appeared in the Jordan Peele thriller Nope. She’s best known for HBO’s Euphoria and previously appeared on the network in Sarah Jessica Parker-starring HBO series Divorce. She’s currently filming psychological drama House of Spoils, opposite Ariana DeBose.  She also starred in HBO Max’s film adaptation of Unpregnant.

John Leguizamo to Serve as Presenter at 94th Annual Academy Awards Show

John Leguizamo has a date with Oscar

The 61-year-old Colombian actor will serve as a presenter for this year’s Academy Awards show.

John LeguizamoLeguizamo joins a roster of presenters that includes Daniel KaluuyaMila Kunis, Lupita Nyong’oNaomi ScottWesley Snipes, John Travolta, Ruth E. CarterKevin Costner, Anthony Hopkins, Zoë KravitzLady Gaga, Lily James, Simu LiuRami MalekRosie PerezChris RockUma Thurman and Yuh-Jung Youn.

The Oscars will air live on March 27 on ABC.

Oscarcast producers Will Packer and Shayla Cowan had previously discussed the presenters who’ll form part of the show.

“Movies inspire us, entertain us and unite us across the globe,” Packer said at the time. “That’s the precise goal of the show this year, and we’re thrilled to welcome the first of a stellar lineup joining the Oscars stage to help us celebrate the power of film and honor the year’s best in filmmaking.”

The Power of the Dog leads the field with 12 nominations coming into this month’s Oscar show, and Dune is next with 10.

ABC will air the 94th annual Academy Awards live from Dolby Theatre in Hollywood at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm ET and in 200-plus territories around the world.

Rosie Perez Among First Presenters Announced for This Year’s Academy Awards Show

Rosie Perez has a date with Oscar

The 57-year-old Puerto Rican Oscar-nominated actress will serve as a presenter at this year’s Academy Awards show.

Rosie PerezOscarcast producers Will Packer and Shayla Cowan announced the first batch of presenters for the 94th Academy Awards that also includes Kevin Costner, Zoë KravitzLady Gaga, Chris Rock and Yuh-Jung Youn.

“Movies inspire us, entertain us and unite us across the globe,” Packer said. “That’s the precise goal of the show this year, and we’re thrilled to welcome the first of a stellar lineup joining the Oscars stage to help us celebrate the power of film and honor the year’s best in filmmaking.”

Yellowstone’s Costner, The Batman’s Kravitz, House of Gucci’s Gaga, Birds of Prey‘s Perez, Fargos Rock and Minaris Youn make up the first group of announced presenters.

The producers will announce more talent joining the show in the coming weeks.

The show traditionally brings back the previous year’s winners to present Best Actress and Best Actor.

The Power of the Dog leads the field with 10 nominations coming into this month’s Oscar show, and Dune is next with 10.

ABC will air the 94th annual Academy Awards will air live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm ET and in 200-plus territories around the world.

Jared Leto to Serve as Presenter at This Year’s SAG Awards

Jared Leto will bring some Italian stylings to this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The 50-year-old part-Spanish American actor and singer is among the celebrities who’ll introduce clips from their respective movies at the SAG Awards.

Jared LetoLeto and Lady Gaga will introduce their acclaimed film House of Gucci.

Other castmembers from the five nominated film ensembles will be Caitríona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill and Ciarán Hinds from Focus Features’ Belfast; Daniel Durant, Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur and Marlee Matlin from Apple TV+’s CODA; Cate Blanchett, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tyler Perry from Netflix’s Don’t Look Up; Lady Gaga and Leto from MGM/UA’s film; and Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton and Will Smith from Warner Bros.’ King Richard.

The 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards will take place on Sunday, February 27, and will be simulcast on TNT and TBS from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

The show will also, for the first time, be available the following day on HBO Max.

The announcement comes on the heels of news that Hamilton stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs and Leslie Odom Jr. will open the ceremony.

Kate Winslet will present the 57th SAG Life Achievement Award to five-time SAG Award and Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren. Additional show presenters include Alexandra Daddario, Rosario Dawson, Ross Butler and Vanessa Hudgens, with more to be announced soon.

In addition to their nominations for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, King Richard‘s Smith and House of Gucci‘s Lady Gaga earned nominations for their leading roles, while Belfast‘s Balfe, CODA‘s Kotsur and House of Gucci‘s Leto were nominated in the supporting categories. Don’t Look Up‘s Blanchett also earned a supporting nom for her role in Fox Searchlight’s Nightmare Alley.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Encanto” Soundtrack Makes History in Return to No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

Lin-Manuel Miranda continues encanto-tando in the United States…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor, singer-songwriter, playwright, and film director’s Encanto soundtrack collects a third nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart dated February 5.

Encanto

The soundtrack earned a new weekly-best 115,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 27 — up 11%, according to MRC Data. 

In the last 10 years, only four soundtracks have spent at least three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200: Encanto (three), Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born (four in 2018-19), Black Panther: The Album (three, 2018) and Frozen (13, 2014).

Of Encanto’s 115,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 93,000 (up 11%, equaling 138.51 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 19,000 (up 10%) and TEA units comprise 3,000 (up 17%).

Encanto, has 44 tracks on its streaming album — however, most of those are score and instrumental tracks. The vast majority of the album’s weekly units are from the nine songs with vocals on the album, including the Billboard Hot 100 top 10s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and “Surface Pressure.”

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by MRC Data. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.

MRC Data, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes anexhaustive and thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling theweekly chart rankings. MRC Data reviews and authenticates data, removing anysuspicious or unverifiable activity using established criteria before final chart calculations are made and published. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious and unverifiable is disqualified prior to the final calculation.

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

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 MirandaSean 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

Record Store Day 2021 to Include Vinyl Release of Celia Cruz & Willie Colón’s “Celia Y Willie”

Celia Cruz’s lasting presence will be felt over the summer…

Record Store Day 2021 is planning two-day “drops” on June 12 and July 17 of exclusive titles, including music by the late Cuban singer.

Celia Cruz x Willie Colon, Celia y Willie

Craft Recordings has announced 12 exclusive vinyl releases for RSD, including a 40th-anniversary reissue of Celia Cruz and Willie Colón’s Celia Y Willie.

RSD typically occurs on a Saturday in the spring at various independent record stores, drawing customers with the promise of unique and limited-edition albums released exclusively to indie stores for the holiday.

But the festivities can’t quite bounce back to the way things were with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. With small businesses slowly opening back up, the RSD website has created an organized list of 450 titles — 50 more than usual — for music lovers to use as a shopping guide at select indie music retailers. Stores will allow for in-store shopping with either normal/reduced foot traffic or by appointment, curbside pickup, local delivery and/or online shopping depending on the location, which can be checked here.

RSD’s first releases include Lady Gaga‘s Chromatica on exclusive yellow vinyl; Amy Winehouse‘s Remixes as its own LP collection for the first time; Prince‘s The Truth as a first-time LP release and first-time independent release on purple vinyl; Tom Petty‘s Angel Dream reimagined on LP for the 25th anniversary of the She’s The One soundtrack; and Ariana Grande‘s k bye for now (swt live) on double-CD and as a triple-LP. This marks the first time the live-album component of Grande’s 2019 Sweetener Tour is being released in physical form after the pop star released the LP digitally on December 23, 2019.

Spreading RSD over two days in two different months in

the summer gives vinyl pressing plants and distribution companies ample time to produce the titles and provides indie stores more flexibility to prepare budgets and place orders so customers can shop for the records they’re looking for on both days as opposed to one massive release day.

RSD organizers were forced to postpone its 2020 edition due to COVID. Last year’s three-part drop (staged on August 29, September 26 and October 24) helped generate 1.95 million in CD and vinyl album sales at indie stores in the U.S. — with 1.41 million of that in vinyl album sales, according to MRC Data.