Mariah Carey Signs On as Co-Producer of New Broadway Musical Comedy “Some Like It Hot”

Things are heating up for Mariah Carey

The 52-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer and actress has signed on as a co-producer of the new musical comedy Some Like It Hot, becoming the latest in a trend of celebrities lending their clout and popularity to support Broadway productions during previews.

Mariah Carey“When Neil Meron shared this new take on the beloved film,” said Carey in a statement, “I knew I had to be a part of it. To see how this show continues to expand on the film’s legacy – pushing boundaries, promoting inclusion, celebrating diversity – I’m proud to help bring Some Like It Hot for today’s world to new audiences.”

Currently in previews at the Shubert TheatreSome Like It Hot officially opens on Sunday, December 11.

Earlier this month, NBA champ Dwyane Wade, actor Gabrielle Union and Drag Race star RuPaul joined the producing team of Ain’t No Mo, a Lee Daniels production of Jordan E. Cooper’s comedy in previews at the Belasco Theatre (opening Dec. 1).

Last season, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas joined the producing team of Douglas LyonsBroadway comedy Chicken & Biscuits while it was in previews at Circle in the Square Theatre.

The impact of celebrity producers – and their exacts roles, duties and financial commitments – is, as yet, unclear. Despite the high-profile additions of the Jonases last fall, Chicken & Biscuits closed more than a month early after struggling at the box office (and with Covid).

Carey, who has won multiple Grammy Awards and sold more than 200 million albums, said she was drawn to Some Like It Hot – a musical adaptation of the classic 1959 film comedy – in part due to her lifelong love of the film’s star Marilyn Monroe.

“I first became familiar with this story through the timeless film starring Marilyn Monroe,” she said in the statement. “She’s been an important touchstone throughout my life, so much so that I acquired her treasured baby grand white piano at an auction.”

The stage adaptation features a book by Matthew López (The Inheritance) and Amber Ruffin (The Amber Ruffin Show), music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw. The cast includes Christian Borle, J. Harrison Ghee and, in the role of Sugar originated by Monroe, Adrianna Hicks.

Some Like It Hot is produced by The Shubert Organization and Neil Meron and co-produced by MGM on Stage, Roy Furman, Robert Greenblatt, James L. Nederlander, Kenny Leon, Hunter Arnold, John Gore Organization, The Dalgleish Library Company Group, Sheboygan Conservatory Partners, Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Bob Boyett, Cue to Cue Productions, Janet and Marvin Rosen, The Araca Group, Concord Theatricals, Marc Howard, Independent Presenters Network, Juanita Jordan, Jujamcyn Theaters, Henry R. Muñoz III, Ostar, and, now, Carey.

Shakira Teams Up with Rauw Alejandro for “Te Felicito,” Due April 22

Shakira is celebrating a Rauw deal…

The 45-year-old Colombian superstar has joined voices with Rauw Alejandro for her next single, called “Te Felicito.”

Shakira

Shakira revealed the news by posting the single’s cover art, where she’s posing next to the Puerto Rican sensation, with both rocking metallic outfits.

“I’m happy to share the release of my new single #TeFelicito with Rauw Alejandro,” she captioned the post, also using the robot emoji to hint at a futuristic music video. Marking their first-ever collaborative effort, “Te Felicito” will premiere Friday, April 22.

In the same social media post, Shak — who has collaborated with Puerto Rican artists like Anuel AA, Residente and Pedro Capo — also invited her fans to pre-save the song on Spotify, Apple and Deezer “to be among the first to listen to their new music.”

“Te Felicito” follows Shakira’s EDM bop “Don’t Wait Up,” which was released in summer 2021. Currently, she’s an executive producer of NBC’s Dancing With Myself, where she’s also a judge alongside Nick Jonas and actress Liza Koshy.

Rauw, on the other hand, is set to wrap his 2022 tour on April 24 at San Jose’s SAP Center and is making the rounds with his latest single “Museo,” part of his Trap Cake, Vol. 2 album, which earned the artist his fourth top 10 success on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, debuting at No. 6 on the March 12-dated ranking.

Bad Bunny to Perform at This Year’s Billboard Music Awards

Bad Bunny is bringing some Latin heat to the Billboard Music Awards

The 27-year-old Puerto Rican Latin trap and reggaeton singer will perform “Te Deseo Lo Mejor” from his 2020 album El Último Tour Del Mundo, which made history as the first all-Spanish-language album to hit No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.

Bad Bunny W Magazine Cover

In addition to topping the Billboard 200, Bad Bunny has also reached No. 1 on Billboards other flagship, all-genre chart, the Billboard Hot 100. He topped that chart with “I Like It,” his 2018 collab with Cardi B and J Balvin. In addition, he has cracked the top five on the Hot 100 with two other hits: “Mia” (featuring Drake) and “Dakiti” (a collab with Jhay Cortez).

Bad Bunny, a four-time BBMA winner, is nominated for seven more BBMAs this year, including top Latin artist and top Latin album, two categories he won last year. Bad Bunny is one of only nine artists with seven or more BBMA nods this year — and the only one representing Latin music.

He won his first Grammy on March 14, when his album YHLQMDLG won for best Latin pop or urban album.

Bad Bunny holds the record for the most top 40 hits on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart with 104. He also holds the record for the most hits total on that chart: 111.

But Bad Bunny won’t be the only Latin artist to perform…

Karol G will take the stage for a special medley of her hits “Bichota” and “El Makinon.”

The 30-year-old Colombian singer’s most recent album, KG0516, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, becoming her first No. 1 on that list. It also made the top 20 on the Billboard 200, her highest ranking to date.

Karol G has amassed 25 hits on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, including three No. 1s. She has had 10 No. 1s on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart.

Hosted by Nick Jonas, the show will include performances by (in alphabetical order by principal performer) AJR, BTS, DJ Khaled featuring H.E.R. and Migos, Duran Duran, Glass Animals, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis with Sounds Of Blackness featuring Ann Nesby, Alicia Keys, P!nk, twenty one pilots and The Weeknd.

In addition to performing, P!nk will receive the ICON Award. She is the youngest recipient of that award to date.

Drake will receive the Artist of the Decade Award.  Trae Tha Truth will receive the Change Maker Award.

Billboard Music Awards finalists and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including audio and video streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay, and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including MRC Data and Next Big Sound. This year’s awards are based on the chart period of March 21, 2020 through April 3, 2021.

Fan-voted categories include top social artist and top collaboration. Voting opened on May 10 and closes May 21 at 11:59 p.m. PT on Twitter and billboard.com/bbmasvote. For more information, visit billboardmusicawards.com/vote.

Rosario Dawson to Star in Apple TV+’s Genre-Bending Auditory Adaptation of Canal+’s “Calls”

Rosario Dawson is placing some calls

Apple TV+ announced the cast, which includes the 41-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist, and set the premiere date for its genre-bending auditory adaptation of Canal PlusCalls.

Rosario Dawson

In addition to Dawson, the stars featured in the first season of the nine-part drama, include Nick JonasPedro Pascal, Lily Collins, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Aubrey Plaza are among the stars featuring in the first season of the nine-part drama.

Launching on Friday, March 19, the show uses audio and minimal abstract visuals to tell nine short-form stories. Each episode follows a dark mystery that unfolds through a series of seemingly average, unconnected phone calls that quickly become surreal as the characters face growingly unsettling experiences.

Based on a French series created by Timothée Hochet, it is directed by Fede Álvarez, who directed 2013’s Evil Dead feature and 2016’s horror film Don’t Breathe.

Nicholas Braun, Clancy Brown, Mark Duplass, Karen Gillan, Judy Greer, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, Riley Keough, Joey King, Stephen Lang, Jaeden Martell, Paola Nuñez, Edi Patterson, Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz and Jennifer Tilly also appear in the first season.

Calls was the streamer’s first international series order back in June 2018 and it also marks its first global co-production – a tie up with French pay-TV broadcaster Canal+. Apple will launch the series, which is produced with Studiocanal and Bad Hombre, in 100 countries, while Canal+ will premiere a French-language version in a number of markets.

Apple will launch the series in a number of Spanish-speaking Latin America markets as Llamadas with Spanish-language custom graphics.

Luis Fonsi to Serve as Kelly Clarkson’s Team Advisor on Season 20 of NBC’s “The Voice”

It’s a special crossover for Luis Fonsi

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican singer will join Kelly Clarkson as her team advisor on season 20 of NBC’s The Voice.

Luis Fonsi

Fonsi, who has been a coach on Telemundo‘s La Voz since 2018 — the network’s Spanish-language version of the singing competition series — is a “natural at giving constructive criticism.”

“It means a lot to them,” Clarkson told Extra. “I’ve been them, and it means a lot when people actually take the time to invest in your performance.”

“Getting to work with Kelly truly is an honor,” said Fonsi of Clarkson. “I’m a fan … I’ve been doing this for 22 years and you meet talented people every day, but to meet a normal talented person? Somebody who is kind-hearted — it is so refreshing. ‘Oh, wait, you are famous, talented and nice … What?’”

In 2019, Fonsi made a surprise appearance on The Voice to promote the second season of Telemundo’s La Voz. There he found a new fan, Kelly Clarkson, who asked for a Spanish lesson. The “Despacito” singer told her to repeat: Mi nombre es Kelly Clarkson y soy una mujer hermosa (My name is Kelly Clarkson and I’m a pretty woman).

Season 20 of The Voice kicks off March 1 with returning judges Clarkson, Nick JonasJohn Legend and Blake Shelton.

Karol G Teaming Up with the Jonas Brothers for New Single “X”

Karol Gis doing more than keeping up with the Jonases

The 29-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer-songwriter is joining voices with the Jonas Brothers for the band of brothers’ new single “X.”

Karol G

The JoBros revealed the artwork for the new single, which shows a white outlines letter X on top of red lips, on their social media accounts.

Without giving too many details, the Jonas Brothers also announced that “X” will be released this Friday, May 15.

On release day, KevinJoe, and Nick Jonas will take part in and answer fan questions in a virtual SiriusXM Hits 1 Celebrity Session hosted by The Morning Mash Up, where they’ll interact with an audience of frontline healthcare workers and their families from across the country. 

The Jonas Brothers will talk about their music, including their upcoming collaboration with Karol G.

Their Karol G-assisted track marks the second time the Jonas Brothers have teamed up with a Latin act, following the 2019 summer bop “Runaway” with Sebastian Yatra,Daddy Yankee and Natti Natasha.

Jennifer Lopez to Present at This Year’s Golden Globes

Jennifer Lopezwill be taking the stage at this year’s Golden Globes

The 50-year-old Puerto Rican superstar, a nominee in the Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture category, has been added to the star-studded presenter lineup.

Jennifer Lopez

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced that J.LoElton JohnZoe KravitzLeonardo DiCaprioWill FerrellGwyneth PaltrowBrad PittPaul RuddJennifer AnistonCate BlanchettReese WitherspoonJason Momoaand more will also present at this weekend’s ceremony.

They join previously announced presenters Nick JonasAnsel ElgortDakota FanningCharlize TheronOctavia SpencerSofia VergaraKerry WashingtonTed Danson,Kate McKinnonTiffany HaddishDaniel CraigGlenn CloseChris EvansMargot RobbieScarlett JohanssonSalma HayekAmy PoehlerRami MalekTim Allenand Pierce Brosnan.

The 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Ricky Gervais, will air live from the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 5 at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm ET on NBC.

Anitta Performs English & Spanish Songs on the UglyDolls Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

It’s an Ugly (Doll) time for Anitta

The track list for the UglyDolls Original Motion Picture Soundtrack has been revealed, with the 25-year-old Brazilian singer pulling double (language) duty on the album.

Anitta

Anitta performs the track “Ugly” in English, as well as the Spanish-language version of the song, “Fea.”

In addition to Anitta, the album features a track from Kirstin Maldonad oand her Pentatonix(PTX) group mates.

The 26-year-old half-Mexican and part-Spanish American singer and her Grammy-winning a cappella group mates perform the track “You Make My Dreams.”

In addition to Anitta and Pentatonix, the soundtrack for the upcoming animated UglyDolls movie features new music from Kelly ClarksonNick Jonas, Janelle Monae and Bebe Rexha.

The soundtrack is now available for pre-order, and will officially drop on April 26. 

The movie features an all-star cast of voice-overs from Jonas, Wanda SykesGabriel Iglesias, PitbullBlake Shelton, Monáe, Rexha, Charli XCX, Lizzo and much more. It follows the story of imperfect toys who travel to the town of Perfection in the hopes of becoming good enough for children to take them, with Clarkson voicing the pink main character, Moxy. UglyDolls hits theaters on May 3. 

Here’s the full track list:

UglyDolls Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Tracklisting

1)      Kelly Clarkson — “Broken & Beautiful (from the movie UGLYDOLLS)”
2)      Kelly Clarkson — “Couldn’t Be Better (Pop Version)”
3)      Kelly Clarkson — “Today’s the Day”
4)      Kelly Clarkson and the UglyDolls Cast — “Couldn’t Be Better (Movie Version)”
5)      UglyDolls Cast — “Today’s the (Perfect) Day”
6)      Nick Jonas — “The Ugly Truth”
7)      Pentatonix — “You Make My Dreams”
8)      Nick Jonas — “The Uglier Truth”
9)     Janelle Monáe (feat. Kelly Clarkson) — “All Dolled Up”
10)   Janelle Monáe & Kelly Clarkson — “Unbreakable”
11)   UglyDolls Cast — “The Big Finale”
12)   Bebe Rexha — “Girl in the Mirror”
13)   Anitta — “Ugly”
14)   Why Don’t We — “Don’t Change”
15)   Blake Shelton — “Wallflowers & Weeds”
16)   Anitta — “Ugly (Fea)”

Dania Ramirez to Star in Sony’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” Sequel

Dania Ramirez is headed for the jungle…

The 39-year-old Dominican actress and former Devious Maidsstar has landed a role in Sony’s sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Junglewhich is being directed and co-written by Jake Kasdan.

Dania Ramirez

Ramirez joins a cast that includes members Dwayne JohnsonJack BlackKevin HartKaren Gillanand Nick Jonas, as well as new additions AwkwafinaDanny DeVitoand Danny Glover

Plot details are being kept under wraps. 

In addition to her lead role on Lifetime’sDevious Maids, Ramirez previously starred on television in ABC’s Once Upon a Timeand NBC’s Heroes.

Her film credits include X-Men: The Last Stand and Premium Rush.

STX Entertainment Moves Up the Release of Pitbull’s “UglyDolls” to May 3

Things are about to get Ugly for Pitbull a bit earlier than expected…

STX Entertainment has moved up the release of the 37-year-old Cuban American rapper’s family animated feature UglyDolls.

Pitbull

Instead of releasing the film on May 10, STX Entertainment will now release the film on May 3.

Kelly Asbury directs the animated pic based off David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim’s plush toy line.

In addition to Pitbull, the voice cast includes Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas,Blake SheltonJanelle MonáeWanda Sykes, Emma Roberts, Gabriel Iglesias, Bebe Rexha, Charli XCX, Lizzo and Wang Leehom.

The film is a bid by STX to launch a potential franchise in the wake of its hit female comedy Bad Moms