The end of the 21st century is still decades away, but Billboard has already declared its greatest pop star: Beyoncé.
The music magazine on Tuesday revealed that the “Crazy in Love” and “Formation” diva had secured the top spot among 25 generational pop talents, including Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Drake and Lady Gaga. Billboard’s editorial staff selected Queen Bey for her “full 25 years of influence, evolution and impact,” the outlet announced.
“She’s been Beyoncé for 25 years now, and as she continues to challenge herself (and by extension, the rest of the pop world) to find new and different ways to be define [sic] greatness,” wrote Billboard deputy editor Andrew Unterberger, “it doesn’t seem like she’s going to stop being Beyoncé anytime soon.”
As part of its Beyoncé celebration, Billboard published an essay that chronicled the “Single Ladies” singer’s career from her Destiny’s Child days in the late 1990s to her most recent album, “Cowboy Carter.” The career retrospective praised the Houston native’s consistency, her ubiquity across music and other facets of pop culture — including film and fashion — and her “commitment to innovation.”
While the music outlet dedicated thousands of words to Beyoncé’s life and career, the singer’s mom, Tina Knowles, offered a handful in response to her daughter’s latest honor.
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“That’s nice. That’s very nice,” Knowles told TMZ during a brief exchange Tuesday evening on the Sunset Strip.
When the reporter asked whether her family gets “used to those titles” and accolades, Knowles simply responded, “Yeah.”
The “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ’Em” singer has not yet publicly addressed her latest honor.
Knowles, Destiny’s Child’s former costume designer and mother to “Cranes in the Sky” artist Solange, isn’t shy about celebrating her superstar kin. On her Instagram, Knowles hypes her daughters’ magazine covers, album sales and even their nonmusic ventures, such as Beyoncé’s Cécred haircare line and her SirDavis whiskey brand.
On Tuesday, Knowles also touted Beyoncé’s upcoming NFL halftime show. The Grammy winner’s performance will stream Christmas Day on Netflix when the Houston Texans host the Baltimore Ravens at NRG Stadium. Knowles told TMZ that “excellence” is what viewers can expect from the holiday gig.
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Taylor Swift, who soon will wrap her blockbuster Eras tour after nearly two years, secured the No. 2 spot on Billboard’s list. The historic Grammy winner (she is the only artist to win album of the year four times) “is the most famous woman in the world,” according to Billboard. However, the well-meaning praise inadvertently sparked a twofold backlash last week when her ranking was announced. Before Beyoncé landed the top spot, some of Swift’s legion of fans, known as Swifties, called out Billboard about her second-place ranking and made the case for the “Lavender Haze” singer to be No. 1.
“I like Beyoncé but she’s nowhere near Taylor’s level when it comes to impact and numbers,” a fan tweeted last week. Another Swift devotee on X (formerly Twitter) also cited the “Love Story” pop star’s “commercial success” and “record-breaking sales” as reasons for her to claim the top spot.
Adding salt to the wound, Billboard included a controversial snippet of Kanye West’s “Famous” music video in its montage meant to celebrate Swift. The Billboard clip reportedly featured the music video’s infamous wax figure modeled after a naked Swift, prompting Billboard to issue an apology for including the clip “that falsely depicted her.”
“We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error,” the outlet tweeted.
In Tuesday’s Beyoncé reveal, Billboard acknowledged Swift’s accomplishments, lauding her as the “lone artist who really challenged Beyoncé for the top spot” and celebrating her dominance in album sales, streaming and touring. However, she “simply hasn’t been around for long enough to be able to match the expansiveness of [Beyoncé’s] quarter-century of dominance,” the magazine said.
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Still, Swift found success with Spotify, which announced Wednesday that the “Shake It Off” diva was its most-streamed artist of the year. Swift also earned the title last year.
“In her Global Top Artist era,” Spotify tweeted Wednesday. “Congratulations Taylor Swift on the over 26+ billion streams in 2024.”
Joining Swift as the audio platform’s top 10 global artists are fellow Billboard 21st century greatest pop star honorees Drake, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny and Kanye West.
“You guys are unbelievable. What an amazing thing to find out going into our last weekend of eras shows,” Swift wrote to fans Wednesday in an Instagram story. “THANK YOU!”
For Beyoncé and Swift, their respective Billboard and Spotify wins can be a boon as they prepare for the 2025 Grammy Awards. In November, Beyoncé earned 11 nominations, the most of the latest crop of Grammy hopefuls. Top nominees also include Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Swift.
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Who will win the top Grammy prizes? It’s best to stick around, ‘round, ‘round for when the ceremony is broadcast on CBS and streams live from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 2
For representative purposes.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
Earlier this week, the Tamil Film Active Producers Association (TFAPA) filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court, seeking a ban on movie reviews on social media for the first three days of release. The counsel representing the TFAPA listed three reasons that necessitated the request — review bombing through reviews shot in cinema theatres, stage-managing fake reviews by purchasing bulk tickets, and intentionally propagating a negative image of the film through fake social media accounts.
These are pivotal concerns that need redressal and creators must be protected from targeted harassment. Paid reviews are real and, as Taapsee Pannu recently quoted Shah Rukh Khan as saying, are nothing more than advertisement spaces for sale. And so when the said space is used to unfairly demean a film, a business, or an entity, the legislature needs to step in and protect the affected parties. However, concerns also arise about the apparent discrepancies in how film chambers navigate these issues; like the ambiguity in using terms like ‘reviewers,’; the irony in how YouTube reviews are used when favourable and flattering; and who is referred to as a ‘reviewer’.
Who is a reviewer?
Every time a star film that had promised big bites the dust, we are reminded of the times when the filmmaking ecosystem tended to pride itself on one key aspect — that audiences have the final say and that the industry respects their judgement.
Closely observing recent discourses paints a startling picture of the idea of film criticism that remains. You exit a cinema hall on a Friday afternoon and are faced with a mike-borne journalist asking for your review — an industry-propagated technique used in post-release campaigns. Or you are an independent YouTube reviewer shooting a video review for your portal. If you shower praises on the film, it can be used to further promote the title; if you criticise it in a language the makers deem offensive, you might be slapped with a defamation suit or a copyright strike. Or, as a recent example showed, the partner of the film’s leading man would label you a pawn of a larger ‘propaganda group’. The very people who empower the audiences as ‘kings’ strip away their powers to decide for themselves.
A star like Vijay Deverakonda might argue that his film Family Starwas a victim of review bombings, and Jyotika might have evidence to call the Kanguvadebacle the handiwork of Suriya haters, but refraining from specifically calling out these fake accounts or nefarious internet entities serves no purpose or change. Instead, it suggests an attitude of intolerance towards criticism. Calling these reviews the work of a homogenous group called ‘reviewers’ or ‘social media reviewers’ also adds to the woes of the industry’s favourite scapegoat —traditional film critics. From being stigmatised as a profession as immoral paupers to being denounced as the killers of a ‘creator’s child,’ the film critic has always been the film industry’s favourite punching bag to vent its shortcomings.
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Pensiveness, insight, and the ability to read films and write incisive pieces that celebrate and propagate film appreciation are what the pundits claim differentiate a critic. But in a democratised post-internet world, the know-how of film criticism is scattered but accessible, and the growing passion for movies has enabled audiences to read films more sensibly. In the competitive media space of today, the passion and resolve it takes to make film criticism a profession, build experience over time, and sharpen said skills are what sets apart a film critic from a film buff with a blog. In all their steps to tackle abusive trolls, film producers have maintained that their steps protect the interests of sensible reviews, but one wonders who the adjudicator of reviewing sensibilities is. A gag order censors every voice, good or bad.
Read the finer lines of TFAPA’s writ petition and you sense a generousness towards critics from notable newspapers and online portals, “who provide constructive criticism.” But what confidence does an ecosystem that attacks one section of the audience’s freedom of speech instil in others? In the past, names like Kairam Vashi and Amol Kamwal have been attacked for their unfavourable reviews. The irony is in how producers who claim to stand by noteworthy newspapers and portals, pigeonhole such critics as ‘niche’ and offer other film-related opportunities like interviews to the same sensationalist YouTube media they claim need regulation.
The industry believes that promotions and reviews, positive or negative, certainly influences the opinion of the audiences. Introspectively, even if film critics are shielded from any future censorship, a gag order on platforms meant for all would disrupt the quiet in an ecosystem that both film producers and film critics depend upon.
The law’s reaction
From what transpired at the Madras High Court during the hearing of the TFAPA’s arguments, one is certain that the court stands against curtailing free speech, lending an ear only to guidelines that can keep online platforms safe from targeted attacks and intentional review bombings. Earlier, in 2021, in hearing a petition to ban film reviews for seven days of the release, the Kerala High Court appointed an amicus curiae, who suggested a few regulations for movie reviews, including a 48-hour cooling-off period; avoiding spoilers in reviews; avoiding disrespectful language, personal attacks, or derogatory remarks; and constituting a dedicated portal to resolve grievances related to review bombings.
How the Madras High Court might navigate TFAPA’s complaints remains to be seen, but the ambiguous usage of terms by the producers’ body does raise concerns about censorship.
Disneyland is turning 70 next year, and the theme park has never missed an excuse to throw a nostalgia-fueled party. The coming months will be no different, and arguably the star of the festivities will be Walt Disney himself, albeit in robotic form.
The Disneyland Resort’s 70th anniversary happenings launch May 16 and are expected to extend through summer 2026. To celebrate, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will be resurrecting some fan favorites — the buoyant and gleaming nighttime parade Paint the Night will return to Disneyland — and the park will also get a new, technically advanced show that looks to explore Disneyland’s creation and the life of its patriarch.
Coming in May to the Main Street Opera House, currently home to a patriotic attraction centered on Abraham Lincoln, is “Walt Disney — A Magical Life.” Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s arm devoted to theme-park experiences, will unveil what is promised to be one of its most advanced audio-animatronics to date. As previously reported, the robotic show focusing on the Disney founder, who died in 1966, will be set in his studio office and is expected to feature on of his favorite songs, “Feed the Birds” by the Sherman Brothers.
But not all of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary proceedings will so overtly look back. Also on the docket: a brand new World of Color show coming to Disney California Adventure. Dubbed “World of Color Happiness!,” the lagoon-based show, featuring fountain projections, is said to be inspired by Disney’s dedication to Disneyland. But it will be hosted by a more modern creation, the blue-haired character of Joy from the “Inside Out” films.
The 70th anniversary event will be the anchor of the Disneyland Resort’s 2025. Yet it’s far from the only noteworthy occurrence coming to the theme park and its connected Downtown Disney retail and shopping district. A look at what major events to expect, based on the season in which you may choose to visit, is below, including more details on Disneyland’s 70th extravaganza and a quick look at some current deals.
SoCal residents can take advantage of a $67 per day deal in ’25
Disneyland takes a lot of heat for its pricing and purchase add-ons once one is at the park. But Southern California residents interested in an early 2025 visit can get a slight wallet reprieve, as the park is once again offering locals a bargain if they’re willing to commit to a three-day ticket. From Jan. 1 through May 15, a three-day, one park ticket can be had for $199. That works out to just about $67 per day. One day, one park tickets normally range from $104 to $204.
The offer is available now and good for those who live in ZIP Codes 90000 to 93599. One can go on consecutive days or spread the visits around to partake in various winter and spring events. Park reservations are required, and one can add, for an additional fee, a park-hopper upgrade or a line-skipping Lightning Lane Multi Pass. The park-hopper option will add $90 to the cost of the promotion.
Additionally, families can get creative in combining offers. Through March 20, the resort is still offering a one-day, one-park ticket for children ages 3 to 9 for $50. While neither deal extends to the beginning of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration, the resort has announced a hotel promotion that begins May 16 and runs through Sept. 26, with discounts as high as 30% off, depending on the time of stay. However, there is fine print: The hotel visits must be of at least four days.
Winter is for Lunar New Year and sweethearts
Disney’s holiday calendar in recent years has expanded, and though the resort’s Lunar New Yearfestival at California Adventure doesn’t take over the park in the same was as Christmas or Halloween, it’s become a reliably festive source for inventive food and character interactions that aim to explore Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean traditions. A staple: Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession, with segments that touch on folkloric dances, martial arts and umbrella choreography. Mulan is also featured in the water short “Hurry Home — A Lunar New Year Celebration.” It will be the Year of the Snake, and while the creature is often treated as a villain in Disney’s animated films (see, for instance, Kaa from “The Jungle Book”), we’d love to see Mickey Mouse get a serpent pal. Lunar New Year runs Jan. 17 to Feb. 16.
Starting shortly after Lunar New Year ends and extending into the spring is the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival. Expect 10 pop-up food marketplaces offering small bites, cocktails and an emphasis on California beer and wine. The event boasts a number of tasting seminars and cocktail-making sessions and typically features some upscale dinners at resort restaurants and bars. Goofy in his chef costume is given a starring role, but our favorite detail of the Food & Wine festival is no snack or sugary beverage. It’s the return of Soarin’ Over California, the original rendition of the flight simulator attraction. The festival runs Feb. 28 through April 21.
Disneyland is for lovers, and winter brings with it the return of the separately ticketed Sweetheart’s Night, running in Disneyland on 14 evenings between Jan. 21 and Feb. 13. Look for character couples and the opportunity to dance at the fairy tale-themed Royal Ball. Needing something a little less sentimental but still want a dose of nostalgia? On March 4 and 6, Disneyland is hosting a ’90s Nite, featuring throwbacks to Disney films and music from the decade, as well as processional that will highlight “The Lion King” and “Mulan.” Both go on sale Dec. 12.
No dates yet, but expected to open sometime in early 2025 will be new culinary additions to Downtown Disney. A food hall, the Parkside Market, will host multiple eateries offering fried chicken, Korean rice bowls and more, as well as a second-story bar that looks out toward the district’s monorail tracks. At the time of publication, Parkside Market looked to be nearing completion. Also arriving soon is a re-imagined candy and treats shop via the Disney Wonderful World of Sweets.
Spring heralds the start of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary
A host of entertainment and attraction offerings will arrive May 16 when the resort launches its 70th anniversary celebration. In addition to the aforementioned Walt Disney show on Main Street, USA, Disney has provided additional details on “World of Color Happiness!” Some of the animated works will include “Turning Red,” “A Goofy Movie,” “Tangled” and “The Lion King,” and, like past “World of Color” shows, expect a mix of projections on fountains, lasers and pyrotechnics. Disneyland will revive the nighttime “Paint the Night” parade, and California Adventure will a host a return of the Pixar-focused daytime parade “Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration.”
There’s more. The fireworks show “Wondrous Journeys” will return for Disneyland’s 70th. Introduced for the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Co., “Wondrous Journeys” focuses on the history of the company’s animated works. Also teased are some new evening enhancements, such as projection shows on California Adventure’s centerpiece of Carthay Circle, and Disneyland’s facade of It’s a Small World. In the daytime, Disneyland will provide a character cavalcade rather than one of its full parade productions.
Spring also heralds the return of the “Star Wars”-focused branding celebration that is Season of the Force. Those who opt to watch Disneyland’s nightly fireworks from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be treated to additional projections and effects. Coaster Space Mountain will also once again be re-themed to Hyperspace Mountain, featuring original trilogy effects. Accompanying Season of the Force is another evening ticketed event, the return of Star Wars Nite, which runs on eight evenings between April 8 and May 6. Tickets go on sale Dec. 12, and Season of the Force runs March 28 to May 11.
Summer brings Pride Nite, and fall and winter holidays begin earlier than ever
Disneyland’s official 70th anniversary date is July 17, so expect summer to focus heavily on continued festivities surrounding the commemoration. Also returning is Pride Nite, which will celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and run as a separately ticketed after-hours event on June 16 and 18. Expect colorful, rainbow projections and a bounty of playful character interactions, including, no doubt, some cheeky looks and moves from Clarabelle Cow, who has become something of an unofficial mascot for the event.
Summer, increasingly, means Halloween. While the parks’ Halloween Time won’t officially launch until Aug. 22, the ticketed after-hours California Adventure event the Oogie Boogie Bash will host its first gathering on Aug. 17. The evening, which typically features unique meet-and-greets with Disney villains as well as a parade and an illuminated, ever-so-slightly spooky walk through the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, usually sells out. It will run on 31 nights from mid-August to Oct. 31. On sale information has not yet been announced. Finally, coinciding with the arrival of Halloween Time on Aug. 22 is California Adventure’s Plaza de la Familia, a Día de Los Muertos celebration that heavily relies on imagery from the Disney/Pixar film “Coco.”
Holidays at the Disneyland Resort will follow shortly after, beginning Nov. 14 and lasting through Jan. 7. While Disney has not yet detailed next year’s offerings, expect staples such as the makeover of It’s a Small World and Haunted Mansion attractions, as well as the return of California Adventure’s Festival of Holidays. The latter this year has significantly increased its entertainment content, including two new shows that honor the Latin community.
And we will eagerly anticipate some construction — yes, construction
Disneyland last month reopened the popular log flume ride Splash Mountain as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and while the resort doesn’t have a a large attraction opening (or re-opening) in 2025, changes are afoot.
Ground is expected to break next year on a major expansion to California Adventure’s Avengers Campus, including the long-teased showcase attraction for the area, Avengers Infinity Defense, which will feature locations such as the Black Panther world of Wakanda, Asgard and New York City. Also planned: Stark Flight Lab, an amusement park-like thrill ride in which guests will sit in two-person pods and then attach to a mechanical arm that will lift them into the air and attempt to simulate sensations of flight.
Such additions, as well as other planned projects such as a “Coco” boat ride in California Adventure and a section devoted to the “Avatar” franchise, will help, hopefully, set up the Disneyland Resort for its next 70 years.
Nightbitch Director: Marielle Heller Annapurna Pictures In Theaters: 12.06
I turned 50 this month, and you don’t do this without starting to think seriously about bucket list items you’d like to cross off over the next 50 years or less. Some of these items seem more achievable than others, but the most inexplicably hopeless one would have to be “see a good Amy Adams movie again.” The once imminently reliable star of Enchanted,American Hustle, Big Eyes and Arrival has been in a major slump for about eight years now, and I was really hoping that together, she would break that slump with Nightbitch.
Adams stars as a character identified only as Mother, and not just on screen, but to everyone around her, and increasingly to herself. A former artist who has chosen to put her career on hold to care for her young Son (Arleigh and EmmettSnowden), she believes that full-time motherhood will bring fulfillment. Instead, she finds herself overwhelmed and isolated. Husband (Scoot McNairy, Argo, C’mon ‘C’mon) is often away on business and leaves her alone to navigate the monotony of daily life, pushing her further into a state of disconnection and frustration. As the problem gets worse, strange changes begin to surface—her senses sharpen, her body sprouts hair and she begins to identify more as a dog than a woman. As these transformations intensify, she questions whether they are dreams, fantasies or a descent into a primal state.
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Writer-director Marielle Heller has an impressive track record with Can You Ever Forgive Me? and A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, and my hopes were high for this adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s2021 novel. I can only hope the material works better on the page, as here the rather pedantic and ham-fisted metaphor for postpartum depression feels condescendingly on-the-nose and yet far too tentative, as Heller seems to be constantly waffling on how literally she wants to play this scenario. One moment it’s ambiguous as to whether this is really happening or just a metaphor, and the next she’s murdering her cat. While the subject matter of motherhood and the expectations that come with it is certainly worthwhile, Nightbitch has little to nothing new or insightful to say. All of the ground that it covers, from feeling inadequate and undervalued to the growing resentment between the couple, feels like it’s moving down a checklist of rather obvious observations and tropes rather than saying anything from the heart. Simply put, I’d feel ill-equipped to review an introspective film about motherhood from a woman’s point of view if it all didn’t feel so generic and obvious that I could have written it myself with no personal experience to draw on.
The dialogue all feels rather stilted (“Do I regret having a child? No. But If Icould go back in time, I’d sit us down and try to figure out a more equitable way to do this parenting thing.”) and the no names, only titles approach is rather telling of the generic characterization and broad strokes at work. While Nightbitch isn’t terrible by any means, at a mere 98 minutes it feels more like a short film that has been far too padded out than it does a feature.
Adams captures the depression and disconnection well enough, but she never sells the canine element with any particular degree of believability. There’s a tentative quality to her performance that left me feeling that the character might have been better served had someone with a more intense presence been cast in the role. McNairy is quite effectively clueless and off-putting, but doesn’t get to go much deeper, and he gives a far more layered performance as Woody Guthrie in A Complete Unknown, despite not having a single line of dialogue. The most satisfying performance comes from the Snowden twins, who are wonderfully natural and charismatic. The supporting ensemble features some familiar and talented faces, but they are all playing cardboard characters and don’t really register.
While I imagine that some audiences, particularly mothers, will connect with Nightbitch more profoundly than I did, and it certainly has some value, it’s hardly the searingly penetrative and daring film that it wants to be. Heller merely restates the same basic points about mothers being overwhelmed and appreciated over and over, as everyone watching is as willfully oblivious as the Husband character. The sentiment is sound, but the presentation is just a lot of incessant barking from an old and rather lifeless dog that is frustratingly lacking in new tricks. –Patrick Gibbs
Read more film reviews: Film Review: The Order Series Review: Star Wars: Skeleton Crew