Will.I.Am Launches Formula 1 Partnership Via Tag-Team Single With Lil Wayne

Britney Spears put on a bold display of affection for her husband Sam Asghari after rumours suggested their marriage was in trouble. The pop icon, 41, was seen grabbing Iranian-American model and actor Sam, 29, kissing him and walking hand-in-hand in a video posted to her Instagram on Wednesday, 17 May.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor New York’s Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment has announced the full schedule of free programming for the sixth annual New York Music Month, taking place in June with concerts, performances, industry talks and workshops, and the community-sourced calendar for users to upload free and ticketed music events happening across the five boroughs — see the full schedule at NYMusicMonth.NYC.  “This New York Music Month, with a calendar jam-packed with celebrations — like the city’s 50 th anniversary of hip-hop — the beat of New York City will be heard around the world,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “Between the free rehearsal spaces, workshops, master classes, songwriting camps, and more, there is something for everyone sprinkled throughout the five boroughs, which, as music always does, will serve to unite, educate, and entertain us.”

This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby is said to have refused to talk about her alleged ongoing "feud" with co-host Phillip Schofield as she met King Charles at Buckingham Palace earlier today (17 May). The TV star, 42, attended the Palace to introduce the winners of the Prince's Trust Awards, and was among other celebs who received an invite, including American actor Stanley Tucci.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Singer-songwriter Margo Price has never been a conventional country artist and she is one of the very few to make outspoken statements in favor of stronger gun-control laws in the U.S. She and her husband prominently attended memorial ceremonies for the victims of Nashville’s Covenant School shooting this spring and today she posted a deeply moving essay in Rolling Stone titled “Sit Beside Me in the Darkness.” It is marks her first piece of writing since her 2022 memoir, “Maybe We’ll Make It,” in which she addresses many hard life subjects, including the death of her infant son due to congenital heart disease. It’s a long and detailed essay that covers the meeting she and fellow singers Amy Grant, Sheryl Crow, Ruby Amanfu, Allison Russell and Will Hoge had with Gov. Bill Lee and the unexpected empathy she felt for him, the faith she has in Gen Z, and the change she believes women can create when working together. 

Kevin Federline wants to plant roots in Hawaii with his and Britney Spears' two sons, ET can confirm, with a source telling ET that he doesn't envision the pop singer objecting to the move.A source tells ET that Federline's powerhouse attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, sent a letter asking if Spears would be open to letting their sons relocate to Hawaii with Federline and their stepmom, Victoria Prince. Federline and Spears share sons Jayden, 16, and Sean, 17, neither of whom attended Spears' wedding to Sam Asghari in June 2022.The source further tells ET that if Spears objects to the plan, Federline is prepared to go to court and ask permission from the judge, since Spears hasn't seen her sons in more than a year and they want to relocate.

Lil Wayne ended the final show of his Welcome To Tha Carter Tour early because of the crowd’s supposed lack of enthusiasm.On Saturday (May 13), the legendary rapper was set to end his tour in Los Angeles at The Wiltern Theatre. For anyone who couldn’t make the show in person, they could purchase a livestream of the event for $15.Wayne played for 30 minutes, with signees from his Young Money Records label imprint let Lil Twist, Yaj Kader, and Allan Cubas performing as well.

Holly Willoughby has addressed her future as she shared some words of advice she received from a friend. The This Morning presenter is currently hitting the headlines as her relationship with co-host Phillip Schofield is reportedly under strain.

This past Saturday, May 13, Lil Wayne wrapped up his "Welcome To Tha Carter" tour with what should have been a celebratory moment in Los Angeles. Instead, fans were left disappointed when the rapper's first headline tour in four years came to a close with a show that ended after just half an hour. As fans on social media, as well as HipHopDX, report, it seems that Wayne arrived on stage at the Wiltern an hour later than billed but started his set as expected (including a surprise appearance from special guest 2 Chainz).

Holly Willoughby returned to social media on Monday morning (May 15) ahead of her planned appearance on This Morning. ITV confirmed that she and Phillip Schofield will kick off the week on the daytime show despite the pair reportedly being in crisis behind the scenes.

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari have been under intense media scrutiny lately — even more than usual — after what appeared to be a restaurant storm-out and a reported failed intervention for the pop legend earlier this year. More recently fans seem to be focused only on the couple’s ring fingers, as each were photographed in past months without their wedding bands.

Sophia Scorziello editor Children’s book author Mo Willems, who is known for his stories like “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” and “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!” has partnered with Stampede Ventures and RedBird Capital Partners to launch Hidden Pigeon Company. The entertainment company will bring Willem’s storytelling to children and families through television programming, gaming, location-based experiences and other platforms. “The Hidden Pigeon Company takes its name from how kids and former kids delight in finding The Pigeon hidden in every one of my books,” said Willems. “It is my hope to create a similar bit of surprise and delight in the fabric of everything we make or do. I am thrilled to have found wonderful collaborative partners to make that hope a reality.”

Prince Harry's drama with his brother, Prince William, and other members of the royal family have taken center stage in recent months. Harry attended his father's coronation on May 6, but did not appear to interact with William or King Charles.The Duke of Sussex's wife, Meghan Markle, did not attend Charles' big day and stayed home in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Lily-Rose Depp has listed the pop singers that influenced her role in The Idol. While speaking to W magazine for an interview published on Monday, the French-American actress revealed she channelled Britney Spears, among other artists, during her audition for the part of up-and-coming pop idol Jocelyn on the upcoming HBO series. "Of course, I'm a Britney (Spears) fan!" she admitted.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor In his first interview since his victory in the “Thinking Out Loud” copyright infringement lawsuit last week, Ed Sheeran told “Good Morning America” why he feels the jury believe that he did not copy Marvin Gaye’s 1973 hit “Let’s Get It On” for his song. It was “101 songs with the same chord sequence, and that was just, like, scratching the surface,” he said, adding that the jury “was very quick to see that and be like, ‘Oh, yeah.'” (Sheeran seems to have chosen that number randomly to illustrate a multitude.) Sheeran had been steadfast in his denial that he’d taken from Gaye’s song, despite the lawsuit brought by the family of Gaye’s co-writer on the song, the late Ed Townsend. While Sheeran’s song does recall the tempo and chord progression of Gaye’s hit, ultimately his testimony and even performance of the song, solo on acoustic guitar, during the trial helped to lean the jury in his favor. He even mashed it up with other songs that are generally similar.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Long-running Canadian pop-punk act Sum 41 have announced that they are splitting up after 27 years together, with their forthcoming album, their ninth studio effort, to be their last. “‘Being in Sum 41 since 1996 brought us some of the best moments of our lives,” the band wrote in a social-media message on Monday. “We are forever grateful to our fans both old and new, who have supported us in every way. It is hard to articulate the love and respect we have for all of you and we wanted you to hear this from us first. “Sum 41 will be disbanding,” it continues. “We will still be finishing all of our current tour dates this year, and we’re looking forward to releasing our final album ‘Heaven :x: Hell,’ along with a final worldwide headlining tour to celebrate. Details will be announced as soon as we have them.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Now that’s an entrance. The stage for Kali Uchis’ “Red Moon in Venus” tour is bathed in red-pink light, centered around an elevated platform with stairs leading up either side and archways beneath. A gradually brightening, supernova-like light fills the video screen behind it. The singer enters the stage, slowly carried by her six dancers, but obscured by the kind of giant frilly feathers you see in old movies, where a luxuriating empress is being gently fanned with them by servants. They scale the steps, gently set her down in the middle of the platform, then pull away the feathers as the crowd shrieks, revealing Uchis standing regally with her back turned, looking at the audience over her shoulder, clad in an all-red ensembled of a halter, short skirt, stockings, sleeves and a pair of towering boots with needle-thin heels. As “Telepatia” starts, she busts some slinking moves while the dancers peel off until one of them returns, delivering her microphone.

Naman Ramachandran After exploring a multitude of genres, renowned filmmaker Shekhar Kapur (“Bandit Queen,” “Elizabeth”) has turned his hand to a romantic comedy with Working Title/Studiocanal production “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” The film follows documentary-maker and dating app addict Zoe (Lily James), for whom swiping right has only delivered an endless stream of Mr Wrongs, to her eccentric mother Cath’s (Emma Thompson) dismay. For Zoe’s childhood friend and neighbor Kaz (Shazad Latif), the answer is to follow his parents’ example and opt for an arranged (or “assisted”) marriage to a bride from Pakistan (Sajal Aly). As Zoe films Kaz’s journey from London to Lahore to marry a stranger, chosen by his parents, she begins to wonder if she might have something to learn from a profoundly different approach to finding love.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Much of the music industry heaved a collective sigh of relief when the news broke Thursday that Ed Sheeran was found not liable on a copyright claim alleging that he copied key elements from the Marvin Gaye ‘70s hit “Let’s Get It On” for his own song “Thinking Out Loud.” The case is one of countless similar infringement cases that have been brought before courts, settled, or continue in seemingly endless loops of appeals. But there’s little question that recent ones — at least the ones that followed the 2015 “Blurred Lines” decision that shook the industry — have sided with creators. The lawsuit around Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” went on for five years before being decided initially in favor of Christian rapper Marcus Gray — who claimed her song was substantially similar to his earlier track “Joyful Noise” — but was overturned in 2020 when a judge ruled that the eight-note “ostinato” Perry allegedly copied lacked the “quantum of originality” to warrant copyright protection (Gray’s appeal was unsuccessful). Later in 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the long-running copyright battle over Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” leaving in place a ruling that rejected infringement allegations over the 1971 song. The justices denied a petition aimed at reviving the case, ending six years of litigation over claims that the song’s writers, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, plagiarized the song’s iconic intro from the 1968 song “Taurus” by the group Spirit.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Any serious fan of rapper-actor Jack Harlow knows that he carries a lot of pride for his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky — it’s not only mentioned in many of his songs but he’s made major donations to local organizations (including AMPED, Center for Women and Families, Grace James Academy, Louisville Urban League and Metro United Way), and last year he even played a special American Express-sponsored concert and livestream in Brooklyn where fans were served food made by several of his favorite hometown restaurants, an imaginative way to use a corporate sponsor to benefit fans and hometown businesses. Today he continues to bring it home by announcing the official launch of the Jack Harlow Foundation, which “will serve as the Louisville, KY native’s primary philanthropic vehicle to reinvest, uplift and support organizations aiming to make the city that raised him a better place,” according to the announcement. Head here for more information on the foundation.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Fast-rising R&B star Brent Faiyaz has struck a wide-ranging partnership with Steve Stoute’s company UnitedMasters that spans a recording partnership and a creative agency. UnitedMasters CEO and founder Steve Stoute says, “Brent Faiyaz is one of the most prolific independent artists today and we are extremely excited to embark on this new partnership with him. It’s been inspiring to watch his journey as an artist over the years and with this partnership we look to further amplify his creative vision and support his entrepreneurial ambitions.”