It was all a dream: Whitney, B.I.G. inducted into Rock Hall
are among the inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2020 class. (AP Photo)NEW YORK โ In a normal year, the newly inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class would have hit the stage and perform the well-known songs that made them famous and helped them enter the prestigious organization. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, this yearโs all-star group was inducted Saturday night in a taped HBO special that told the stories of Whitney Houston, Notorious B.I.G. As she inducted Houston into the Rock Hall, Grammy-winning singer Alicia Keys gave a beautiful, heartfelt speech about one of the best singers in pop history. The Notorious B.I.G.
Post Malone owns Billboard Awards, Legend shines onstage
Post Malone accepts the top artist award at the Billboard Music Awards on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)NEW YORK โ Walking into the show with 16 nominations, Post Malone won nine honors at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards, where John Legend gave a heartfelt performance that was dedicated to his wife. Garth Brooks accepted the Icon Award from Cher, who called the country star โa true music legend and my friend Garth Brooks." Guitar rock legend Eddie Van Halen, who died last week, was honored as the show aired a clip of his Billboard Awards performance from 2015. This yearโs Billboard Awards were originally supposed to take place in April but were postponed because of the pandemic.
New this week: David Byrne, 'The Amazing Race' & Tommy Lee
Hereโs a collection curated by The Associated Pressโ entertainment journalists of whatโs arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. โ Gretchen Sorin and Ric Burns' โDriving While Black: Race, Space and Mobility in Americaโ was, unfortunately, always going to be of the moment. โ Rocker Tommy Lee is in a collaborative state of mind on his new album, โAndro,โ out Friday. Sundance Nowโs true crime drama โDesโ stars David Tennant (โDoctor Whoโ) as Dennis Nilsen, a serial killer who targeted young men, including the homeless. The three-part โDes,โ debuting Thursday on the streaming service, was a recent U.K. TV hit and drew raves for Tennantโs performance.
Killer Mike to earn Change Maker Award at Billboard Awards
NEW YORK โ Grammy-winning rapper and social-political activist Killer Mike will receive the first Billboard Change Maker Award at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards. Atlanta-born Killer Mike first made waves in music with his appearance on Outkast's 2000 album, โStankonia." But Killer Mike has made noise outside of music, too. Last year he hosted Netflix's โTrigger Warning with Killer Mike," a 2019 documentary series about issues affected the Black community. The Billboard Change Maker Award will be presented by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms at the African American Panoramic Experience Museum in Atlanta.
Billboard Awards: Alicia Keys, Bad Bunny, Malone to perform
NEW YORK โ Alicia Keys, Bad Bunny, Luke Combs and leading nominee Post Malone will perform at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards. With restrictions set due to the coronavirus pandemic, it wasnโt clear if the performances will be live or pre-taped. The awards show was originally supposed to take place in April but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, which caused a halt to live performances and TV and film productions. Kelly Clarkson will host the Billboard Awards, and Garth Brooks will receive the ICON Award. Maloneโs 16 nominations include top male artist, top rap artist and the showโs biggest prize, top artist.
Houstonโs own Lizzo gets 11 Billboard nominations
NEW YORK โ Post Malone is the sunflower of the 2020 Billboard Music Awards. The multi-platinum 25-year-old star scored 16 nominations, dick clark productions and NBC announced Tuesday. Maloneโs nominations include top artist, top male artist, top rap artist and top streaming songs artist. Lil Nas X follows Malone with 13 nominations, while Billie Eilish and Khalid each scored 12 nods. Four of the five songs nominated for top gospel song are from West.