Category: 5. Entertainment

Marvel’s First Family — as embodied by the quartet of stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach — was in attendance at the world premiere for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, held at Los Angeles’ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion today.

Also walking the blue carpet were First Steps co-stars Sarah Niles, Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser and Ralph Ineson; Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings alum Simu Liu; Succession‘s Arian Moayed and The Persian Version‘s Niousha Noor; former Fantastic Four stars Doug Jones, Ioan Gruffudd and Rebecca Staab; the movie’s own robot H.E.R.B.I.E.; Deadpool & Wolverine actress Dafne Keen Fernández and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, among others. On the sides of the carpet were installations of the Fantasticar and fans dressed up as the iconic foursome. At the premiere, skywriting displayed the team’s signature “4” logo.

Due in theaters July 25 and helmed by three-time Emmy nominee Matt Shakman, First Steps marks the fourth attempt to translate the original comic book characters of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ben Grimm/The Thing to the silver screen. This time, the action will take place in an alternate history/parallel universe set in the ’60s, offering a retrofuturistic environment for audiences.

First reviews for the latest entry into the MCU praised the flick as “quite possibly the best Marvel Studios film ever released” with “immaculate” VFX and a “pitch-perfect script.”

Speaking to journalists Friday about the future of the recently maligned superhero studio, Marvel boss Kevin Feige spoke of the thought process to reboot the franchise following Disney’s 2019 acquisition of Fox, which previously held the film rights to the Fantastic Four, X-Men and Deadpool characters.

“Why Fantastic Four? Because it’s Marvel’s First Family. It’s in the history of our characters; they deserve to be A-listers. They were A-listers in the comics. Every crossover movie we’ve made in the Infinity saga, Civil War, leading to Infinity War and Endgame, which is really the Infinity saga from the comics, the Fantastic Four were huge players in those comics and obviously we couldn’t do that then,” he said, adding that the film is a “no-homework-required” movie kicking off Phase Six of the MCU.

Scroll below to see who attended the event:

Roman Reigns has not forgiven Paul Heyman for turning on him at WrestleMania 41. That much was made clear when Reigns harshly rebuffed Heyman’s offer to lead the group that includes Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed during Raw on Monday night.

Heyman made an offer to Reigns at the end of Raw for Reigns to take over the group while Seth Rollins is sidelined with a knee injury. Instead, Reigns pointed out that Heyman was the man who destroyed The Bloodline before brawling with Breakker and Reed.

Breakker and Reed eventually got the upper hand before Reigns was saved by Jey Uso, who ran in to help fend off Heyman’s group, potentially setting up a match for SummerSlam, which goes down in less than two weeks.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Toyota Center Houston in Houston.

Roman Reigns and Jey Uso take out Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed

Paul Heyman came to the ring with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed to close the show. Heyman said he came to the ring with the future of the industry in those two men and wanted to speak before Reigns came out. Instead, Reigns’ music hit as he made his way from backstage. Heyman said he never wanted to be disrespectful or rude to Reigns, “like someone born in Texas,” before saying Rollins would be out of action “for a long, long time.”

Heyman made a pitch for Reigns to join up with his group, saying they’re better together than opposing each other. Reigns said Heyman is not a “wiseman” anymore. Reigns told Breakker that in a few years, Heyman would take all the credit for his success, just like he did to Reigns. Reigns said The Usos, Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn were responsible for him keeping his title for as long as he did and that The Bloodline was “God’s work.” Reigns said Heyman ruined The Bloodline before Breakker took the microphone. Breakker said Reigns is worthless, while he holds value, which means Heyman would never stab him in the back. Reigns said he didn’t hear anything Braekker said before offering him his  microphone and hitting a Superman punch. Reigns attacked Reed before the numbers took over. As Reed and Breakker attacked, Jey Uso’s music hit and Uso ran to the ring to take out Reed and Breakker before he and Reigns hit a double spear to close the show.

It seems clear that Reed and Breakker vs. Reigns and Uso is in the books for SummerSlam. That’s a solid choice for WWE to get Reigns on the card in a safe way that doesn’t require much risk. With Seth Rollins sidelined, WWE is finding a way to keep his group relevant for as long as it takes for him to get back in action. Grade: B

What else happened on WWE Raw?

• CM Punk and Gunther came face-to-face to open the show. Punk said he knows how tough of a challenge Gunther will be at SummerSlam, but he recently remembered that he’s CM Punk and the “Best in the World.” Gunther interrupted Punk’s promo to say that they’re similar because they have the same goals: making money and winning championships, not making friends. But Punk is no longer the man capable of being the best, Gunther said, so at SummerSlam, he will leave him unconscious and with nothing but “degenerates” in the crowd chanting his name.
• Sheamus def. Rusev via pinfall after a Brogue Kick. Rusev was about to use Sheamus’ shillelagh when Sheamus hit his finisher to secure the victory.
• El Grande Americano and Dragon Lee brawled after Lee interrupted an Americano interview in which he was answering questions in Spanish.
• LWO def. New Day and The Creed Brothers via pinfall after Joaquin Wilde rolled up Kofi Kingston. El Grande Americano ran in to attack Dragon Lee at ringside before the Creeds told him to leave. Shortly after, Wilde managed to score the schoolboy pin for the win, becoming No. 1 contenders for the world tag team championship. Later, Grayson Waller approached New Day, offering to be their “ace” now that Austin Theory is injured and he lost the “dead weight.”
• Becky Lynch laid down a new stipulation to Lyra Valkyria for their SummerSlam match. Lynch reversed the terms of their last match, stating that if she wins, Valkyria can never again challenge her for the women’s intercontinental championship. Valkyria accepted but only if the match was no disqualification rules. Lynch accepted, offered a handshake and then attempted to attack only for Valkyria to turn it around into a Manhandle Slam.
• Women’s Tag Team Championship – Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez (c) def. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria via pinfall after Rodriguez hit Bayley with a Tejana Bomb. Dominik Mysterio interfered several times before being inadvertently kicked by Rodriguez. AJ Styles appeared as a medic attempting to revive Mysterio after earlier appearing as a parking valet and janitor to harass the intercontinental champ. As Bayley and Valkyria seemed to be cruising to victory, Becky Lynch ran in and took out Valkyria, leaving Bayley in a two-on-one which the champions took advantage of to retain their titles. 
• Karrion Kross def. Sami Zayn via pinfall. Kross used a steel pipe to hit Zayn in the ribs for the finish after Scarlett had attempted to hand Kross the pipe earlier in the match.
• Dominik Mysterio attacked AJ Styles from behind. Styles was with Adam Pearce waiting to hear if Mysterio had been medically cleared when Mysterio attacked. After dropping Styles, Mysterio said he would see Styles at SummerSlam.
• Stephanie Vaquer def. Iyo Sky via disqualification after interference by Chelsea Green. The very good match ended when the Secret Hervice came to the ring, distracting Vaquer before Green attacked from behind. After Sky and Vaquer tossed the group from the ring, Naomi attacked Sky from behind. Rhea Ripley’s music then hit and she attacked Naomi before Vaquer and Sky turned the tables on Green again.

Just before the Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria fashion show began last Wednesday, the guests mingled in front of the imposing Castel Sant’Angelo, which dates from AD123 — part papal residence, part mausoleum for emperors and part, as the name suggests, fortress. Among them, towering above those around him, was Manchester City’s statuesque Erling Haaland, wearing an elegant pale grey combo of polo neck and relaxed, full trousers. Only a silver necklace over the knit sparkled as a decorative hint. But boy was he about to be eclipsed in the wardrobe department.

The Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria collection is unusual in the extreme. It is essentially couture for men and is presented each year in a different Italian location that the designer duo of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana select with a view of engaging in a dialogue with its history and tradition. This year they went for the big one: Rome. As Dolce says: “Rome is an extraordinary city, an endless source of inspiration. It embodies our love for Italy and its roots, for the artists and creatives that in time have celebrated it.” Before the show as the invitees enjoyed an aperitivo, he confided to me that “Rome is intense culturally — it is so different to Milan. You feel the presence and influence of the Vatican. It is a heavy city — not in a bad way, just intense.”

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So when places were taken and the classical music soundtrack started, it perhaps shouldn’t have come as such a surprise that the fashion show — the first permitted to be staged here — kicked off with a procession of “cardinals” in their red vestments, like a scene from Edward Berger’s movie Conclave. These took their place on the bridge that connects the castle to the city, the Ponte Sant’Angelo, which is lined with marble angels designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

The models then began their own stately procession. We were treated to a visual symphony of luxurious hand-made decorative opulence, inspired, sometimes very literally, by ecclesiastical tailoring. Here, among the pink and black suits were tunic-style pieces that borrowed from the wardrobe of the Catholic Church: copes, chasubles and dalmatics. The embroidery and crystal decoration, the filigree made from gold bullion thread, the use of the cross as a recurring emblem in both clothing and jewellery — all this left us in no doubt that we were witnessing clothing possessed of grandeur.

One golden brass filigree bodice displayed gemstones and crystals like a piece of body armour. Another bodice, constructed from a white fabric that looks like marble, featured a three-dimensional head of Saint Peter with the keys to the kingdom of heaven. And though some of the more extreme expressions would undoubtedly require quite the occasion to get a wearing, there were plenty of embroidered and embellished jackets and trousers that would do service at any dressy event — though admittedly ear-marking the wearer as someone who enjoys spectacle and theatre.

But then the brand’s Alta Sartoria is spectacular and theatrical. Those invited to attend are the label’s top customers and this cohort decamp annually to whichever Italian city or venue the designers have designated. Last year it was Sardinia, previously it has been Venice and Florence. Alta Sartoria, launched in 2015, meaning literally “high tailoring”, is the male equivalent of what Dolce & Gabbana does for women: Alta Moda (“high fashion”). And like the women who attend those shows (and this week there was one the night before the men’s event at Rome’s historic Forum), the men at this couture bash place orders for what’s on display. Often while the models are actually walking the catwalk. Prices start at about €50,000 and each piece is unique. If you buy one of these outfits you won’t ever bump into anyone dressed the same. Not even Erling Haaland.
dolcegabbana.com

Josh Peck has “no idea” how Drake & Josh producers got away with using Oprah Winfrey‘s likeness during the crazy car crash scene because he claims the Nickelodeon show didn’t get “permission.”

The actor, who starred opposite Drake Bell in the mid-2000s sitcom, made a recent appearance on the Syd & Olivia Talk Sh*t podcast, where he opened up about the memorable “Josh Runs Into Oprah” episode in season four.

When asked how the show got away with the scene, which sees Josh’s character (who is known as the biggest Winfrey fan throughout the series) seemingly hit the talk show host, Peck responded, “I don’t know. I know we don’t have her permission. 100 percent we don’t.”

The actor recalled using a “non-sanctioned Oprah double” to film the scene. “She was a stunt lady, because she had to do the roll over the car. I was like, ‘Oprah is going to come after you. She’s powerful,’” he added.

In the episode, stepbrothers Drake Parker (Bell) and Josh Nichols (Peck) try to attend a live taping of Oprah’s show; however, they start fighting over parking once they arrive at the studio, leading Josh to hit the TV host with his car. They later receive a restraining order from the fake talk show host due to the incident.

Peck also noted that if he ever gets to meet Winfrey, he definitely wants to apologize, telling her, “I’m so sorry I brutalized you with my vehicle, with my Honda Accord, or whatever it was.”

Drake & Josh ran from 2004 to 2007 on Nickelodeon.

Ten years on from the passing of his son, Arthur, Nick Cave has reflected on his loss and the lessons he has learnt from the process of grieving.

Cave’s comments were shared on his frequently-updated Red Hand Files website, in which he answered questions from fans about what he and wife Susie had learned in the decade since the passing of their son, and whether their pain is one that continues eternally.

“The pain remains, but I have found that it evolves over time,” Cave began. “Grief blossoms with age, becoming less a personal affront, less a cosmic betrayal, and more a poetic quality of being as we learn to surrender to it. 

“As we are confronted with the intolerable injustice of death, what seems unbearable ultimately turns out not to be unbearable at all. Sorrow grows richer, deeper, and more textured. It feels more interesting, creative, and lovely.

“To my great surprise, I discovered that I was part of a common human story,” he continued. “I began to recognise the immense value and potential of our humanness while simultaneously acknowledging, at my core, our terrifyingly perilous situation. I learned we all actually die. 

“I realised that although each of us is special and unique, our pain and brokenness is not. Over time, Susie and I came to understand that the world is not indifferent or cruel, but precious and loving – indeed, lovely – tilting ever toward good.”

Cave’s 15-year-old son Arthur passed away on July 14, 2015, as a result of injuries sustained from a fall from a cliff in Brighton, Sussex in England. “Our son Arthur died on Tuesday evening,” the Caves said in a joint statement at the time. “He was our beautiful, happy loving boy.”

Cave’s experience with the grieving process was captured as part of the final sessions for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ 2016 album Skeleton Tree, while the subsequent Andrew Dominik-directed documentary One More Time with Feeling provided an intimate insight into Cave and the band during this period.

“I discovered that the initial trauma of Arthur’s death was the coded cypher through which God spoke, and that God had less to do with faith or belief, and more to do with a way of seeing,” Cave continued in his post. 

“I came to understand that God was a form of perception, a means of being alert to the poetic resonance of being. I found God to be woven into all things, even the greatest evils and our deepest despair. Sometimes I feel the world pulsating with a rich, lyrical energy, at other times it feels flat, void, and malevolent. I came to realise that God was present and active in both experiences.”

“I’m not sure what else I’ve learned, […] except that here we still are, a decade later, living within the radiant heart of the trauma, the place where all thoughts and dreams converge and where all hope and sorrow reside, the bright and teary eye of the storm – this whirling boy who is God, like every other thing,” Cave concluded. “We remember him today.”

Cave recently used his Red Hand Files website to share insights into less heartbreaking topics, having reflected on turning down an offer from Morrissey to perform an “anti-woke screed” on a track, and sharing fanciful tales of being mistaken for similarly-named actor Nicolas Cage.

Billy Joel has opened up about his health, after cancelling his scheduled concerts mid-tour in May. At the time, the 76-year-old singer announced that he’d been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).

Speaking to Bill Maher on his Club Random podcast this week, Joel said he felt “good”.

“They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling,” he said. “I feel fine. My balance sucks. It’s like being on a boat.”

Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain’s ventricles, typically affecting balance and gait, cognitive function and bladder control. It primarily affects people over the age of 60, according to the Hydrocephalus Support Association.

In a statement to his Instagram account in May, Joel said his condition had been “exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance”. He said he had cancelled the rest of his tour on medical advice, and was undergoing physical therapy.

Speaking to Maher, the singer said: “It’s not fixed. It’s still being worked on.”

Joel said he doesn’t know what led to him developing NPH. “I thought it must be from drinking,” the Piano Man singer said, adding he doesn’t drink any more. “I used to – like a fish.”

Joel hasn’t rescheduled his concert dates.

His interview with Maher focused on Billy Joel: And So It Goes, a two-part documentary premiering this week on HBO. Coming in at five hours, the documentary unpacks the Grammy award-winner’s extraordinary five-decade career and catalogue of music, which includes the hits Piano Man, Uptown Girl, We Didn’t Start the Fire and New York State of Mind.

For Black youth and teens growing up in the mid-1980s, The Cosby Show offered something rarely seen on television up until that time: a sitcom that placed characters who looked like them in a positive light.

And Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Theo Huxtable was the character generation X most related to. Fans took quickly to social media on Monday as news of Warner’s accidental drowning in Costa Rica spread.

“It’s like losing one of us,” said Harriet Cammock, a 58-year-old Detroit author and speaker. “This is the thing with television. When you’re watching people every week on television, you think you know them and you’re related to them.”

Warner was swimming Sunday afternoon at Playa Cocles in Costa Rica’s Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the Caribbean, according to that country’s judicial investigation department.

First responders found him without vital signs.

Cori Murray, executive vice-president of content at Ebony Magazine, was saddened upon hearing about Warner’s death. She said his Theo character mirrored the everyday Black teenager, which was rare to see on TV at the time.

While so many portrayals of young Black teenagers leaned negative, The Cosby Show, especially Theo, showed warmth, joy and relatability.

“He wasn’t just a character. We saw ourselves in him,” Murray said. “You know how Kendrick Lamar has the song ‘Not Like Us’? Well, Theo was one of us. He was like us.”

Murray, who met Warner a few times, recalled his character off-screen matched the warmth he exuded on television. She called him respectful and pleasant and said he had a “megawatt smile” that lit up the room.

“His energy stayed with you,” Murray said. “You don’t have a bad memory when it comes to Theo or Malcolm-Jamal Warner. As much as we loved the character, we also watched Malcolm grow up in real life. No scandals. No mess. Just a talented young man who matured into an upstanding, handsome adult.”

The Cosby Show was groundbreaking and a ratings giant, drawing in viewers across racial, cultural and economic backgrounds. The show ran for 197 episodes from 1984 to 1992. In 1986, Warner earned an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy.

The show starring Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad as his wife, Clair, “made the wider society aware that there are Black people who live like white people do”, said Cammock, who is Black. “The perception that we don’t live like they do was hurtful.”

Gil Robertson, co-founder and president of the African American Film Critics Association, reflected on Warner’s rare path in the entertainment industry.

“There was never any scandal, no controversy,” said Robertson. “He transitioned from a teen star to a respected adult without the baggage we often see from others in his generation. That’s no small feat.”

Robertson added: “The legacy of Theo Huxtable – and Malcolm’s performance – will live on. It left an imprint that will continue to resonate in our culture for generations.”

Lynn Reasonover, 62, of Oak Lawn, Illinois, began receiving messages Monday afternoon about Warner’s death. Her initial thoughts were “Nope, didn’t happen.”

“Then, I kept seeing the news flashes and friends started sending texts,” Reasonover said. “So, it’s sinking in. Makes you realize how much some celebrities help shape our memories. His work had such a huge impact. I’m feeling a personal loss because we grew up with him. It’s like losing a part of our childhood.”

Reasonover saw much of her family in the Huxtables, where both parents were professionals who valued education and handled family issues with understanding and love.

“They had similar problems to what we experienced growing up,” she said. “We could relate and that’s why we laughed.”

Rasheda Williams, 46, of Detroit was about the same age as Rudy, the youngest character on The Cosby Show and Theo’s little sister. Williams said she and others are mourning Warner’s passing because of what they saw in the character he played.

“He’s like the ideal cousin you wish you had,” Williams said. “Hearing the news has really affected some of us. It was unexpected. He wasn’t sick. That makes it even more tragic.”

“He wasn’t just an actor,” she said. “He was also an activist, a positive role model, not just for young Black men, but for young Black women as well.”

Attending a BTS member’s solo show is probably the best way to understand the power of the group beyond Western conceptions of boy bands and the limitations of the K-pop idol system.

Jin, the eldest member of the group, has become the third bandmate to solo headline a world tour with his #RUNSEOKJIN_EP. Tour, which brought him to Anaheim’s Honda Center on Thursday and Friday night.

At the outset of the septet’s 2022 break, Jin was on a time crunch. South Korea had raised the mandatory age of military enlistment from 28 to 30 years old (with legislation nicknamed the BTS law), and it was his time to go.

Without time for a bigger project before heading off, he debuted the soaring single “The Astronaut,” co-written by his favorite band, Coldplay, and paired with a nostalgia-tinged sci-fi music video.

After he was discharged from the military in June of last year, he got straight to work releasing the upbeat pop-rock EP “Happy,” followed six months later by his latest release, “Echo,” which veered in a more indie direction. Much of the songs on the tour’s 18-song set list come from both of these releases, sprinkled with a few of his earlier stand-alone singles.

On Thursday’s show, the over-18,000-capacity arena appeared nearly sold out, so far proving the group’s famous fandom will show up for each member.

Jin’s particular brand of quirky, humorous and suave energy was on full display at both shows, drawing out an element of the group’s alchemy that helps explain its broad appeal and devoted fans, while also showing how the group is a world unto itself.

Perhaps more than any other BTS member, Jin seems to want to deliver to existing fans rather than reaching for more. The tour is designed as an exclusive love letter to the fandom with nearly every element of its design.

Jin is especially skilled at merging elements of his personality and interests into an integrated intellectual property that transcends visuals, merchandising and format while remaining firmly in on the joke, as well as sincere and engaging.

The name of the tour references his solo variety show called “Run Seokjin,” which itself is an iteration of the group’s variety show, “Run BTS.” (Seok-jin is his birth name.) It provides a framework for the structure of the concert, as classic Korean variety-show elements are employed during the nearly two-hour-long set list.

Preshow, concertgoers could be found in either official or fan-made merch with a dizzying array of references to either the artist’s music, aspects of his personality or both.

A cute alien figure, the character created for the space-themed “The Astronaut,” graced headbands, while tuna hats and various fishing-related outfits nodded to the viral “Super Tuna,” an EDM-meets-trot love anthem to a tuna fish and his love for fishing in general. There are even a few ramen-themed outfits, as he is now the face of a famous Korean ramen brand that coincidentally shares his name.

A known gamer (some fans could also be seen in “Super Mario” costumes), he began the show sauntering onstage in silence only to slam on a game-show buzzer that launched both a blast of confetti and the first strains of “Running Wild,” the all-English-language pop-rock lead track off of “Happy.”

Within BTS’ vocal line, Jin’s ability to hit clear, clean high notes added to the group’s reputation for songs in a high register, with the lower tenor work picked up by bandmates V and Jungkook.

“Running Wild,” however, begins with a beautifully low resonant tone that Jin has been able to explore more on his solo efforts.

Throughout the show, he was anchored by guitarist Park Shin-won, bass player Yoo Hyun-wook, drummer Kim Dong-hyun, and keytar/keyboardist Kim Chang-hyun, all veteran players in the Korean music industry. But for the first half of the show, the band remained obscured by screens as the focus was on Jin, who cuts an almost young Elvis-like figure with his famously swoon-worthy good looks.

In a later rock segment of the set, the band took on more visible prominence but remained as supportive figures. Clad in a glittery Gucci jean suit (he is a brand ambassador), Jin then exuberantly launched “I’ll Be There for You,” an uptempo rockabilly-tinged pop song with a sing-a-long chorus, a style that seems to be his rock ’n’ roll safe space.

The orchestrated madcap structure takes hold when backed by a running instrumental. Relatively early in the show, he announced that a short break was in order. A giant clock appeared, counting down the minute and a half onstage while he sipped water, vibed with his band and exchanged “woofs” with the crowd.

He transitioned into the lushly melancholy “With the Clouds” off of “Echo” — an interesting track with a cool “backpedal” transition that highlights his softer midrange tone. But before the audience members got too deep in their feelings, at its conclusion, he offered them his best Zoolander stare and blew kisses — which they loudly ate up.

“Every show is a challenge,” he said in English, referring to the game-show format, “And you and I have to do it together,” making it clear participation was expected going forward.

He was not joking. He read out the rules for what was essentially an arena-scale game of charades between him and the audience, in which his number of wins determined which costume he donned for the next act. “I have nine seconds to change my clothes, so be good and talk to the person next to you,” he quipped, leaving the stage with a countdown clock, popping up dutifully on time in a large fishing hat and boots.

After the insanely campy “Super Tuna,” he spun a “Price Is Right”-style wheel to determine what song the audience will karaoke to as he changes again. The audience chose “Anpanman,” a punchy BTS classic that played with lyrics as hilarious Y2K low-fi graphics of him singing bumps on the screen.

Upon his return, clad in black, he accompanied himself on the longing ballad “I Will Return to You” and transitions into “Abyss.” Credited as a songwriter on almost all of his solo songs, “Abyss,” a single released in 2020, delves into especially early feelings of self-doubt that are jarringly in contrast with his later confident demeanor. Both songs were not accompanied by subtitles, allowing the listener to focus on the particular beauty and comfort he embodies while singing in Korean and further underlining a focus on the fandom.

After the fan chants of “Kim Seokjin” died down, he switched back to rock mode with the gorgeous “The Background.” Whether or not he has experienced real-life heartbreak is unknown — BTS members keep their lives private — but he makes you believe he has: “Even if I call you / It echoes back and hurts me again / Even waiting / I try to convince myself it’s love.”

The campiness wasn’t completely over as he thrilled fans again with “Rope It,” a quirky, pop-country ditty where he gamely hip-swiveled and hat-tilted, channeling his inner Clint Black. A medley of BTS hits including “Dynamite” and “Butter” followed, where he danced a bit. Sexy frontman, variety-show host, rock star, comedian, he was everything for every fan.

With all of its wacky charm and big confetti budget, the show remained remarkably minimalist; no fancy choreography or set pieces. Jin is comfortable onstage and at his most charming when going off script and speaking freely to the audience in Korean through a translator.

It will be interesting to see where he takes his incredible vocal prowess as a solo performer in years to come — it’s exciting to think of the possibilities of even a harder-edged sound or a full country album.

But as the show slowly wound down, and after one last talk with the crowd, amid his trio of encore songs, perhaps lies the most compelling version of him. “Epiphany,” off the 2018 BTS album “Love Yourself: Answer,” offers both a sonic and mental self-actualization that has as he has transitioned from his 20s into his 30s: “The real myself inside the smiling mask / I reveal it entirely / I’m the one I should love in this world / shining me, precious soul of mine.”

Apparently Megyn Kelly isn’t planning to go to a Jennifer Lopez concert anytime soon.

On Monday (July 21), the SiriusXM host shared a clip from a recent J.Lo concert — as the pop star makes her way across Europe for the Up All Night: Live in 2025 tour — that shows Lopez dancing suggestively with three male backup dancers to her 2011 Lil Wayne-assisted hit “I’m Into You.”

“So she’s a soft porn star now,” Kelly wrote on X alongside the video, whose original poster had captioned it “55 year old Jennifer Lopez ‘performing.’” Kelly added: “Great choices!”

Anyone who’s seen Lopez perform recently — like when she returned to host the American Music Awards in May and kicked off the show with a choreography-heavy opening number soundtracked by the biggest hits of 2024-25 — knows this performance is nothing new for the singer/actress, long known for her dancing chops and her uninhibited onstage persona. (This is the woman behind the 2014 Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit “Booty,” after all.)

But it doesn’t seem like Kelly has ever counted herself among Lopez’s J.Lovers fan base. During her speech at a President Trump victory rally in January, The Megyn Kelly Show host invoked J.Lo’s name, saying: “The good news just keeps on coming. I woke up this morning, I was 2 inches taller, a pound thinner and I had skin like Jennifer Lopez. Speaking of J. Lo, how happy are you her candidate lost? It’s so delightful.” In June, Kelly dedicated a segment of her show (and a full online essay) to calling out the “desperate” bodysuit Lopez wore to her 2025 World Pride Festival set in Washington, D.C.

And last year, Lopez caught a stray when the former Fox News host took issue with a different musician, Usher, and his 2024 Super Bowl halftime show. “Not into Usher or this halftime show,” Kelly wrote on X in February 2024, following the R&B superstar’s headlining stint at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. “However I do appreciate that my kids haven’t had anyone’s vag exposed to them on screen as they innocently wait for the football to start. (Hi J-Lo, Shakira.)” (While there was no nudity during Lopez’s co-headlining halftime show with Shakira at the 2020 Super Bowl, Kelly seems to remember a much more explicit production.)

Once Lopez wraps her string of European dates next month, she’ll return to Las Vegas for a new residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace starting Dec. 30, with dates through March 2026. Her Up All Night Live in Las Vegas residency follows her Jennifer Lopez: All I Have stint from 2016 to 2018 at Zappos Theater in Planet Hollywood.

See Kelly’s new X post and Lopez’s performance clip below.