Category: 5. Entertainment

“Bachelor in Paradise” will look and feel much different when Season 10 kicks off on July 7. Not only are members of “The Golden Bachelor” and “The Golden Bachelorette” joining the cast — and former Bachelorette Hannah Brown is coming on as the show’s “Paradise Relations” — there’s a new showrunner in the mix.

Scott Teti spent the last five years at Kinetic Content, working on “Claim to Fame,” “Sweethearts,” “Love Without Borders,” “Married at First Sight” spinoffs and many more unscripted hits. But when the opportunity came up for him to move over to Disney and “Bachelor in Paradise,” it felt like “a perfect fit,” he tells Variety.

“When I started to look at ‘Paradise,’ I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I would love to do this — and here’s what I would love to do to it,’” Teti recalls telling executives Rob Mills and Jamie Silverman. “It resonated with them.”

Below, Teti teases what to expect ahead of Season 10 of “Bachelor in Paradise” and how the vibes changed when bringing in the Goldens.

OK, so tell me what your idea for “Bachelor in Paradise” was. There’ve been conversations for a while about bringing in the Goldens…

I looked at what was there, and saw what was great about the existing format. Then I immediately thought of things that I would love to do to make it more compelling and interesting. Some of those were format beats that are different and ways to mix up the story that keep things moving in the right direction. The other was stylistic: I really wanted to upgrade things, and take an approach of, how do we make this feel 2025, even more so than what other shows are doing? How do we make this feel cinematic, sexy, stylized, and, at the same time, implement that in a way where you’re using longer lenses? You use a cinematic shooting approach where you’re backing off cast and when you’re not up in their [face], they forget that you’re over top of them. They start to open up and feel more relaxed. It was really about just wanting to elevate everything about the show.

“Paradise” always adds an element of comedy and silliness that the other Bachelor Nation shows don’t. Will that remain?

Most of my career has been spent doing loud, comedic shows. With this approach, because we were upgrading the style and sexiness, making it more cinematic, we had to take — hopefully — a more elevated approach with the comedy. It’s all throughout, and we’re getting it in a variety of different ways, just maybe not hitting viewers over the head with it. Hopefully, it resonates, but it’s always tricky. Comedy is a tough thing. You have to continue to evolve, because it’s easy to go for the easy jokes. It’s difficult to really think about how to get creative with it, how to do it in a way that people don’t see it coming. We tried to be irreverent and comedic throughout the series.

Because there are the Goldens mixed in, do the relationships feel a bit more serious? Or are the Goldens leaning into more of the casual, fun vibe?

The Goldens came in more ready to party and with more youthful energy than the younger cast. When they do come in, it almost feels like the injection of youth that they bring. There are always elements of drama and serious romance and things like that, and that carries through with the Goldens too, but I think they brought a lot of the levity.

Can you talk about the format with the two age groups? Are they all together, and are they encouraged to mingle?

They are all immersed in the same living area, but because of the way they were integrated, and when we brought the Goldens in, they stayed in their respective lanes. A lot of thought went into that. And that’s not to say that it couldn’t happen or it didn’t happen, but largely speaking, they gravitated towards their own peers. There’s a lot of camaraderie and partying and hijinks that goes on between all of them.

I’m so excited to see the interactions between the two age groups.

I think the unique thing about bringing the Goldens in is the POV they bring. The Goldens come in with a lot fewer inhibitions. They’ve lived a lot more life. I think they’re much freer, and their way of thinking is a bit more uninhibited. So when there’s this crossover of the two generations, it’s a really fun mix — the younger is giving the Golden cast dating advice, telling them how to swipe left or write, and the vice versa, [advice like], “Lower your standards, honey, if you want to find a man.” So it was very comedic and endearing.

Can you talk about the casting process, especially for which Goldens you were choosing to come out?

I think it was a lot easier for them [to say yes] because they’re so excited about going on an adventure and having a second go at things. They were very much amped up about everything, and open to it all. Casting is always tricky. Who’s going to be a good fit for the show? Who’s at the right stage of their life? Who’s really looking for love? Who would potentially match with who? A lot goes into “Paradise” in general. I won’t say the casting process is easy, because it’s always difficult, but it’s a fun process.

Let’s discuss the move from Mexico to Costa Rica? I assume this change is, in part, due to the lack of air conditioning, the stairs, etc. at the old resort. Those conditions are not suitable for the Goldens!

A lot of that was before my time. The location was actually chosen before I came on board. I think a lot of that went into what you just mentioned. All of those things went into the thought behind going to Costa Rica and finding somewhere different. It was a great experience. I think the hotel and the vibe of everything feels a little chicer and more elevated. There’s air conditioning! So if the cast is happier, you’re going to get a better response. And I think the response was extremely positive with their experience.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Despite having never designed any jewelry or visited the island of Capri until recently, the iconoclastic artist Marina Abramović has gamefully joined forces with Chantecler Capri.

In what seems to have been one of the more al fresco approaches to sharing the news of a collaboration, the island, which is located in the Gulf of Naples just a few nautical miles from the Peninsula of Sorrento, welcomed the artist late last month for a public event entitled “Breathing Rocks.” 

The Chantecler x Marina Abramović capsule collection is inspired by Abramović’s art and the island’s primordial forces. The preview initiative — held at the Tragara vista where the towering Faraglioni rocks rise from the sea in the distance — didn’t just have the municipal administration’s support, Capri’s Mayor Paolo Falco was on hand, as were its councilors Salvatore Ciuccio and Melania Esposito. They weren’t just there to show some face time, but to relay, on behalf of the community, the value of the cultural dialogue that Abramović’s presence brought.

The Serbian-born conceptual artist’s body of work includes videos, soundscapes, installations, photographs and solo performances including the seminal “The Artist Is Present.” During a three-month run at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2010, Abramović sat unblinkingly every day, as thousands of strangers lined up to have the chance to stare back at her.

Chantecler’s creative director, Maria Elena Aprea, was responsible for corralling Abramović, with help from art director and stylist Andrea Lazzari and the Modern Art Museum of Shanghai’s artistic director Shai Baitel. For “Breathing Rocks,” the artist sat down with Baitel and journalist and author Cesare Cunaccia, whose books include “Capri Dolce Vita.” A Q&A session with attendees took place at the end of the program.

During the conversation, the artist spoke of how she has explored areas that relate to art and design, but this was her first foray into jewelry design in her decades-long career, Baitel said Monday. The Chantecler endeavor was “a natural continuation” of Abramović’s [‘Transforming Energy’] exhibition at the Modern Art Museum in Shanghai, which dealt with stones, minerals and energy and which wound down in March, he said. 

In turn, the artist designed with Lazzari the concept of the three stones, which references the island’s natural phenomenon of the Faraglioni. Each stone is meant to have its own energy, which is in line with the artist’s design philosophy. Intent on extending the philosophy about energy that she had used with Baitel in the MAM Shanghai show, Abramović kept going back to their discussions about curating energy.

“I said, ‘We don’t curate the physical. We curate the metaphysical.’ She said, ‘OK, so there’s a great jeweler of the necklaces, but the importance is the energy that the stones give you. Now you have this halo that is kind of a secret. It is part of the goodness that the stones bestow on you.’ It’s curious because this is not an art exhibition, but it’s a relative philosophy to what’s behind the art,” Baitel said.

Accustomed to speaking with Abramović several times a week and sometimes several times a day, Baitel said, “She loves fashion. It’s only been in the past year or two that she’s speaking more about how fashion is part of what she does.” (As part of the endeavor, Abramović received a dress designed by Italian label Crida, which was created by its founders Cristina Parodi and Daniela Palazzi.)

In the past, the artist has turned up at fashion shows for Prada, Versace, Jil Sander, MM6, Ferragamo and other brands. She once collaborated with Riccardo Tisci too on the art project that was entitled “Contact.” Last year Abramović debuted skin care and wellness products as part of the Abramović Longevity Method and she joined forces with the Italian brand Massimo Dutti for Miami Art Week 2024. More recently, she rolled out a NFT project with TAEX “Marina Abramović Element.” 

Founded in 1947 by Pietro “Chantecler” Capuano, an heir to a family of the Neapolitan jewelers, with his friend Salvatore Aprea, the brand started with one store on Capri. Jet setters like Audrey Hepburn and Ingrid Bergman Rossellini were among the early fans. Aprea’s heirs Gabriele, along with his wife Teresa and sisters Maria Elena and Costanza, now run the business, which has headquarters in Milan and a production center in Valenza Po, an area known for its goldsmiths.

Presented with collaborative opportunities all the time, Abramović liked that Chantecler has such an elegant boutique on Capri, as well as for its reutation for being a brand for “people in-the-know like Jackie Kennedy, as opposed to being proliferated for the mass market,” Baitel said. “She liked that it was unique like an original piece of art,” he said.

Due out in September, the assortment includes a necklace, bracelet and earrings. Next year Abramović’s exhibition will debut at the Gallerie dell’Accademia, during the Biennale in Venice. “She will be turning 80 next year. And this is like the Oscars of the art world,” Baitel added.

Netflix has set a September premiere for the third season of hit Japanese thriller series “Alice in Borderland,” unveiling the first teaser for the new installment.

The streaming giant’s latest season of the series returns viewers to the dangerous alternate reality, with Season 2 having debuted at No. 1 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 list for non-English TV shows.

Season 3 continues to expand on Haro Aso’s acclaimed manga source material, diving deeper into the mysterious realm that exists between life and death. Director Shinsuke Sato returns to helm the new season, reuniting with series leads Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya, who reprise their roles as Arisu and Usagi.

The returning cast includes Hayato Isomura, Ayaka Miyoshi, and Katsuya Maiguma, while the new season welcomes fresh faces including Koji Ohkura, Risa Sudou, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Tina Tamashiro, Kotaro Daigo, Hyunri, Sakura Kiryu, and Kento Kaku. Additional cast members for Season 3 include Yugo Mikawa, Joey Iwanaga, and Akana Ikeda.

According to the official synopsis, Season 3 finds Arisu and Usagi now married and living peacefully, though haunted by memories of the Borderland in dreams and visions. The plot kicks into gear when Usagi suddenly disappears, guided by Ryuji (Kento Kaku), a man studying the afterlife, as she returns to the Borderland. A devastated Arisu receives a visit from Banda, now a Borderland resident, who reveals Usagi’s whereabouts. Arisu must then follow her back into the dangerous world they believed they had escaped.

The series is developed and produced by Robot, with production cooperation from The Seven. The creative team includes screenplay writers Yasuko Kuramitsu and Shinsuke Sato, composer Yutaka Yamada, director of photography Taro Kawazu, and production designers Iwao Saito and Shin Nakayama. Yuji Shimomura serves as action director, with Atsushi Doi as VFX supervisor and producers Akira Morii and Tomoki Takase.

“Alice in Borderland” Season 3 premieres Sept. 25 exclusively on Netflix.

Watch the teaser here:

Deidre Lynch thinks everyone should read “Mansfield Park.”

Jane Austen may be best known for the romantic and witty “Pride and Prejudice,” but Lynch, Ernest Bernbaum Professor of Literature in the Department of English, wants readers to see the 19th-century novelist as more than a “rom-com writer.”

“The marriage plot is not the thing Austen is most interested in,” Lynch said. “She’s interested in how difficult it is to be a good person. She’s interested in inequality and domination, and power. She’s interested in how people who don’t have a lot of power nonetheless preserve their principles. What is independence of mind even if you don’t have financial or political independence?”

This year marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth — and for a woman who had to publish all of her works anonymously, she’s now more visible than ever. In addition to new editions of the novels, a fresh wave of film and TV treatments have been recently released or are in the works, including “Miss Austen,” “Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius,” and “The Other Bennet Sister” (all BBC), and “Pride and Prejudice” (Netflix).

Lynch, who teaches “Jane Austen’s Fictions and Fans,” said the novelist’s work continues to resonate in part because of her minimalist style, which makes the fiction easy to modernize. “Clueless” (1995) and “Fire Island” (2022) are two examples.

“Her plots are fairly uncluttered and unlike many other 19th-century novelists, she doesn’t spend a lot of time describing her characters or settings, so it makes it easier to slot ourselves from the 21st century into her books,” Lynch explained. “The characters are so vivid and life-like, we all feel as though we know a Mrs. Bennet or a Mr. Woodhouse or a Mr. Collins.”

Samantha Matherne, professor of philosophy, became interested in the moral, aesthetic, and epistemic themes of Austen’s work after rereading “Sense and Sensibility” a few years ago — a rediscovery that inspired her course “The Philosophy of Jane Austen.”

Is Austen a philosopher? Not exactly, Matherne said (though it’s a question students debate in her course). Austen saw herself first and foremost as a novelist, but she explored philosophical ideas through narrative rather than formal argument.

“If you think about ‘Pride and Prejudice’ or ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ both novels are exploring the concepts that are in the titles and asking, ‘Should they have a role in one’s life?’” Matherne said. “Austen seems to say pride and prejudice are vices that get in the way of morality and knowledge — and romance! You do get Austen advocating for a picture of the good life as one in which you’re balancing sense and sensibility, as I think both the characters Elinor and Marianne come to do developmentally over the course of the novel.”

Matherne’s course also asks students to discuss whether Austen is even interested in romance. As Matherne pointed out, every novel might follow a marriage plot, but the weddings themselves get little narrative attention, if Austen even describes them at all.

“These romantic symbols of the proposal and the wedding, Austen has absolutely no interest in,” Matherne said. “She’s interested in loving relationships between couples, between friends, between communities; that’s the romance of Austen. This is why reading the novels is a different experience than watching movies, because you get the interiority of love and romance. You need words on the page to describe the rush of emotions and the ambiguity of emotions and the doubt, hope, anger, and fear.”

“She’s interested in loving relationships between couples, between friends, between communities; that’s the romance of Austen.”

Samantha Matherne

That is why “Mansfield Park,” Matherne and Lynch agree, is the perfect book for digging into Austen’s heavier themes. Written right after “Pride and Prejudice,” the novel has a less charismatic heroine and takes a darker direction on issues that aren’t typically associated with Austen: class, inequality, power, and the slave trade, referenced through the sugar plantation in Antigua that sustains the Bertram family’s fortune.

“Students get really interested in the ways in which Austen is commenting on the history of empire and slavery and race,” Lynch said. “Many of them end up saying, ‘“Mansfield Park” is absolutely my favorite,’ because of the ways in which it takes on these questions of power.”

“Students get really interested in the ways in which Austen is commenting on the history of empire and slavery and race.”

Deidre Lynch

“The focus of ‘Mansfield Park’ is really diffuse. It roams around the different characters and dynamics,” Matherne agreed. “Austen is trying to give us a novel of a social world rather than the novel of one character or one romantic pairing.”

For the uninitiated, Lynch recommended starting with “Pride and Prejudice” as the most accessible entry point before moving to the other novels, not forgetting the “Juvenilia,” a collection of pieces Austen wrote as a teenager.

“I do hope that anybody who starts with ‘Pride and Prejudice’ goes on to all the others as well,” said Lynch, who encourages students to read all six Austen novels every year. “She’s the person who convincingly figured out what the novel form could do and could be and wrote to improve it. She’s a totally brilliant novelist.”

LeAnn Rimes dove deep into some nitty-gritty topics in her Flow Space cover story published Monday (July 7), from the precarious beginnings of her relationship with husband Eddie Cibrian to the dental issues that led to her teeth falling out mid-concert in a viral moment last month.

Though the singer/songwriter and her partner have been married for 14 years at this point, their romance got off to a rocky start. Rimes has long been candid about having begun her relationship with Cibrian — whom she met on the set of the Lifetime movie Northern Lights — while both parties were still married to other people, and in the new piece, Rimes opens up about the backlash she faced in light of the affair more than a decade ago.

“I realized very quickly that there are a lot of women who’ve been hurt,” she told the publication. “Like, I’ve been on both sides of that coin — I’ve been cheated on, too, so I know that feeling.

“But so many women don’t know what to do with that anger,” Rimes continued. “I was a target that was just easily projected upon. And once I realized that, things got a lot easier. Instead of taking it so personally, it’s like, look: This is not all my pain to carry. I know what I’m responsible for in the situation and making amends for that. But you know, the world’s pain is not mine to carry, and I think that really got thrown at me for a long time.”

Rimes was previously married for eight years to Dean Sheremet, while Cibrian shares two sons with ex-wife Brandi Glanville. Throughout their relationship, Rimes says that Cibrian has been her support system amid various health issues, including her long battle with psoriasis and her more recent struggles with perimenopause.

The musician has also dealt with various dental problems, as evidenced during a June concert that found Rimes rushing offstage after feeling her front dental bridge pop out of her mouth mid-song. “There wasn’t a f—ing thing I could do about it except either walk off or just hold my teeth in and sing, so I just ran with it,” she later said of the moment in an Instagram video. “The show can go on, even in the midst of sheer, utter embarrassment.”

To Flow Space, Rimes opened up about the many dental surgeries and oral pain she’s faced since getting a botched set of veneers when she was about 16. “I look at my pictures from that time, and my face was so different — it was just so swollen,” she told the publication. “Oh, it was awful. I was in chronic pain for, like, two-and-a-half years.”

See Rimes on the cover of Flow Space below.

Anne Hathaway is a master at her craft, but that doesn’t mean it always comes easy.

In an interview for the August issue of Vogue, Hathaway detailed the work that went into preparing for her starring role in the upcoming melodrama Mother Mary. In the David Lowery-directed film, Hathaway plays the titular pop star, who’s so famous she’s considered more of a deity than a human being. As Mother Mary spirals out, she flees and finds solace in an old friend, played by Michaela Coel.

Bringing Mother Mary to life was, according to Hathaway, “transformational.” The veteran actress admitted that taking on the role meant surrendering her ego.

“I had to submit to being a beginner,” she told Vogue. “The humility of that — showing up every day knowing you’re going to suck. And it has to be okay. You’re not ‘bad.’ You’re just a beginner. Getting to that mindset — I had to shed some things that were hard to shed. It was welcome. But it was hard, the way transformational experiences can be hard.”

After recognizing that she’d have to “become material [Lowery] could craft with,” as she told Vogue, Hathaway did exactly that. Mother Mary, she added, wasn’t a role she could just “perform.” To prepare for the movie, which wrapped filming in Cologne, Germany, in 2024, Hathaway endured nearly two years of daily dance classes, which at one point ran from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The 42-year-old star also went through intensive voice lessons so she’d be able to belt out the Mother Mary songs written by Taylor Swift-approved producer Jack Antonoff and Brat superstar Charli XCX.

“You can’t tell me you’re angry; show me. Proprioception. That was the training, getting Annie out of her head,” Dani Vitale, the film’s choreographer, told Vogue of what she told Hathaway upon meeting her. “I remember that first day, being like, Oh no. Because she’s like a doll, you know? So pretty, so graceful. I thought, Oh God, I have to break this person.”

But continued dance training with Vitale helped Hathaway become more in tune with her own body. Hathaway, perhaps most notably, unlocked a crucial skill: The ability to breathe.

“I finally learned how to breathe,” Hathaway told Vogue. “My body was so locked up — I literally couldn’t take a deep breath. I’d been trying to open that space for years and I thought it was physically impossible. All my breath, it was stuck.”

Hathaway has a history of throwing herself into her roles. For her 2022 Apple TV+ series WeCrashed, Hathaway went on a raw vegan diet to imitate the lifestyle of Rebekah Neumann, the wife of WeWork founder Adam Neumann, whom she played in the miniseries. The New York native, while preparing for the role of Fantine in 2012’s Les Misérables, lost 25 pounds in a matter of weeks. (She’s since called the weight loss taxing on her body and her brain.)

But working on Mother Mary feels like even more of a departure for Hathaway, who previously spoke about her fierce dedication.

“I’d rather not be unseated on the day [of filming] by my anxiety,” the actress told Vanity Fair in 2024. “Part of the way I can tell myself that I am okay is by having such a complete level of preparation that if I get a critical voice in my head, you can quiet it down by saying that you did everything you could to prepare.”

Hathaway went into Mother Mary knowing that the project would be different from anything she’d ever done before — and she clearly rose to the occasion. While a release date for the film has yet to be set, it seems likely that fans will be in for a treat.

Netflix has confirmed that “Golden” is the song from the red-hot KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack that it will enter for Academy Award consideration. The upbeat pop song was co-written by Kim Eun-jae (who is also known by her stage name EJAE) and Mark Sonnenblick.

If the song is nominated for best original song in January, EJAE will become just the second songwriter of Korean descent to receive an Oscar nomination. Karen O, whose mother is Korean, was nominated at the 2013 ceremony for co-writing “The Moon Song” with Spike Jonze for his film Her. Karen O also performed the song at the ceremony, in tandem with Ezra Koenig.

EJAE performs “Golden” in KPop Demon Hunters as part of the fictional K-pop girl group Huntr/x. The group consists of Rumi, Mira and Zoey, whose singing voices are performed by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, respectively. The film was released on Netflix on June 20.

“Golden” will vault from No. 81 to No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 that will be posted tomorrow, which makes it the highest ranking of seven songs from the soundtrack. The song is also a global smash. It leaps from No. 52 to No. 2 on the Billboard Global 200 this week, and from No. 51 to No. 5 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.

“Golden” is vying to become the first song from an animated film to receive an Oscar nomination since “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, which was nominated four years ago.

EJAE is a South Korean and American singer-songwriter and record producer known for her work with Red Velvet, aespa, LE SSERAFIM, NMIXX, TWICE, Kard and other South Korean artists.

Sonnenblick’s previous credits include co-writing the lyrics for the musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada.  

The Oscar submission deadline in the best original song category is Wednesday, Oct. 15.  Oscar shortlists in 10 categories, including best original song, will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Nominations will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 22. The 2026 Oscars will be presented on Sunday, March 2.

The six other songs from KPop Demon Hunters on this week’s Hot 100 are “Your Idol” (which vaults from No. 77 to No. 31) and five debuts: “How It’s Done” (No. 42), “Soda Pop” (No. 49), “What It Sounds Like” (No. 55), “Free” (No. 58) and “Takedown” (No. 64).

The 6 God returned on July 5 with his “What Did I Miss” single.

Like many years of the past, Drake is looking to make the summer his once again. The 6 God returned on July 4 with the cinematic livestream premiere of his introspective “What Did I Miss” single, which essentially served as the kick-off to his highly anticipated Iceman album.

Drake addresses heartbreak and those who have betrayed him in the last year since the explosive battle that took rap by storm with Kendrick Lamar. “It’s love for my brothers and death to a traitor, let’s go,” he raps.

“What Did I Miss” hit streaming services on “July 5” and has topped the Spotify U.S. chart for two consecutive days (July 5-6).

Even nearly two decades in and after all of the accolades, it feels like another pivotal point in Drake’s career once again with his first solo LP on the horizon since clashing with Lamar in 2024. He’ll look to make another statement setting off the summer when he headlines Wireless Fest 2025 in the U.K. for all three nights this weekend.

The Friday night (July 4) livestream that accompanied “What Did I Miss” found Drake also driving through Toronto while tailing the Iceman Toronto-based ice company truck. He scolded a hater and previewed another unreleased track that’s tentatively titled “Supermax.”

When Iceman does inevitably arrive, Drake will more than likely break a tie with Jay-Z and Taylor Swift for the most Billboard 200 No. 1 albums of all time with his 15th chart-topper.

While there isn’t plenty of information out there regarding Iceman (look for more possible streams on the way), here’s everything we know so far about Drake’s ninth solo studio album.

• Possible Release Date

  Drake hasn’t put a firm release date on Iceman outside of teasing that it’s “coming soon” during Friday night’s live-stream and writing “Iceman 2025″ while leaving an autograph. It doesn’t appear as if the project will arrive in time for Drizzy’s three nights of headlining at Wireless Festival 2025 this weekend.

  However, Drake will be staying in the U.K. as he kicks off his $ome $pecial $hows 4 U European tour run with PARTYNEXTDOOR on July 20. There’s a break for the first week of August, which is when Drake has traditionally hosted OVO Fest over the years, so that’s another possible key date to keep an eye on.

  If Iceman still hasn’t been defrosted by the end of Drake’s tour with PND, all eyes will go toward October. After all, he is October’s Very Own. After releasing $ome $exy $ongs 4 U in February, which generated long-lasting hits like “Nokia” and “Somebody Loves Me,” there probably isn’t too much urgency from Drake’s side.

• What Inspired the Iceman Title?

  Drake has been dropping subtle hints about Iceman for months. He’s posted photos to IG of his icy jewelry, NBA legend George Gervin, who’s nicknamed the Iceman and Canada’s snowy winters.

  Of course, Iceman is a Marvel superhero and a founding member of the X-Men. Comic book writer Mike Carey described the Iceman as “devastatingly honest. He is very up-front with his emotions and his thoughts all the time.”

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  Drizzy aligned with the Toronto commercial ice packaging company of the same name, which saw him tailing an Iceman promo truck while driving throughout the 6 on Friday night, and he donned Iceman merchandise during the live-stream at the company’s warehouse.

  “During the actual live-stream, it was pretty crazy… People from all over North America started calling us,” Iceman’s Jake Silva told CP24. “My father’s phone started blowing up from a lot of our customers.”

• “What Did I Miss”

  “What Did I Miss” arrived as part of Friday’s livestream and then landed on streaming services hours later at midnight on Saturday (July 5). The menacing tune finds Drake examining themes of heartbreak and betrayal.

  At one point, he appears to take a shot at either NBA star LeBron James or DeMar DeRozan, who both showed support for Kendrick Lamar when making appearances at K. Dot’s Pop Out show. “I saw bro went to Pop Out with them, but been d—k riding gang since ‘Headlines,’” he raps about a friend-turned-adversary.

  Drizzy uses a mid-beat switch like a valve relieving pressure to change the temperature of “What Did I Miss.” He enlists a phalanx of producers behind the boards, including frequent collaborators Tay Keith and OZ along with FNZ, DJ Lewis, Patron, Elyas, GYZ, London Cyr and O Lil Angel.

  “What Did I Miss” seemingly builds on the themes Drake previously employed on the Conductor Williams-produced “Fighting Irish Freestyle,” which was quickly scrubbed from YouTube in January and never appeared on DSPs.

• “Supermax”

  In the midst of cruising around Toronto during the innovative live-stream, Drake gave fans an assumed preview of the album when playing an unreleased track that’s tentatively titled “Supermax.” Drizzy looks inward and vulnerably opens up about fractured relationships and keeping his focus. “It’s still heartbreak Drake, but I glued it together,” he raps.

  At one point, the 6 God reveals he had a conversation with TNT sideline reporter Taylor Rooks about how heavy the crown can be. “Losin’ all these friends really got to me/ I was talking to Taylor over drinks, and it was getting deep/ ‘Not everyone can handle this pressure and, in thе city, you’re the national treasurе,’ that’s what she said to me,” he ruminates.

  Rooks reposted the clip to her Instagram Story, seemingly confirming she’s the Taylor Drake is referencing on the track.

• Potential Collaborators (Or Lack Thereof)?

  There’s been speculation on social media that Drake is freeing himself from his industry ties and going at Iceman as a one-man band. With plenty of Drizzy’s former collaborators turning on him during the Kendrick feud, it could make sense for Drake to attack his next album as the lone star of the show.

  However, if he does decide to go the feature route — it would be the first time in his solo career that he didn’t — fans can possibly expect 21 Savage to make an appearance. Drake showed love to 21 for always having his back on “Gimme a Hug,” and the Atlanta rapper reposted Drake’s latest single.

  DJ Swamp Izzo also previewed an unreleased Playboi Carti and Drake collaboration during a tour after-party. According to DJ Akademiks, he relayed that Drake told him the track was supposed to appear on For All the Dogs, but never made the cut. We’ll see if it remains shelved.

  As far as the production side, frequent collaborators OZ and Tay Keith were involved with “What Did I Miss.” Conductor Williams has established a rapport with Drake and could supply some heat on the album. Of course, when it’s a Drake project, you can assume his right-hand, Noah “40” Shebib, will play a significant role. Don’t count out Boi-1da either.

• Don’t Believe the Cover Art

  Drake’s been known to make questionable choices for his album covers, but the blue Drake ice sculpture that’s currently going viral on social media hasn’t been verified by the 6 God himself. So don’t fall for anything just yet when it comes to Iceman artwork.

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After Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” led the monthly Top Gabb Music Songs chart for three months in a row, the first song to do so since Billboard and Gabb began partnering on presenting the data in October 2024, Forrest Frank’s “Your Way’s Better” has claimed the ensuing three months, remaining at No. 1 on the June 2025-dated list.

Billboard has partnered with Gabb Wireless, a phone company for kids and teens, to present a monthly chart tracking on-demand streams via its Gabb Music platform. Gabb Music offers a vast catalog of songs, all of which are selected by the Gabb team to include only kid- and teen-appropriate content. Gabb Music streams are not currently factored into any other Billboard charts.

“Your Way’s Better” ascended to No. 1 on the Top Gabb Music Songs chart for April 2025, following in the footsteps of “Die With a Smile” as it debuted at the top spot rather than rising there.

Its now three-month reign on the ranking coincides with a six-week reign on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart. It ascended to the top of the May 24 survey and ruled for the ensuing five weeks, dropping to No. 2 on the June 28 list before returning to No. 1 July 5. It’s also peaked so far at No. 61 on the all-format Billboard Hot 100.

Three songs from Frank’s catalog appear on the June 2025 tally. “Drop!” ranks at No. 18 (down from its peak of No. 13 from May 2025), while Connor Price collaboration jumps five spots to No. 20.

“Your Way’s Better” reigns over Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” which lifts 3-2 for a new peak. The current Hot 100 No. 1 (ruling for a fifth week upon the July 12-dated survey) debuted at No. 6 on the Top Gabb Music Songs list in April.

Morgan Wallen’s Tate McRae-featuring “What I Want,” the May chart’s top debut (No. 11), follows at a new peak of No. 3. It debuted atop the Hot 100 dated May 31 and has ruled Hot Country Songs for each week since.

Speaking of debuts, there’s only one on the June 2025 Top Gabb Music Songs chart: Vance Joy’s 2013 breakthrough “Riptide,” which starts at No. 24. “Riptide” is Joy’s lone Hot 100 entry to date, peaking at No. 30 in 2015.

See the full top 25 below.

Top Gabb Music Songs

DROPS: “No L’s,” Forrest Frank; “B.I.G.,” Forrest Frank; “Let You Down,” NF

Veteran filmmaker Terry Gilliam is headed to the Umbria Film Festival in Italy, where a screening next weekend of his iconic 1985 dystopian black comedy Brazil will celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary. Nominated for two Oscars and winning a pair of BAFTAs, the movie centers on Jonathan Pryce’s Sam Lowry, who works in the sprawling archives of a megalopolis ruled by faceless bureaucracy and an all-seeing Information Department. When a band of terrorists begins sowing chaos, Sam escapes the gray monotony of his desk job through vivid, dreamlike visions — until reality and fantasy collide with explosive consequences.

Gilliam’s own career has been filled with the fantastical, and often courted controversy. He famously clashed with Universal’s then-Chairman, Sid Sheinberg, over the U.S. release of Brazil, which has gone on to be considered a masterpiece of science fiction.

Earlier, during his days with Monty Python, Gilliam co-wrote biblical black comedy The Life of Brian, whose themes of religious satire drew accusations of blasphemy and protests.

More recently, Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote went through a lengthy and troubled production before it finally premiered at Cannes in 2018.

In the discussion below, Gilliam, who has not directed a feature since Don Quixote, talks about not wanting “any more fights.” He says he’s lined up such talent as Johnny Depp, Adam Driver, Jeff Bridges, Jason Momoa and Tom Waits for his next project, Carnival at the End of Days, but that financing is proving a challenge. 

He tells us, “Filmmaking is, I think, different now, and I think the producers, the financiers, the studios, are very timid these days.”

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

DEADLINE: There are a lot of major films having big anniversaries this year. When you look back now, how does it feel to realize it’s been 40 years since Brazil?

TERRY GILLIAM: Well, that’s the thing that’s always interesting. I mean, it doesn’t feel that long ago for me because it was such an intense period, not the making of the film, the fighting to get the film released as we made it — that was very intense and interesting. I kind of look back at that time and think, “Wow, it was almost good fun to have that fight with Universal.” I was just so determined that they were not going to change the movie. As a result of it, I was for a while, inundated by other filmmakers who were thinking that I had changed the rules. There was a little opening for a few weeks, and then it closed again. And it’s either you have to decide whether you want a career or you want to make your movie the way you want to make it. Simple.

DEADLINE: It feels as though it has held up well across 40 years.

GILLIAM: That’s the thing I like about the success of the film, the fact it’s lasted. It doesn’t feel dated. People keep coming up to me say, “How did you understand the world was going to be like it is then?” And I say, “Well, you just had to keep your eyes open.” Basically, most people don’t think ahead. They seem to be just dealing with the daily noise. But it seemed to me, it was about then as far as I was concerned. And then is the same as now, just the players changed basically. … A few years ago when Dick Cheney and George W were running the show in America, I was in the States promoting something and I said that I was considering taking the two of them to court for the illegal and unauthorized remake of Brazil. Homeland Security is out with us now, and it’s very much like the Ministry of Information.

DEADLINE: And even today it feels relevant.

GILLIAM: You always need an enemy. And whether there’s a real one, you fabricate him. I’m almost finding it enjoyable to listen to Trump and Musk go at each other like two children in the playground. It’s the world’s richest man and the world’s most powerful man behaving like that. That’s kind of fascinating and entertaining, and I think the idea of pushing all those people out of California, in all of America, that’s the workforce folks, it isn’t going to give more jobs to Americans. We need immigrants. The same thing happened when Britain left Europe. 

DEADLINE: What’s your state of mind today in that regard as you work to get another project, Carnival at the End of Days off the ground?

GILLIAM: I’m getting weary as I get old. I really don’t want any more fights. Filmmaking is, I think, different now, and I think the producers, the financiers, the studios, are very timid these days. 

That’s one of the problems. That’s what’s depressing, the fact that to have ideas, strong opinions, and things that try to get people thinking, or at least discussing or even being outraged about what’s happening. It just feels like it’s not a very interesting time. I watch movies now, and I see them very technically skilled films, but not doing anything to make my view of the world different. They’re not shocking me. They’re not making me think. And I find that’s what’s so depressing, it makes me feel old.

I started writing the script in 2020, Carnival at the End of Days, and then I teamed up with a young dramatist in his early 30s, Christopher Brett Bailey, because I thought I’m an old fart, and I want to stay in touch with the audience, a younger audience And so we wrote this script, and it’s very, very funny. What I did cleverly is I sent the script directly to actors that I knew. I didn’t go through agents, because agents are very cautious, concerned people, and I had been warned anyway by a guy very much in Hollywood who did read the script and said: “Don’t let anybody else read this in Hollywood. You’ll never work again, mate.” And so I assembled this incredible group of actors, so I thought, “Wow, who can say no to that?” And now we’ve been pissing around for almost another year.

DEADLINE: Is there a way to maneuver to get your stories across?

GILLIAM: As an independent, they say you’ve got to keep your budget at around $10 million or below $10 million, it seems to me, if you’re going to go anywhere, and my ideas tend to need more. Quixote was $20 million, and I finally got it made. But not because of the system, because of a fairy godmother who came up with the last bit of money. I don’t know how to make films as cheaply anymore because my ideas have become invariably bigger. I’m kind of caught in this trap between independent film budgets and studio budgets. That’s what is my mistake in life.

On this particular project, I decided to get the cast first and then find the money. So I have this wondrous cast — Johnny Depp, Adam Driver, Jeff Bridges, Jason Momoa, Tom Waits, Asa Butterfield, Emma Laird — who are all willing to work for less. That’s not the problem; it’s still getting the money needed. In the independent world, you either have solid independent producers who will work below $10 million or the ones who are more adventurous, more crazy, more socially demanding … who will at least try to make more expensive fare, but after a couple years, I’m getting ready to go back and talk to studios again.

DEADLINE: In terms of finance and how things have changed, what about a streamer? Would you think about seeking out that avenue? Or are you strictly in the big-screen theatrical camp?

GILLIAM: There’s many days I would be happy to work for Netflix or anything because, having not made a film now in almost 10 years, it’s time to go back to work. It doesn’t matter. Except, last night I saw F1. I saw it in Imax and it’s really good, especially on Imax. On a big screen with big sound, that’s what the film is about.

If you sit and watch it on your iPhone or at home on your little computer, it’s not the same experience. So that’s what I like about big screens. That’s why I keep the films that way because it’s also a little bit more of a religious experience. You’re paying money, you’re going into this cathedral of darkness, where this screen is out there, and you start from a position of respect for cinema. But I find almost everything I’m watching these days is being streamed. I’ve got a 52-inch screen at home that’s pretty good, but it’s without an audience, without that sense of a communal experience.

When I’m on the tube here in London, and I see somebody watching Star Wars on their iPhone, I want to take them out and shoot them. The whole point is the film, the presentation is gigantic, and we the viewers are small in comparison. It’s not the other way around. It’s my big head and my little iPhone. This is the wrong relationship.

DEADLINE: So what do you see as the future for Carnival at the End of Days?

GILLIAM: We may be getting closer to the time when this film is more allowed likely to breathe. Hollywood, you know, in the last couple years has been a very nervous world. You were not allowed to offend anyone, and all the executives were living in fear so I started looking elsewhere. 

It’s a simple tale of God deciding to destroy humanity, wipe them out for ruining his beautiful garden, a comedy! Where and when we will start shooting has not been easy is all I can say. When you have to deal with the apocalypse and things like that it gets more costly. The apocalypse is always going to be expensive. And the other problem is that the script, in some ways, is out of date because it was a satire of the world two years ago, and Donald Trump has come along, and he is the carnival. He’s turned the world upside down — everything. We may have to rework some of the story because parts of it was very specific about the wonderful world of woke before The Donald took over again. That very narrow way of thinking of life. We’ll see where it goes. At the moment, I may be out of a job for another 10 years.

DEADLINE: You renounced American citizenship a long time ago; right about now I’m guessing you feel good about that decision.

GILLIAM: Yes, I haven’t been back to [live in] America since whenever it was, and I don’t intend to. I think America is in a very difficult position now because Trump and company are quite extraordinary. On the other hand, he may actually succeed where other people didn’t, in a strange way. It’s like Richard Nixon, you know, brought about the rapprochement with China. 

DEADLINE: When you look back at some of the films that you’ve done, anything from Brazil to 12 Monkeys to the earlier movies, do you reflect on them with fondness, or do you have a critical eye? Do you discover new things about them, or maybe about who you are now versus who you were then?

GILLIAM: Well, I’m not the guy that made those films. That guy was worn out some years ago, or, I think he died. I’m not sure what the accident was, but he doesn’t live in this body anymore, is all I can say. And I’ll tell you, I don’t watch my films after I’ve finally finished them, and maybe it was two years now, I supervised the 4k version of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and I hadn’t watched it in such a long time, because the whole experience had been so nightmarish and painful. But I watched it, and I just came out like I’d never seen the film before. I said, “This is a f*cking great movie. This is so good. I wish I could make something like that.”

I want to be able to be like the guy that sees one of my films for the first time. And that was an instance with Munchausen because it was just absolutely wonderful as far as I was concerned.

DEADLINE: If you haven’t sort of revisited them, do they still live within you? I mean, do you still feel like the person you know who can speak about them with the most authority?

GILLIAM: No, I can only remember what I was like during the making of them. I know what the films are, but it’s the guy who watches the finished product and that’s it. So I’d basically go to film festivals just to hear people tell me how much they love various films I’ve done, and that just makes me feel good, and that’s all I really want to hear, that the fact that the films made a difference to people, made them laugh more, made them think more, had an impact on them. That’s makes me happy.