Has any other series on the 2026 TV schedule had a more stellar soundtrack than Ponies? The Peacock spy thriller set in the 1970s takes advantage of a lot of the great music that was out at that time from the likes of Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Billy Joel and Elton John for all kinds of great needle drop moments that have us wanting to dust up all the great records from the era. So, when CinemaBlend spoke to the show’s creators, they told us about making these moments happen, and specifically explained the one request Elton John had in regard to it. SPOILERS ahead.

How Elton John Became Such A Big Part Of Ponies, Per The Creators

Elton John has a big part in Ponies because the finale takes place during a fictional concert of his in Moscow in 1977 (though he did tour in the Soviet Union in 1979). Ponies creator David Iserson told us about what happened when they contacted John’s team to involve the icon in the series. In his words:

The 78-year-old has done about everything, from reaching EGOT status to writing the music for The Lion King and the 2019 biopic Rocketman depicting his life story. Lucky for Ponies, they were granted the use of three Elton John songs: “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” and the Live From Moscow versions of “Take Me To The Pilot” and “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”.

The only thing that almost stood in their way was the depiction of Elton John in the finale, which ended up being played by unknown actor Alistair Mumford. Things all worked out in their favor, but for a moment, they were in the all-time great artist’s “hands” for approval.

How The Soundtrack Became Central To Ponies

Getting the thumbs up from Elton John is pretty groovy, but during our conversation with the showrunners, they also talked about why the soundtrack was such a big deal to the series. As Iserson explained:

If you’ve binged-watched Ponies like we have, you had to have noticed (and perhaps discovered) all the 1970s hits. I found it super interesting to learn the creators’ process to make the soundtrack an additional main character. As Iserson also added in our interview:

During our chat, the creators talked to us about the possibility of a Season 2 renewal as well. Should it happen, we’d look forward to even more great needle drops. You can check out the full Ponies soundtrack on Spotify right now.

The last couple of Saturday Night Live episodes to air amid the 2025 TV schedule garnered quite a bit of attention, to say the least. Amid the March 29th broadcast, musical guest Morgan Wallen hastily exited the stage at the end of the show. Then the April 5 show saw audience members yell an obscenity in unison during a Weekend Update bit. It goes without saying that those were some wild moments and, as those continue to be discussed, there’s another sweet development from the latest episode that you should know about.

What Happened Between Elton John And Madonna?

During this past Saturday’s telecast, Elton John and Brandi Carlile served as musical guests, and they weren’t the only musical titans that were present in Studio 8H. Madonna was also revealed to be in the audience during host Jack Black’s opening monologue. The songstress eventually took to Instagram this week to reflect on her SNL experience, and it seems she enjoyed herself. What she truly relished, though,was that she “buried the hatchet” with John. After reflecting on her admiration for him as a youth, she described their conflicts:

Elton John had previously taken shots at the “Material Girl” singer on a number of occasions over the years. However, based on the sentiments here, it seems the two have finally let bygones be bygones. Madonna also mentioned that John told her he’d written a song for her and “wanted to collaborate.” She also posted a photo of the two of them, which John also shared to his IG story and captioned, “A healing moment.” Check out the picture down below:

The notion of wild and infamous moments happening at SNL isn’t far-fetched, given the show’s history. However, it’s easy to forget that the series can also play host to some truly beautiful happenings as well. All in all, it’s lovely to see that the show (unintentionally) created an opportunity for the two aforementioned singers to make amends.

What’s Going On With The Morgan Wallen And Weekend Update Situations?

As sweet as this Madonna/Elton John moment is, it’s still hard to forget the wilder moments that have unfolded at SNL as of late. Morgan Wallen walked off stage after hugging guest host Mikey Madison and didn’t engage in the weekly cast goodbyes. Fans on social media viewed that a diss, especially after the country singer later took to his IG story to post a photo of his private jet, which was captioned, “Get me to God’s country.” Wallen’s team later responded, saying that he didn’t mean to offend but that he’d been using that exit all week and also didn’t consider he’d be on camera. In the aftermath, Wallen has been selling merchandise inspired by his viral comment as well.

The obscenity debacle occurred this past Saturday when cast member Ego Nwodim performed a bit amid Weekend Update, in which she tried to make an appeal to host the White House Correspondents Dinner. During the set, she joked about filibusters, saying that in her life, she’s had her “fill of busters.” She then turned her mic to the audience to say that’s “because these men ain’t…,” before the audience replied “shit.” Nwodim as well as Colin Jost and Michael Che appeared genuinely shocked.

Earlier this week, fellow series alum Bowen Yang provided clarity on the matter, saying that Ego Nwodim didn’t mean to make the crowd curse. Yang was of the belief that her line was written to play to a silent crowd. That’s definitely a broadcasting faux pas but, per the FCC’s rule on obscene content being allowed after 10 p.m., SNL may dodge a hefty fine.

Personally, I’m not sure fans will ever forget the Weekend Update brouhaha or the Morgan Wallen debacle. Given the sweetness of Madonna and Elton John’s meeting, though, let’s also hope that remains a lovely aspect of the show’s lore as well. Check out the late-night institution this week, as SNL’s upcoming host will be Jon Hamm, with musical guest Lizzo. It airs on the titular night at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC and will be streamable with a Peacock subscription as well.

One of the greatest honors a public figure can achieve is to either host Saturday Night Live or appear as a musical guest but how many people can say that they accomplished both in one night? Quite a few, actually. See for yourself by taking a look at some great SNL hosts who also put on memorable musical performances at Studio 8H in the same episode (or episodes).

Timothée Chalamet

After receiving a 2025 Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, Timothée Chalamet paid tribute to the folk singer in an amusing way. The actor appeared on SNL's 50th season for his third time as host but his first time as a musical guest, performing covers of Dylan's “Outlaw Blues," “Three Angels,” and "Tomorrow Is a Long Time.”

Lady Gaga

In 2013, years before proving she was a phenomenal actor with a Golden Globe-winning performance on American Horror Story and an Oscar-nominated performance in A Star is Born, Lady Gaga pulled double duty at Studio 8H. In addition to her earnest performances of "Do What U Want" and "Gypsy," the pop star (née Stefani Germanotta) appeared in some of the best SNL sketches featuring a famous musician, which were made classic by her willingness to poke fun at herself.

Mick Jagger

After previously hosting and performing alongside his bandmates in The Rolling Stones in 1972, Mick Jagger would return to SNL to headline the 37th season finale on his own. For his performances of classic tracks like "The Last Time" and "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)," the legendary frontman was accompanied by Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters, and Jeff Beck.

Donald Glover

Donald Glover (a.k.a. Childish Gambino) opened his Season 43 SNL episode by singing about his ability to do "anything" in jest but was still able to back up that claim quite sufficiently with his hilarious acting and memorable musical performances. In fact, the episode famously marked the debut of the Atlanta star's hit single, "This is America."

Stevie Wonder

The most memorable highlight from Stevie Wonder's Season 8 SNL episode is when he appeared in a sketch alongside Eddie Murphy (who had portrayed the musician a few times before) as an aspiring Stevie Wonder impersonator seeking his help to perfect his impression. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter also performed "Overjoyed" that night "Go Home."

Ariana Grande

For her second appearance on SNL in Season 41, Ariana Grande pulled double duty in more than one way. In addition to performing "Dangerous Woman" and "Be Alright" between sketches, one bit saw her demonstrate her impeccable ability for musical impersonations as a Tidal intern who must help when the music streaming platform loses power.

Elton John

Elton John first appeared on SNL as a musical guest on an episode hosted by fellow musician Johnny Cash in 1982 before returning 29 years later to both host and perform songs with Leon Russell from their album, The Union. In addition to the Grammy-winning headliner, it was a pretty star-studded night at Studio 8H, with cameos by Carmelo Anthony, Will Forte, Tom Hanks and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Miley Cyrus

Twice, Miley Cyrus got to be the best of both worlds on SNL. In Season 39, she poked fun at her VMAs performance with Robin Thicke and sang "Wrecking Ball" and "We Can't Stop" and, two years later, was joined by The Flaming Lips" to perform "Karen Don't Be Sad" after an introduction by special guest Hillary Clinton.

Justin Timberlake

Qualified to join SNL's Five-Timers Club both for his hosting and musical performances is Justin Timberlake, who debuted on the show with N*SYNC before pulling double duty for the first of multiple times on October 11, 2003. The pop star and actor has contributed to some of the show's most iconic musical sketches, including three awesome SNL Digital Shorts alongside Andy Samberg as a crass R&B duo.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has appeared at Studio 8H multiple times, acquiring a number of musical guest gigs and a few jaw-dropping SNL cameos under her belt, since becoming one of the most famous people in the world. In Season 35, she showed up for the second time as a musical guest (singing "You Belong With Me" and "Untouchable") and the first time as a host, appearing in a funny fake trailer for a Twilight rip-off called Firelight, among other sketches.

Paul Simon

No one has appeared on SNL as both the host and musical guest more times than Paul Simon, who also became the first to pull double duty on the show's second episode ever before coming back to do it three more times. The singer-songwriter was also the first person to join the Five-Timers Club by musical performances alone.

Chance The Rapper

In addition to being one of the most innovative hip-hop artists of his time, Chance the Rapper proved that he can act and has some impeccable comedic timing the multiple times he has hosted SNL. The second time, in Season 45, he also served as the musical guest and was joined by Megan Thee Stallion for a performance of "Handsome."

Kris Kristofferson

In July 1976, months before leading A Star is Born with Barbra Streisand, singer and actor Kris Kristofferson both sang and acted as an SNL headliner. He was joined by his then-wife Rita Coolidge for "Eddie the Eunuch" and later performed "I've Got a Life of My Own" on his own.

Debbie Harry

The frontwoman for Blondie performed solo on the Valentine's Day episode of SNL's sixth season, which she also hosted. Between sketches, Debbie Harry sang "Love TKO" and "Come Back Jonee" before introducing additional musical guest Funky 4 + 1's "That's The Joint," which became the first rap song performed on television that night.

Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks first served as both host and musical guest on SNL in the show's 23rd season, during which he appeared in sketch where he falls for Chris Kattan's Mango. The country music singer returned to pull double duty a year later but performed his musical numbers as his rock star alter ego, Chris Gaines.

Dolly Parton

For her sole SNL appearance, Dolly Parton hosted and sang in Season 14. The country music legend appeared in multiple comedic bits poking fun at her chest size and performed a couple of tracks from her 1989 album, White Limozeen.

Willie Nelson

February 21, 1987, marked Willie Nelson's second SNL appearance as a musical guest and sole hosting appearance. The influential "outlaw country" legend, who had done some acting before and has acted plenty of times since, was a great fit for the gig and even performed a song with then-cast member Victoria Jackson.

Drake

Before he became one of the most successful rap artists of his time, Drake (née Aubrey Graham) was an actor, best known for his starring role on the Canadian coming-of-age drama, Degrassi: The Next Generation. He reminded audiences that his acting talents have not waned when, after performing as a musical guest in 2011, he returned to SNL to serve double duty in 2014 and again two years later.

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish became the first person born in the 21st Century to host SNL when she appeared in the Season 47 Christmas episode, which was met with much acclaim despite her not being able to stop laughing in a few sketches. The Grammy and Oscar winner's parents introduced her and her brother Finneas' performance of "Happier Than Ever" before they later returned to perform "Male Fantasy."

Halsey

Before lending her voice to Sing 2 and appearing in the A24 horror movie MaXXXine, Halsey was considered a non-actor who nailed her SNL hosting gig from Season 44. The self-professed fan of the show was a hilarious standout in sketches and also wowed audiences with her musical performances, such as when she painted a full portrait while singing "Eastside."

Ray Charles

Before making a cameo in, arguably, the best movie based on an SNL character, 1980's The Blues Brothers, Ray Charles headlined the fifth episode of the show's third season. The influential musical genius was surprisingly good and sketches and unsurprisingly shined with his performances of "I Can See Clearly Now," "What I'd Say," "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning," and "I Can't Stop Loving You."

Olivia Newton-John

Having gained international fame from playing Sandy in Grease, there was no question that Olivia Newton-John would be a great fit on SNL as both a host and musical guest. The Australian singer and actor actually appeared in a parody of the 1978 musical movie classic when she took the stage for the Season 7 finale, during which she also performed songs from her hit album, Physical.

Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa's hosting duties in SNL's third season were largely seen as a disaster, due to his tendency to go off-script, which is said to be why he never appeared on the show again. However, his performances of "Dancin' Fool," "The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing," and "Rollo" with the Mothers of Invention should still be recognized as highlights of that night.

Quincy Jones

In SNL's 15th season, influential music producer Quincy Jones made his sole appearance on the show as a host and musical guest. However, notably, he was not the only musical guest to appear that night, seen performing "Back On The Block," "The Verb To Be," and "Wee B. Dooinit" with the likes of Take 6, Tevin Campbell, Andrae Crouch, Sandra Crouch, Kool Moe Dee, Big Daddy Kane, Melle Mel, Quincy D III, Siedah Garrett, and Al Jarreau.

Sting

Sting is qualified for the Five-Timers Club with his number of SNL appearances as the musical guest – one of which, in Season 16, also saw him headline as the host. The one-time Police frontman would later return to host the show again in 1997 but with musical guest Veruca Salt.

Harry Styles

In November 2019, Harry Styles made his debut as an SNL host on a night that also saw his induction into the Five-Timers Club as a musical guest. The English singer and actor had previously appeared three times with the boy band One Direction and once as a solo artist in 2017.

Gary Busey

Following his Oscar-nominated performance as the late, eponymous rock 'n roll pioneer in 1978's The Buddy Holly Story, Gary Busey made his sole appearance on SNL as a host. The actor also performed the song "Stay All Night" as one of three musical guests for that episode, the other two being Gregory Hines and Eubie Blake.

Bruno Mars

As he mentioned in his opening monologue, Bruno Mars had no prior acting experience (unless you count his cinematic debut as "Little Elvis" in Honeymoon in Vegas) before appearing as a host in Season 38 of SNL. Nevertheless, he proved to be a fantastic comedic actor in an episode that was also graced with a cameo by Tom Hanks, who showed up to introduce the pop star's performance of "Locked Out of Heaven."

Desi Arnaz

Desi Arnaz used to perform music and comedy on an almost regular basis when starring in the classic TV sitcom, I Love Lucy, as Ricky Ricardo. Therefore, appearing on SNL as both the host and musical guest (alongside his son, Desi Arnaz Jr.) should have been a breeze for the Cuban-born performer.

Lizzo

Lizzo's second appearance on SNL as a musical guest (for which she performed "About Damn Time" and "Special") was also her first time hosting the series. In her Season 47 episode, she proved to be a natural – especially in one sketch as a flutist who cannot play a note with twerking in unison – but also got a few cases of the giggles, endearingly so.

Art Garfunkel

Following his appearances with his one-time singing partner, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel went solo on March 11, 1978, as the host and musical guest. In addition to his performances of "All I Know," "Scarborough Fair," and "Crying in My Sleep," he was joined by Stephen Bishop for "Wonderful World."

Lily Tomlin

For her first hosting gig, on the sixth episode of SNL's first season, comedy icon Lily Tomlin also filled in as the musical guest, performing "St. James Infirmary" with Howard Shore & the All Nurse Band. In what would now be considered a controversial SNL moment if it was not largely forgotten, Tomlin would return to pull double duty in Season 8 but, for her musical performances, donned blackface to play a male R&B singer character named Pervis Hawkins.

When ranking Walt Disney's animated features, The Lion King is generally on the high side of things. The beloved Oscar-winning movie (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription) featured plenty of iconic songs from the hands of the great Elton John. It turns out Timon and Pumbaa were originally supposed to sing "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", and Nathan Lane revealed the story behind why that didn't happen.

"Can You Feel The Love Tonight" is a Disney song that charted on the billboard charts, and is one of the best Disney love songs. But during a conversation with EW, the great Nathan Lane revealed that he almost ended up singing the track. In his words:

Well, that's pretty iconic. While Lane no doubt would have killed it belting out "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", Elton John understandably wanted the track to be sung by lovers Simba and Nala. And the final song is one of the most uplifting Disney songs of all time.

In the end, Elton John's instincts were probably for the best. In fact, Nathan Lane admits that the prolific recording artist made the right call, especially given the type of vocal performance he and Pumbaa voice actor Ernie Sabella were giving in their roles. As Lane put it:

Of course, hardcore Disney fans remember that Lane and Sabella did get to sing a bit of the song. Timon and Pumbaa introduce the melody and lament that their buddy Simba was falling in love before their eyes.

History is on Elton John's side as well, as "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" ended up winning a Grammy, Academy Award, and Golden Globe. And having Timon and Pumbaa belt it out would have had a very different feel.

The cultural impact of The Lion King is still being seen today. The Broadway musical is still running, and the franchise continues to expand thanks to the live-action Lion King and upcoming Mufasa movie. If the prequel does well, the studio might continue expanding this burgeoning property.

The Lion King is streaming now on Disney+. Be sure to check out the 2025 move release dates to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.

The Lion King franchise is such a huge hit for Disney that it has struck gold for the studio twice. Now, the live-action version is even receiving a prequel, Mufasa. But one element the new movie wont have is music by Elton John, who once had a hot take on his Oscar-winning song from the film. And I think it ultimately paid off.

There’s a famous story regarding the time Elton John first heard how his song, “Can You Feel The Love Tonight?”, was going to be used in The Lion King. Apparently, he took issue with it and complained that Disney was using it all wrong, leading to the studio going back and trying again. The master musician now says the anecdote isn’t quite right, because originally Disney wasn’t going to use the song at all.

Speaking with Variety, the 77-year-old musician explained that at one point during production, he was shown a version of The Lion King by then-Disney Studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg. He was surprised that one of his songs “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” wasn’t in the film and, while it didn’t particularly bother him, he suggested that they find a place for it, as all the best Disney animated movies have great love songs. John explained…

At this point, it’s difficult to imagine The Lion King without the love ballad. The producers of the film previously admitted that it was difficult finding the right place for the song, leading to it being handled in a comedic way, being sung entirely by Timon and Pumbaa. Pumbaa voice actor Ernie Abella previously told CinemaBlend it was Elton John who killed the idea.

In the end, Timon and Pumbaa would sing the intro and outro, but a more traditional long song took over in between. The tune would go on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song. While Sir Elton John is happy to have taken home the trophy, he says a different Lion King song should have won the Oscar, and it's a biggie:

If “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” had remained a comedy number, there’s a strong possibility “The Circle of Life” would have won the Oscar. Considering that three songs from The Lion King were nominated, the odds were the movie was winning one way or another. There’s no argument that Elton John knew what he was doing.

You can stream The Lion King and its sequel, spinoffs and remake using a Disney+ subscription. Also, be sure to check out Mufasa: The Lion King when it opens in theaters on December 20 amid the 2024 movie schedule.

One of the best family movies of the ‘90s is undoubtedly The Lion King for its impressive animation, its powerful lessons about confronting the past, and its memorable tunes. One of the film’s most catchy songs, of course, is “Hakuna Matata,” sung when Simba’s new friends, Timon and Pumba, share their carefree philosophy with the guilt-ridden cub. It's a wonderful track, and Sir Elton John has shared the full, hilarious story about writing the Best Song nominee.

In The Lion King, Simba is manipulated by Scar to think that his father’s death is his fault, convincing him to leave the Pride Lands. When running away, the young cub meets the best Disney-animated sidekicks, Timon and Pumba. They introduce Simba to their philosophy where they free themselves from worries and responsibilities from the past. This easygoing way of life is summed up in two words: “Hakuna Matata.” 

If you’re curious about the origins of the memorable tune, Sir Elton John, who helped write the Disney movie’s uplifting song, spoke to Sirius XM about the musical tune he first pictured for “Hakuna Matata.” He explained,

Sir Elton John’s not wrong about that. “Hakuna Matata” shares the backstory of warthog Pumba, who was an outcast and ostracized from other animals because of his flatulence problem. The funny reason why Pumba’s signature farts were included in the animated flick was because Pumba actor Ernie Sabella would make farting noises to sleepy Timon actor Nathan Lane. With the voice actor making so many fart noises in between dialogue to entertain his pal, this was the birth of “the first and only Disney character with flatulence.” With many kids loving The Lion King, I'm sure plenty of them get a kick out of a fart joke.

Thirty years later, “Hakuna Matata” is still one of Disney’s most celebrated songs. At the time the song was being created, Sir Elton John had already released 23 studio albums and won two Grammys. With so much success going on in his life since the ‘60s, the British singer was scared at the time that the upbeat jingle would be a career killer:

Per the SiriusXM interview, the Lion King music collaborators all pulled together to come up with ways to make this song an inspiring track. The song’s lyricist, Sir Tim Rice, said Timon and Pumba’s song came together after a Pumba rap sequence got rejected. One of the film’s screenwriters, Irene Mecchi, sent her crew to Kenya to help them look for inspiration for the new song. On a two-week safari, Lion King co-director Roger Allers learned Kenya’s motto at the time “Hakuna Matata,” which means “no worries, no trouble, no problem” in Swahili. 

It’s hard to believe that Sir Elton John had his initial doubts about “Hakuna Matata” since it was “a song about a warthog” and “farting.” But, the inspirational song from the top-ranked Disney Renaissance era film continues to be a memorable track and even made its way into the live-action remake (with one minor difference in the new lyrics). Make sure to listen to the care-free musical number in 1994’s The Lion King available on your Disney+ subscription.

Every once in a while, the folks at Studio 8H book an SNL host who's note an actor and ends up nailing it and many of these examples include people who make music for a living. On other occasions, the artist serving as that night’s musical guest may make an appearance in a sketch or two to show the world that they can be funny, too. The following are some of our favorite examples of famous musicians we usually love to sing along to, but had as laughing along with them in a great SNL bit.

Single Ladies Video Shoot (Beyoncé)

In this fictionalized behind-the-scenes look at the legendary “Single Ladies” video, Beyoncé is shocked and annoyed by the director (host Paul Rudd) and his decision to make her back-up dancers three grown men who turn out to be his stepsons. This Season 34 favorite is actually a twofer that ended up happening because, as MTV News recalls, the former N*SYNCer convinced Queen B to participate in the sketch by showing up at her Studio 8H dressing room in the very leotard he wears alongside Andy Samberg and Bobby Moynihan.

SNL Digital Short: Jack Sparrow (Michael Bolton)

The music video for the fourth track off The Lonely Island’s sophomore album, Turtleneck & Chain, starts off as an unusually earnest effort for the trio. That is until their guest singer, Grammy-winner Michael Bolton, starts throwing in references to the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and later, other cinematic favorites like Forrest Gump and Scarface. For its masterful handling of a truly random idea and irresistibly catchy hook, “Jack Sparrow” is easily one of The Lonely Island’s best music videos and perhaps, some of Bolton’s all-time best work.

Africa Tourism (Adele)

For reasons that are never quite clear — perhaps Kate McKinnon’s accent or the sensuous ways she says “tribesman” — host Adele could not stop laughing while performing in a fake ad for African tourism. Nonetheless, the Oscar-winning,  impeccable James Bond theme song (“Skyfall”) singer’s gigglish reaction — complete with a priceless cross-eyed gaze — is just what makes this Season 46 sketch so memorable.

The Old West (Elton John)

When Elton John hosted SNL during Season 36, he appeared as himself for most of the night, except for in one sketch that proved he can be as much a maestro with comedy as he can be with the keys. The Grammy-winner pokes fun at himself, too, by playing a flamboyantly dressed cowboy, who rides into a small western saloon on a unicorn.

Please Don't Destroy: Three Sad Virgins (Taylor Swift)

In one of Please Don’t Destroy’s most popular SNL bits, the guys are, at first, excited to collaborate with Pete Davidson until their music video becomes a roast at the trio’s expense. “Three Sad Virgins” only gets more “humiliating” when they reach the slowed-down bridge, courtesy of Taylor Swift, whom PDD never imagined would agree to star in the video in the first place.

Mick is Pointing, Pointing, Pointing at Himself (Mick Jagger)

In the early 2000s, when The Rolling Stones returned as musical guest, lead singer Mick Jagger starred in a sketch as himself opposite Jimmy Fallon as the artist’s reflection. The future Tonight Show host’s impersonation of the legendary rock star sitting across from him is so hilariously convincing that even Jagger can’t help but crack a smile.

Pippa Visits the Queen (Katy Perry)

It's surprising that Katy Perry hasn't hosted SNL more often — let alone acted in more things outside the Smurfs movies — given how well she demonstrated her comedic skills on the show in 2011. The grandest highlight is when she dons a Cockney accent to play Pippa Middleton in a sketch poking fun at the Royal Family.

Pandora Radio (Bruno Mars)

Admittedly, the concept of this sketch — in which a Pandora radio employee (played by host Bruno Mars) must sing like artists such as Justin Bieber and Michael Jackson when the website crashes — doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. But who cares? Watching the Grammy-winning hitmaker kill it with his spot-on musical impersonations is stunning.

Hotel Ad (Billie Eilish)

Both Billie Eilish — someone we’d love to see return to SNL as both host and musical guest — and her brother and bandmate, Finneas, star in this funny fake ad for a hotel that is a little too open about the alarming activity that takes place there. The Grammy and Oscar winner is very funny in the sketch but cannot stifle her laughter, which is understandable when Kate McKinnon is your scene partner.

The Barry Gibb Talk Show (Justin Timberlake)

We could not have picked a sketch featuring pop sensation-turned-master thespian Justin Timberlake — already one of the all-time greatest SNL hosts — without making sure Jimmy Fallon was also involved with it. Thus, it was easy to pick “The Barry Gibb Talk Show,” in which Fallon, as The Bee Gees’ lead vocalist, hosts a political discussion program featuring his most silent brother, Robin (Timberlake). 

Stevie Wonder Impersonator (Stevie Wonder)

After demonstrating his own wonderful impersonation of Stevie Wonder, Eddie Murphy shared the stage with the musical genius himself in a classic sketch from 1983. The future Academy Award-nominated SNL star plays an expert in impersonations, who is asked to help improve the Stevie Wonder impression of a man played by Wonder himself.

Judge Barry (Chance The Rapper)

Having only appeared on SNL four times — twice as a host and twice as a musical guest, each for different episodes — Chance the Rapper has already proven himself to be worthy of the hosting hall of fame, especially with this courtroom sketch. Before Jason Momoa rips open his shirt and steals the show, the hip-hop artist is fantastic as a judge who bases his rulings only on first impressions.

Parole Board (Blake Shelton)

When appearing as host and musical guest during SNL’s 40th season, country music superstar Blake Shelton demonstrated surprisingly impressive acting chops. He was in a sketch that initially seems to recreate a classic scene from the great Stephen King movie The Shawshank Redemption. However, a parole board member played by the former Voice coach bluntly reveals that Kenan Thompson’s prisoner has committed an unforgivable offense that leaves him with very little chance of freedom.

Blizzard Man (Ludacris)

To give his new album an extra boost, Ludacris (as himself) brings in a fabled hip-hop artist known as the Blizzard Man (Andy Samberg), who, as it turns out, cannot rap and does not even bother to rhyme his aggressively lame lyrics. The veteran of the Fast and Furious movies later appears alongside T-Pain in another edition of this sketch that is only made funnier by the fact that Samberg is totally capable of dropping some sick rhymes.

Parents Call (Halsey)

In host and musical guest Halsey’s monologue for her Season 44 episode, she described herself as an SNL fanatic, and her performance throughout the show really proves it. The Sing 2 cast member’s admiration for the show is especially evident when she dons a comically exaggerated New Jersey accent as a woman having an awkward, revealing phone call with her son (played by Mikey Day) in this sketch.

SNL Digital Short: Shy Ronnie (Rihanna)

In SNL’s 35th season, musical guest Rihanna teamed up with The Lonely Island for the first time on a Digital Short starring Andy Samberg as the title character. The comic plays a man who is too nervous to rap… as long as the “Umbrella” singer is in the room. It garnered a sequel called, “Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde,” featuring Rihanna and Samberg dressed as Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway’s titular roles from 1967’s Bonne and Clyde.

Bond Casino Showdown (Tim McGraw)

We knew Tim McGraw could act from his roles in movies like The Blind Side and Country Strong, but never realized just how funny he could be when he hosted in Season 34. The hilarious peak of the 1883 cast member’s episode is a James Bond movies parody in which a vacationing redneck (McGraw) participates in a poker tournament with 007 (Bill Hader) and Le Chiffre (Fred Armisen).

SNL Digital Short: I'm On A Boat (T-Pain)

When Andy Samberg finds a winning ticket a boat ride for three in his cereal box, he invites fellow Lonely Islander Akiva Shaffer but skips over Jorma Taccone to select T-Pain. The rapper, famous for his use of auto-tune, is key to making the other ridiculous “I’m on a Boat” video a celebrated anthem for taking it easy while cruising through water.

The Train Poet (Johnny Cash)

One of the first musical artists to try their hand at acting as an SNL host was Johnny Cash, who actually only starred in three sketches from his Season 7 episode (two of which he never speaks in). Yet when the legendary “Man in Black” stars as a train passenger expressing his fond memories of his commute in a rhyming monologue, he really gives it all.

Rap Roundtable (Questlove) 

In one of Questlove’s most notable cameos, The Roots drummer participates in a panel of hip-hop artists also including Queen Latifah (Pinkie Johnson) and two up-and-comers (Pete Davidson and Timothée Chalamet), who clearly don’t know anything about the genre. What really helps ease this almost terrible SNL sketch to something amazing is when the Academy Award-winning director of Summer of Soul puts an end to the young “rapper’s” mindless ramblings by striking them with his hair pick.

Wayne's World: Aerosmith (Aerosmith)

Many would agree that Wayne Campbell from “Wayne’s World” — which inspired one of the funniest SNL movies — is still one of Mike Myers’ best characters. But deciding on the recurring sketch’s peak moment is a bit trickier. Ultimately, we have to go with the time Aerosmith — with help from their roadie and Garth’s (Dana Carvey) cousin, Barry (one of Tom Hanks’ best SNL characters) — appeared on the no-budget cable access program and performed their own rendition of the theme song.

Punk Band Reunion At The Wedding (Dave Grohl)

Dave Grohl appears in a sketch or two nearly every time he and the Foo Fighters perform, but, arguably, his best SNL bit comes from when he played with Them Crooked Vultures — a supergroup he formed with Josh Homme and John Paul Jones. The former Nirvana drummer became a part of another band that night consisting of Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and host Ashton Kutcher in a sketch that sees aging punk rockers bring the house down at a wedding reception.

Spider-Man Kiss (Chris Martin) 

In one of the most popular sketches on SNL’s YouTube Channel, a dramatized inside-look at the making of 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 reveals that then-real-life-couple Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone (both playing themselves) had some trouble shooting their climactic kissing scene. The solution: bringing in Chris Martin — frontman of the night’s musical guest, Coldplay — to don a blonde wig and take Stone’s place.

Hamm & Bublé (Michael Bublé)

This SNL sketch prominently featuring the A-list host, Jon Hamm, is framed as an ad for a new eatery co-owned by the Mad Men cast member and musical guest, Michael Bublé, called Hamm and Bublé (pronounced “bubbly” by Hamm). However, as the Canadian crooner reveals in song, he thinks the restaurant’s concept — serving ham with champagne — is ridiculous and is being forced into the business against his will.

SNL Digital Short: Boombox (Julian Casablancas)

One of The Lonely Island’s most unique collaborations saw Julian Casablancas — lead singer of Manhattan-based rock band The Strokes — provide vocals for the hip-hop trio’s 2010 song, “Boombox.” The video, which premiered on SNL in Season 35, sees Andy Samberg and Casablancas attempting to rescue strangers from mundane scenarios with the power of music, only for us to discover by the ending that is was a “cautionary tale” all along.

Spelling Bee (Tenacious D)

In a sketch that was partially mprovised and conceived by SNL star Will Forte, a young spelling bee contestant’s attempt to spell the word “business” results in an astonishing failure — consisting of an innumerable amount of random letters spouted for more than a minute. Suddenly, host Jack Black appears with his Tenacious D bandmate, Kyle Gass, to perform a song revealing that the bit was inspired by an embarrassing moment from the School of Rock star’s childhood (which is not true, by the way).

Little Drummer Boy (Whitney Houston)

In one of Molly Shannon’s most iconic appearances as Mary Katherine Gallagher, the overly ambitious Catholic school student struggles to out-sing her rival choir member, who happens to be played by the night’s uber-talented musical guest, Whitney Houston. Shannon recalled to Howard Stern (via YouTube) how she was actually able to convince the initially reluctant Houston to appear in the bit by telling her she just had to act “snotty.”

Garth Brooks Backstage With Tracy (Garth Brooks)

The second time Garth Brooks hosted SNL, the musical guest was his own rock star alter ego, Chris Gaines — a bizarre concept that earned mixed reactions in the late ‘90s. The country singer showed he had sense of humor about it all by participating in a sketch taking place backstage with Tracy Morgan, who criticizes Gaines in front of Brooks, unaware that they are the same person.

Waking Up With Kimye: Apple Genius (Lady Gaga)

When Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were still married, SNL had a recurring sketch that starred Jay Pharaoh and Nasim Pedrad as the celebrity couple hosting their own morning talk show. One edition featured host Lady Gaga as an Apple Store employee who makes a cleverly self-effacing comment about the true intentions of people who “try too hard with their outfits.”

Wayne's World (Madonna)

In one of many of Wayne Campbell’s (Mike Myers) iconic interactions with famous musicians, the cable access program host recalls the time he shared a romantic encounter with none other than Madonna. Garth (Dana Carvey) gets to experience the memory first-hand in the pre-taped bit, which also features a random cameo by the late Prince.

Orchestra (Lizzo)

Lizzo is famous for three unique talents: playing the flute, twerking, and performing both acts at the same time. That simultaneous mastery is demonstrated beautifully in a sketch from her Season 47 episode in which she plays an orchestra hopeful who is unable to play the flout without twerking.

Gangnam Style (Psy)

In SNL’s Season 38 premiere, host Seth MacFarlane starred in a sketch as a Lids clerk who tries to cheer up his co-worker (played by Kenan Thompson) by summoning Psy to perform “Gangnam Style” at the push of a button. Bobby Moynihan plays the viral K-pop sensation for most of the segment until the man himself appears in a surprise cameo at the very end.

A great way for musicians to show that their talents stray behind song and dance is by acting on SNL, as seen in these sketches.

The moment Rocketman starts, it transports you into this story. You become part of Elton John’s world, for better or worse. I ended my first viewing with so much admiration for the singer. I couldn’t help but appreciate his artistry and sympathize with his trials and tribulations. I also loved Rocketman’s depiction of his friendship with Bernie Taupin. Their decades-long friendship is an important piece of the film, but it impacted me even more during a repeat viewing. 

Taron Egerton and Jamie Bell give compelling performances as Elton and Bernie. They were criminally snubbed from the 2020 Oscar Award nominations. Rewatching the movie reminded me that the Rocketman cast and crew deserved many nominations, and it also reminded me of the importance of Bernie and Elton’s friendship to this film. 

Their bond propelled Elton’s career and helped his recovery. Bernie and Elton’s friendship may be one of the most important movie friendships of all time. 

Warning Rocketman Spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution. 

I Found Watching Their Brotherly Bond Comforting 

In Rocketman, Elton refers to Bernie as his brother. Even without him giving this label, it’s easy to see their brotherly bond. They connect in a familial way. Initially, Elton tries to make it more romantic by leaning in for a kiss, which is a moment that really happened between Elton and Bernie. However, once Bernie gently rejects Elton’s romantic notions, their relationship further blossoms into a family bond.

Found family movies, TV shows and books are some of my favorite minds of stories. I enjoy the idea of building a family instead of being born into one. It’s a beautiful concept that shows the importance of creating and nurturing bonds that aren’t directly connected by blood. In the case of Elton and Rocketman, it also offers a safe haven from a toxic family dynamic. When his parents provide none, Bernie represents some hope for Elton. 

His kindness makes their cruelty a little more digestible. Elton may not have a caring mother and father in Rocketman, but he has a loyal, loving, and devoted brother for life. Elton and Bernie’s bond is one of the most heartwarming aspects of the movie. 

The Scene Where Bernie Automatically Accepts Elton’s Sexuality Stood Out More To Me After This Rewatch 

The scene where Elton is outed in front of Bernie has always been a pivotal moment because it represents many things. It demonstrates how Elton needs and wants acceptance and fears rejection, it shows Bernie’s kindness and understanding, and it acts as a way to contrast a scene later in the movie. Bryce Dallas Howard gives a captivating performance in Rocketman. She effortlessly showcases Sheila’s capacity for casual cruelty. 

Bernie’s support for Elton after he’s outed contrasts greatly with him telling Sheila that he’s gay. She has a harsh response and further rejects him. Rocketman paints Elton as someone who survived and thrived despite his parents, not because of them. Bernie is a major part of how Elton survives. If he didn’t have at least one person who cares about him, his addiction and road to recovery may have been even worse.  

In The Film, They Seem Like Platonic Soulmates 

The first scene with Elton and Bernie together shows their instant bond. They then easily get into a rhythm of collaborating and making music. Bernie and Elton become so in tune that they can almost communicate without words. Additionally, they understand each other in a way that goes beyond normal friendship. They are platonic soulmates in Rocketman. 

My definition of platonic soulmates is two people who have a nearly unbreakable bond, understand each other in a way that’s unique to them, and love each other without fear or prejudice. It’s similar to romantic soulmates, but without the romance part. That’s how Bernie and Elton’s relationship feels in Rocketman. No matter what happens, they can fix it and continue their friendship. Their bond wouldn’t be broken by harsh words or pushing the other way because they almost need each other to exist. They are forever linked and bonded.

John’s Treatment Of Elton Further Highlights How Bernie Was A Constant Supporter Of Him 

John Reid, played by Richard Madden, is portrayed as a nefarious figure in Rocketman, which is very different from how he’s portrayed in Bohemian Rhapsody. In Rocketman, John uses and abuses Elton throughout their romantic entanglement. He also manipulates him, and his behavior further enables and pushes Elton over the edge. He spirals further into his addictions because John doesn’t love him and forces him into a creative and financial box. 

Overall, John is shown as being a villain in Rocketman. His villainy helps highlight Bernie’s virtues. Both men are important to Elton at one point, but for different reasons. They also greatly contrast in their treatment of him. Bernie is seen as someone who helps him creatively and supports him without limits. John is shown as someone who drains Elton both personally and professionally. 

The movie paints John as someone who seduces a naive Elton. Whether this is actually truth or fiction in the Rocketman narrative doesn’t matter because, in the context of this movie, John is a monster who pushes Elton further into despair and darkness. Bernie acts as a light to guide him out of it. This becomes even more of a  concrete concept in the rehab scene when Elton addresses all his tormentors, in addition to Bernie and his younger self. 

Seeing Bernie And Elton’s Song Writing Process In The Movie Made Me Appreciate The Songs More 

I am an Elton John fan, but I am not an expert on him and his music. “Your Song” is one of my favorite songs ever, but I know nothing about the history behind it. Rocketman is based on his life, but not everything is factual. Nevertheless, it does offer some insight into Elton's writing process at the start of his career. It also depicts some of the well-known and popular songs that he composed with Bernie.

I didn’t realize they made so many of Elton’s iconic songs together. Rocketman is Elton John’s movie, but it credits Bernie immensely with his impact on Elton’s music. They are almost equal in their contribution to that catalog. Elton had the voice and stage charisma, but they both have the writing and composing talent. 

I will now associate these songs not only with Elton John, but with Bernie Taupin as well. Rocketman highlights Elton John’s life and shows that Bernie Taupin has always been a major part of it. I hope that their friendship remains lifelong and forever immortalized in Rocketman.

Buy or rent Rocketman on Amazon. 

On the morning of September 2, news broke that the beloved singer Jimmy Buffett died at the age of 76. The performer, who was adored for his laid-back beachy country music and his chain of restaurants, Margaritaville, passed away peacefully. Now, many celebrities, including Elton John, Miles Teller and more are paying tribute to the late “Margaritaville” singer. 

Artists from across many industries took to social media to show their love for and pay tribute to Jimmy Buffett. Rock legend, Elton John took to Instagram stories to show his love for the late singer. Reposting the IG announcement of Buffett’s death, the “Rocketman” singer wrote:

As Elton John noted, Buffett’s fans “adored him,” and he “never let them down.” With the same kind of adoration, Miles Teller took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to show his love for the “Cheeseburger in Paradise” singer by posting a quote and a photo of the two in Hawaiian shirts. 

LL Cool J also took to X to pay tribute to the singer and occasional actor. The NCIS: LA star and rapper wrote:

Buffett appeared in Jurassic World as the Margarita Man, and he performed “Margaritaville” with Chris Pratt at the premiere. He also worked as a producer on a few films like Hoot and Sun Dogs. However, what Jimmy Buffett is best known for is his music. So, of course, many musicians paid tribute to the iconic singer. 

Kenny Chesney, who also makes beachy country music that’s akin to Buffett’s laid-back tunes, took to Instagram to post a video of him singing “A Pirate Looks At Forty” in honor of his friend:

Chesney also uploaded a video of him singing “Margaritaville” with Buffett and his band.

Alan Jackson, who collaborated with Buffett on “It’s Five O'clock Somewhere,” posted a photo of him holding a CMA Award with his friend on X. He also added a beautiful quote that read:

Toby Keith, who was featured on Buffett’s song “Too Drunk To Karaoke” also took to X to write about his friend, collaborator and inspiration. The country singer posted two photos of them together and wrote:

There’s no question that Jimmy Buffett's passing is a major loss to many. He and his fun music were the soundtracks to many's summers, and as these tributes show there is a whole lot of love for him and his music. 

Those who were fans of his career also took to social media to pay tribute, and that included President Bill Clinton who posted on X :

The love truly runs deep for Jimmy Buffett and his music. We here at CinemaBlend, along with many others, hope he is having a cheeseburger in paradise. While he’ll be dearly missed, his legacy and his music will live on forever. 

Elton John has apparently been aiming to take it easy these days, as the beloved singer and pianist has largely retired from touring. However, just recently, the decorated music man faced an unexpected situation that could make some of his devoted fans slightly nervous. John reportedly suffered a fall at his home and subsequently visited the hospital. In the wake of the situation, a representative of his has spoken out and provided an update on his status. And thankfully, it’s good news. 

The rep for the “Tiny Dancer” performer formally released a statement, in which they referred to their client’s accident as “a slip.” He was reportedly in Nice, France – at his Mont Boron-situated villa – Sunday night when the stumble in question occurred. The person further confirmed to People that the 76-year-old star was taken to a hospital sometime after. However, based on the sentiments you can read below, it doesn’t seem like there was too much to fret about: 

That’s certainly comforting to hear. Truth be told, a fall can be somewhat unnerving for just about anyone, let alone a person who’s around Elton John’s age. In this case though, it would seem that there wasn’t any true harm done. This update is sure to be music to fans’ ears (no pun intended). That may be especially true due to the fact that this isn’t the first time the world-renowned entertainer has suffered a fall over the past few years.

In 2021, the “Rocket Man” singer fell, injuring his hip in the process. He eventually had to undergo surgery, as he was experiencing “considerable pain and discomfort” and limited mobility at the time, according to People. The rockstar, who was on tour at that point, was forced to delay the remaining dates to 2023. While the development was likely disappointing for some, the man himself defended his decision to go under the knife, and he eventually recovered. 

Elton John has managed to stay relatively busy over the past few years, despite the fact that he’s cut down his touring activities. He’s still been crafting new music and last year, notably teamed up with Britney Spears for a song. The duo recorded “Hold Me Closer,” which generated responses from Paris Hilton and a host of fans. (Interestingly, on a side note, Spears also abruptly deleted her Instagram after making that announcement.) And in recent weeks, John made headlines for another reason entirely, as he testified during Kevin Spacey’s sexual assault trial.

Right now though, I’m hoping that Elton John remains in “good health” and doesn’t take any more falls or slips of any kind. One of the last things most would want is to see the piano savant in any kind of pain. Here’s wishing him plenty of rest and relaxation as he chills out at his abode. 

The music world lost a legend today, as Tony Bennett, whose remarkable eight-decade career resulted in more than 70 albums, 20 Grammy Awards and two Primetime Emmys, died July 21 at the age of 96. With a career as storied as his, it goes without saying that he crossed paths with numerous fellow musicians and celebrities in his lifetime, and many of them, including Ellen DeGeneres, Billy Joel, and Elton John are joining fans in paying tribute to the iconic singer for his contributions to the world.

Those remembering the “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” crooner spanned multiple sectors, from entertainment icons to former presidents and even Muppets. Retired talk show host Ellen DeGeneres sent love to Tony Bennett’s family, saying on Threads: 

Billy Joel — a musical legend in his own right, who appeared on Tony Bennett’s Duets: An American Classic — wrote multiple tweets in honor of the singer, noting how his unique voice transitioned from jazz to pop and praising him for championing songwriters. He also remembered him as “one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever known,” tweeting: 

Sir Elton John, who also appeared on Tony Bennett’s first Duets album, shared a memory of the two of them, and he too sent condolences to Bennett's family, as he called the artist “irreplaceable”:  

Barack Obama tweeted that he was honored to have had Tony Bennett perform at his inauguration, and Bill Clinton released a statement on his philanthropy, saying he "lived his remarkable life with perfect pitch." 

Rolling Stones icon Keith Richards added his own tribute, posting a photo with the singer from 2015: 

Sesame Street’s official Twitter account paid homage to the Tony Bennett, sharing a video of his appearance in a 1998 episode, where he sang to Big Bird: 

That’s certainly not where the singer’s history with the Muppets began or ended, though. Miss Piggy tweeted that she was “deeply honored” to have dueted with him several times, while Kermit the Frog called their performance on Muppets Tonight in the '90s one of the highlights of his career: 

There’s no questioning Tony Bennett’s impact on the music world, as Mariah Carey — his duet partner on "When Do the Bells Ring for Me" — called him one of the most “legendary singers of the past century”: 

With "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" being possibly Tony Bennett's most famous tune, it was to be expected that the people of California were also feeling the loss. The San Francisco Giants baseball team honored the man they called a "true legend," tweeting:

San Francisco may be favor that popular song, but that wasn't the one that David Letterman referenced in his tribute. He opted to share a different tune in remembrance of the musician, and one appropriate for the day. The late-night legend tweeted: 

Tony Bennett, born Anthony Dominick Benedetto, passed away July 21 at his home in New York following a seven-year battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Our condolences go out to his friends, family and all who have been affected by his death. 

Over the past few years the entertainment industry has been greatly influenced by the Me Too movement. A number of powerful men in Hollywood faced serious allegations, including Kevin Spacey. That controversy resulted in him being removed from House of Cards, and his career hasn’t really recovered since. He’s in the midst of a legal battle regarding some of the allegations, and recently got some help from another wildly famous individual: Elton John. Because the iconic musician has testified during Spacey’s sexual assault trial. Let’s break it all down.

Kevin Spacey’s legal team is currently in the midst of a legal battle across the pond, as he was changed with a number of sexual assault counts. TMZ has revealed that none other than Elton John testified virtually related to one specific accuser, coming to the actor’s defense in the process. Specifically, the “Rocket Man” singer is refuting the timeline of one alleged event, which was connected to his annual White Tie and Tiara Ball.

The accuser in question claimed that Spacey groped him while he drove the American Beauty actor to John’s party back in either 2004 or 2005. But according to Elton John’s testimony, Kevin Spacey only attended that event in 2001. What’s more, John’s husband David Furnish also corroborated this story. Apparently Kevin Spacey's attendance that year was memorable because of his reputation as an actor, with Furnish quoted as saying:

It remains to be seen how impactful these testimonies end up being. Still, Elton John's inclusion is no doubt going to turn plenty of heads. The accuser claimed that he might have gotten the year wrong, but maintains that the groping incident with Kevin Spacey did occur. He claims he couldn't forget it, especially since he was allegedly so distraught that he nearly ran the car off the road. 

As previously mentioned, Spacey has a number of sexual assault charges against him currently. While he was originally charged with four counts in the U.K., another seven charges followed. So the stakes of the situation certainly feel high for the Baby Driver actor. He plead not guilty to the dozen charges across the pond, and smart money says its going to be a long legal battle moving forward. 

The allegations against Spacey began with an allegation made by actor Anthony Rapp regarding an alleged incident when he was just 14 years old. This inspired more allegations from various accusers, although Rapp did lose his legal battle against Spacey. We'll just have to see how the situation across the pond ultimately shakes out. Another legal system is behind the verdict this time around, so there are definitely a ton of questions about what's going to happen. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

She was simply the best. Tina Turner, an iconic singer and actress, has died at the age of 83, and as the tributes roll in, there’s reminder after reminder about how beloved she was. Following reports that the Queen of Rock n’ Roll passed away on Wednesday after a “long illness” in her home in Switzerland, celebrity reactions are rolling on a river of tears and gratitude for her. 

Among the big names paying tribute to Tina Turner on the day of her death is Halle Berry. The actress posted this on Instagram:  

The image sees Halle Berry being embraced by Turner alongside Oprah Winfrey and Alicia Keys at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball when she recalled meeting her. The event that took place in 2006 was an event honoring twenty-five African Americans in the entertainment, civil rights and arts sectors. As Berry recalled, the late singer “rearranged” the actress with her presence on that day. Another celebrity also wrote about Turner is Mariah Carey with these words: 

Tina Turner had an impressive career in music that inspired the likes of Carey. The singer had numerous big hits across four decades and 12 Grammy awards. Some of her hits include “Private Dancer,” “The Best” and even the James Bond song “GoldenEye” from the 1995 movie starring Pierce Brosnan. Jennifer Hudson wrote this: 

Hudson thanked Turner for her incredible legacy she's left for the world. Tina Turner was born in 1939 in Brownsville, Tennessee, and grew up singing in her church choir before breaking into the music industry in the ‘60s. Nicki Minaj also had this to say about the Queen of Rock n’ Roll: 

Turner was a mainstay in the music industry, rolling with the tides between getting her start as a duo with Ike Turner in her early years before going solo in the ‘70s and reinventing herself. The 1993 Tina Turner biopic What’s Love Got To Do With It portrayed the singer’s life, with Angela Bassett playing her. Amidst the passing of Turner, former President Barack Obama also penned the below tribute on social media: 

Tina Turner is survived by her husband and her children. Throughout her lifetime, Turner had two biological sons and adopted two children, one of whom, Raymond Craig Hill, died by a reported suicide back in 2018. Turner died at her home near Zurich, Switzerland. Here’s one more big-name tribute, with Elton John posting this: 

Can you imagine how many incredible artists Tina Turner knew? As family, friends and fans mourn her loss, she has such an incredible life to look back on. If you’d like to learn more about the singer/actress, you can check out the 2021 documentary about her called Tina, which is now streaming with an HBO Max subscription. 

It’s easy to get swept up in the busy nature of our daily lives. We sometimes forget to actually take a minute to slow down and just smell the flowers. This can be especially true when you’re a celebrity or public figure of some kind. Britney Spears’ husband, Sam Asghari, understands more than most what it’s like to be caught up in a whirlwind of attention. Though the actor and model did recently share a more serene moment. He didn’t stop by a field to sniff any of the foliage but, instead, he took a nice drive, enjoyed the views and listened to his wife’s single, “Hold Me Closer.” I mean, no big deal, right?

We really do have to enjoy the simple moments when we can get them, and Sam Asghari certainly reveled in his. He posted a photo to his Instagram story this week, and it shows off his view from the driver’s seat. One can also see the incredible sight that sits before him and, if you take a look at his dashboard, you can see that he was jamming out to Britney Spears and Elton John’s song. You can see the photo Asghari shared down below:

There’s nothing like a good drive to take your mind off the stresses of life. If you’re like me, then you probably like to use the time to sit with your thoughts and decompress. A trip is even better when you’re taking in beautiful scenery, and I’m honestly a bit jealous of the pop star’s husband for getting to enjoy such lovely surroundings. Plenty of people also like to listen to music while they’re in the car, but few can say that they bob their head to their own spouse’s music when they’re on the road. That’s a big flex on the Black Monday alum’s part.

Released in August 2022, that particular track is special because it marked the first piece of new music that Britney Spears had dropped in nearly five years. Reports indicated, at the time, that the duet was Elton John’s idea and that Spears obliged because she’s a fan of the legendary musician. While reactions to the song were somewhat polarizing, it’s proven to be a commercial success, with Paris Hilton even singing its praises.

As for Sam Asghari, that fleeting moment of relaxation must’ve felt refreshing for him due to the sheer amount of rumors that have swirled around him and his spouse as of late. He and Britney Spears made headlines after paying a visit to an LA restaurant, where the singer supposedly became erratic. Bystanders also claimed that Asghari stormed out, leaving his partner during her purported episode. When addressing the claims, he explained that he simply went to fetch their car so that they could leave the premises. He’s also had to shoot down intervention rumors aimed at Spears.

Rumors have also been circulating over the past several months, as some have speculated that the entertainer is now controlling his wife’s social media accounts following the end of her conservatorship. The Dollface actor, who’s spoken about his wife’s nude photos before, has since addressed the “protective fans,” declaring that the entertainer “has her voice and is a free woman.”

Thinking about all of that, I’d wager that Sam Asghari relished his drive and the sweet views and tunes that accompanied it. We’d all do well to take a page out of his book and take some time to relax when possible.

In October 1975, Elton John concluded his “West of the Rockies Tour” with an epic two-night concert at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, California, that took him from a rising star to one of the most celebrated musicians of his time. On Sunday, November 20, 2022, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will conclude his final North American tour with an epic live streaming event that longtime fans of the musician, and general music fans, won’t want to miss.

But, before you prepare yourself for a unique concert experience that will cap off one of the most impressive careers in show business, there are some things you will probably want to know about Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium. Don’t worry, we have everything you need to know about the event including how to watch it live, who will be performing alongside the iconic figure, and what else the event has in store for us. Let’s go down that yellow brick road one more time before we says goodby to the man, the myth, the Rocket Man.

Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium Streams Live November 20th On Disney+

Chances are, there are millions of people around the world who would love to get over to Chavez Ravine to catch Elton John play the famous stadium that has previously hosted The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, and a sold-out comedy special featuring Gabriel Iglesias, but that’s simply not an option for a lot of us. Luckily, Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium will be streaming live for anyone with a Disney+ subscription at 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT on Sunday, November 20th. 

Stream Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium on Disney+.

This Will Be Elton John’s Final Show Of His Last North American Tour

It has been just under five years since Elton John announced he was going on the road one last time with the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.” This multi-year, 300-plus concert affair has taken the beloved singer-songwriter all over the world with shows in North America, Europe, and Oceania (Australia and New Zealand). And while he still has plenty of shows to play elsewhere through July 2023, Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium will mark the final time he will play a show on a North American tour, Disney has announced.

Elton John Will Be Joined By Dua Lipa, Kiki Dee, And Brandi Carlile

But, when Elton John takes the stage for one final show on North American soil, he won’t be alone. In fact, Disney has announced that the musician, who just needs an Emmy to join the list of celebrities with an EGOT (maybe this will change that), will be joined by at least three special guests during the November 20th performance. At various points throughout the three-hour concert event, Sir Elton will be joined by Dua Lipa, Kiki Dee, and Brandi Carlile.

‘Countdown To Elton Live’ Will Precede The Live Concert

Before he takes to the stage during his big concert event, Disney+ will be hosting “Countdown to Elton Live,” a pre-show featuring some of the singer’s most famous friends as they remark on his impact on pop culture and the world through a variety of charitable efforts over the decades. The special will also include interviews with Sir Elton himself as he prepares for the monumental occasion.

You will be able to watch all the action for yourself when Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium streams live, Sunday, November 20th on Disney+. In the meantime, check out some of the best movies on Disney+ as well as the best original shows the service has to offer.

Every major award show honors a fairly large number of creatives who all boast a wide range of talents, with dozens (or even hundreds) of nominees each year across the Emmys, the Grammys, the Oscars, and the Tonys, respectively. Yet somehow, despite all those awards up for grabs, the list of celebs who have attained all four honors is surprisingly short, relatively speaking. As of February 2026, a mere 22 EGOT winners exist.

Many performers have come close to achieving EGOT status, and some are just one award away from it. But esteemed filmmaker Steven Spielberg is no longer among those in waiting, as he can now be counted among other culture icons whose efforts have stood, and will continue to stand, the test of time. Let's start with the latest winner before looking back at the full history of past winners.

Steven Spielberg (Achieved EGOT: 2026)

A name that's as synonymous with Hollywood as anyone else currently in the business, Steven Spielberg has been inching his way towards EGOT status for longer than some other winners have been alive, though he only started racking up the awards starting in the '90s. Here's a closer look at his multiple honors.

• ACADEMY AWARDS = 3
  • Best Director: Shindler's List (1994), Saving Private Ryan (1999)
  • Best Picture: Shindler's List (1994)
• EMMY AWARDS = 13
  • 4 Primetime: 3 Outstanding Limited Series, 1 Outstanding Animated Program
  • 7 Daytime Emmys, 1 Sports Emmy, 1 Founders Honorary Award at International Emmys
• TONY AWARDS = 1
  • 2022 Best Musical: A Strange Loop
• GRAMMY AWARDS = 1
  • 2026 Best Music Film: Music By John Williams as producer

It's likely he won't be in the running for any other Grammy Awards in the near future, barring any musical projects we're unaware of. But there's always room on his shelf for more Emmys and Oscars, so don't be surprised if he continues building up that side of his EGOT winnings in the future.

Richard Rodgers (Achieved EGOT: 1962)

Richard Rodgers became the first EGOT winner in 1962. Richard Rodgers is the famous Rodgers of the Rodgers and Hammerstein duo. His most well-known work includes composing music for The Sound of Music, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King and I, and many other musicals. Richard Rodgers won five Tony awards and two Grammy awards for his work on South Pacific, No Strings, and The Sound of Music. He also received multiple special lifetime achievement awards at the Tony Awards.

Richard Rodgers won an Academy Award in 1946 for Best Original Song for “It Might As Well Be Spring” from State Fair. His Emmy award completed his EGOT. He received it for his work on Winston Churchill-The Valiant Years and in the category Outstanding Achievement in Composing Original Music for Television.

Helen Hayes (Achieved EGOT: 1977)

Helen Hayes’s acting career spanned eight decades. She gained her EGOT in 1977 with a Grammy win. Helen Hayes is best known for her roles in Caesar and Cleopatra, Mary of Scotland, A Farewell to Arms, and Airport. Hayes received nine Emmy award nominations and won one in 1953 for Best Actress for her role in Schlitz Playhouse of Stars.

Helen Hayes won two Academy Awards in 1932 and 1971 for supporting and lead roles in Airport and The Sin of Madelon Claudet. She won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Recording for Great American Documents. Hayes shared this award with several famous artists. She won two Tony Awards for Time Remembered and Happy Birthday. She also received a Tony lifetime achievement award in 1980.

Rita Moreno (Achieved EGOT: 1977)

Rita Moreno won an Emmy in 1977 to complete her EGOT. She won her first Emmy for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in The Muppet Show. Moreno is best known for her role as Anita in West Side Story and as Lydia in One Day at a Time, a shortlived reboot but beloved revival. 

Moreno won the Academy Award for Best Supporting actress for her role in West Side Story. She has won two Emmys for appearances in The Muppet Show (1977) and the Rockford Files (1978). She secured a Grammy win for Best Recording for Children in 1972 for The Electric Company. And she got her Tony for The Ritz. Rita Moreno has been acting since the 1950s, and she shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

John Gielgud (Achieved EGOT: 1991)

John Gielgud is an English actor and director. He achieved most of his fame from his performances in theater and movies. He received an Emmy in 1991 for Summer's Lease to complete his EGOT. His long list of acting credits include The Importance of Being Earnest, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, and Arthur.

John Gielgud won Tony awards for The Importance Of Being Earnest and Big Fish, Little Fish. He won one Grammy for Spoken Word Album for Ages of Man. He won his Oscar in 1981 for supporting role in Arthur.

Audrey Hepburn (Achieved EGOT: 1994)

Audrey Hepburn is one of the most famous actresses of all time. Her most known works are My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Sabrina, and Roman Holiday. She completed her EGOT when she received a Grammy in 1994 for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for Audrey Hepburn’s Enchanted Tales.

The year prior, Audrey Hepburn won her first and only Emmy in 1993 for Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn. She won her first Tony for Best Actress in a Play for Ondine in 1954, and she later received a special Tony in 1968. Hepburn won her only competitive Oscar in 1954 for Best Actress in Roman Holiday. She received a humanitarian Oscar in 1993.

Marvin Hamlisch (Achieved EGOT: 1995)

Marvin Hamlisch is an American composer. He’s best known for his work in the movies The Sting, The Way We Were, Sophie’s Choice, and The Spy Who Loved Me. His last award to complete his EGOT was an Emmy in 1995 for Barbra: The Concert.

He then won another Emmy in 2001 for another Barbra Streisand live concert album. He also won an Emmy for his work on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies. Marvin Hamlisch won four Grammy awards in 1975, including one for Best Song for "The Way We Were." In 1976, he won a Tony Award for Best Original Score for A Chorus Line. As for his Oscars, 1974 was a big year, as Marvin Hamlisch won three Academy Awards for his work on The Way We Were and The Sting.

Jonathan Tunick (Achieved EGOT: 1997)

Jonathan Tunick is a composer and conductor whose most famous works include A Chorus Line, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Oklahoma! and Carousel. He completed his EGOT in 1997 with a Tony Award for his work on the Broadway production, Titanic.

Jonathan Tunick has won one Grammy (in 1989 for "No one is Alone"), one Oscar, one Emmy, and one Tony award. His most recent award nomination was in 2018 for the Carousel revival, and his first win for the EGOT categories was an Academy Award in 1978 for A Little Night Music.

Mel Brooks (Achieved EGOT: 2001)

Mel Brooks is a famous writer, actor, producer, and director. Some of his most known works are Young Frankenstein, which was set to become a live broadcast in 2020, Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, and The Producers. It's The Producers that rounded out his EGOT status, as he won the Oscar for writing the film, and decades later, would go on to win multiple Tony Awards for the stage production. He completed his EGOT in 2001 when he took home three Tony awards that night for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score.

Mel Brooks has won three Grammy awards (two of which were for The Producers), four Emmy awards (three for guest starring on Mad About You between 1997 and 1999), and the mentioned Academy Award in 1969 for his writing on The Producers. 

Mike Nichols (Achieved EGOT: 2001)

Before his death in 2014, Mike Nichols completed his EGOT. He completed it in 2001 with two Emmy awards for Wit. Mike Nichols is best known for his directing work in the theater and on the silver screen. He has directed Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate, Catch-22, The Birdcage, and Charlie Wilson’s War.

Mike Nichols has one Academy Award for Best Director for The Graduate. He won one Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May. He has won nine Tony awards. His first for Best Direction of A Play for Barefoot in the Park in 1964, and his last Tony for Best Direction of a Play for Death of a Salesman in 2012. He has won four Emmy awards in total. He won two Emmy Awards for his work on Wit and the other two for his work on Angels in America.

Whoopi Goldberg (Achieved EGOT: 2002)

Whoopi Goldberg is an actress, writer, and television host. She currently co-hosts The View, but many of her fans know her from her roles in The Color Purple, Ghost, Sister Act, and Girl, Interrupted. The Tony award was the last one she needed to complete the EGOT. Whoopi Goldberg received it in 2002 for Thoroughly Modern Millie, which she produced and it won the Tony for Best Musical.

Goldberg has won two Daytime Emmys, one in 2002 (for hosting Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel) and another in 2009 (The View). She won her Academy Award in 1991 for Best Supporting Actress in Ghost. She won her Grammy in 1986 for Best Comedy Recording.

Scott Rudin (Achieved EGOT: 2012)

Scott Rudin is best known for producing No Country for Old Men, Lady Bird, Fences, and The Social Network. He completed his EGOT in 2012 with a Grammy award win for The Book of Mormon.

He won one Academy Award for No Country for Old Men, and one Emmy award for He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin’. He has won 17 Tony Awards, his first in 1994 for the Passion musical.

Robert Lopez (Achieved EGOT: 2014)

Robert Lopez is the youngest and quickest person to earn EGOT status. He co-created The Book of Mormon and Avenue Q, as well as composed music for Frozen, Frozen II, and Coco. He completed his EGOT in 2014 with his Oscar win for Best Original song with “Let it Go” from Frozen. Robert Lopez is also the only double EGOT winner, meaning he has won at least two awards in each category.

Robert Lopez is on his way to a triple EGOT. He has three Grammys, three Tony Awards, and three Emmy awards. He only needs another Academy Award to become a triple EGOT.  He would have achieved this if he won the Academy Award for “Into the Unknown” from Frozen II, which was nominated for Best Original Song in 2020.

John Legend (Achieved EGOT: 2018)

John Legend is a singer, composer, and producer. He has also been a coach on The Voice for several seasons. He gained his EGOT status in 2018 when he won a Primetime Emmy for producing Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. In 2019, he also won a Daytime Emmy for producing Crow: The Legend.

Legend won a Tony in 2017 for co-producing the Jitney revival. As for the Grammys, naturally, he has a lot. Legend won 11 Grammy Awards. The most recent win was in 2019 and the first was in 2006, when he won for Best New Artist. John Legend won an Academy Award in 2015 for Best Original Song for “Glory” from Selma.

Andrew Lloyd Webber (Achieved EGOT: 2018)

Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the most famous musical theatre composers and producers. He composed Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Cats, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He gained his EGOT rank in 2018 with an Emmy award for producing Jesus Christ Superstar in Concert.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has won one Oscar for Best Original Song for Evita, and he has won three Grammy awards (for Evita, Cats and Requiem). Andrew Lloyd Webber won six competition Tony awards and one lifetime achievement Tony in 2018.

Tim Rice (Achieved EGOT: 2018)

Tim Rice is a lyricist and author who often collaborates with Andrew Lloyd Webber. He has contributed lyrics to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. He wrote lyrics for both the animated and live action versions of The Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast. He completed his EGOT alongside Andrew Lloyd Webber and John Legend in 2018 for producing Jesus Christ Superstar in Concert.

Tim Rice has won three Academy Awards for Best Original Song (for Aladdin, The Lion King, and Evita). It was his work on the Broadway musical Evita that earned him his first Tony Award in 1980, and then his first Grammy in 1981.

Alan Menken (Achieved EGOT: 2020)

Alan Menken is a world renowned composer who is best known for his work on Walt Disney animated films. Menken’s scores and songs can be heard in The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Hercules, and many others. 

His lifetime achievements include eight Academy Awards. All these Oscars are from his music in Disney animated films. Menken received his first Emmy in 1990 for a special Emmy award for Outstanding contribution to the success of the Academy’s anti-drug special for children. 

He received a Daytime Emmy in 2020 for Outstanding Original Song in a Children’s, Young Adult, or Animated Program for his song “Waiting in the Wings” from Tangled: The Series. Menken received multiple Grammy Awards, including ones for The Little Mermaid: Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack and Aladdin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. He won a Tony Award in 2012 for Newsies. 

Jennifer Hudson (Achieved EGOT: 2022)

Jennifer Hudson started her career as a contestant on American Idol. She didn’t win the Idol crown but soon shot to stardom in the film world. She received her first part of the EGOT in 2007 with her breakout role in Dreamgirls. Hudson won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. She won a Grammy the following year for her album Jennifer Hudson. It received the award for Best R&B Album.

Hudson also won a Grammy in 2017 for her work on The Color Purple album. She won her Daytime Emmy Award for producing Baba Yaga in 2021. She also won a Tony award in 2022 for producing A Strange Loop. 

Viola Davis (Achieved EGOT: 2023)

Viola Davis is a celebrated screen and stage star. Many fans may best know her for her role in How to Get Away with Murder as Annalise Keating. A character she played from 2014 to 2020. Davis has also been in many critically acclaimed and popular movies, including Fences, Widows, The Woman King, and Doubt. 

She received the first award of her eventual EGOT win (a Tony) in 2001 for her role in King Hedley II. Viola Davis then became a double Tony winner in 2010 for her role in Fences. In 2015, she won an Emmy award for playing Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder. Next came her Golden Globe and Oscar in 2017 for her role in Fences. Viola Davis became a Grammy winner in 2023 by winning Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording for her memoir Finding Me. 

Elton John (Achieved EGOT: 2024)

One of the most iconic and celebrated musicians for over half a century, Elton John is one of the most natural entries for this list, despite not actually finding his way onto it until 2024. That's when he earned his first Emmy Award (from his first nomination) for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for his concert Elton John: Farewell from Dodger Stadium.

It was a long time coming, as John earned his first Grammy Award back in 1987 (after not winning 15+ prior nominations), before picking up another 4 awards and a Grammy Legend honor. He also performed one of Disney's biggest soundtrack hits in The Lion King's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" which won the Best Original Song Oscar, while Rocketman's "I'm Gonna Love Me Again" secured his second one. On the Tony's side, his musical creations for 2000's Aida secured his lone (to date) award.

Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (Achieved EGOT: 2024)

Easily the fastest to reach the upper echelon are songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, whose career arc from first win to EGOT status spans a mere eight years! 2017 was quite the banner year for the duo, who earned not only the Tony for Best Original Score for Dear Evan Hansen, but also the Oscar for Best Music (Original Song) for La La Land's "City of Stars."

Pasek and Paul only had to wait a single year to net the third entry, joining the crew of Best Musical Theater Album winners for Dear Evan Hansen. Then, in 2023, they were brought into the wacky world of Only Murders in the Building for its musical-themed third season, where the earworm track "Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?" won the 2024 Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.

With so many of Hollywood’s elite only one or two awards away from achieving an EGOT, we’re sure that many more will join this list soon.

Elton John is on a roll when it comes to bringing his songs to life in new ways. After "Cold Heart" with Dua Lipa, he teamed up with Britney Spears’ for his latest collaboration ‘Hold Me Closer.’ The song seems to have caught on, hitting the Billboard charts this week and competing for a U.K. #1 title. One other person who apparently agrees the song has something special is Spears’ pal Paris Hilton. This time around though, she did more than throw out her signature “that’s hot” catchphrase to boot. 

I mean, honestly, if Spears takes back her Instagram with a topless photo or does something else memorable, the socialite and reality TV star has responded “that’s hot.” Every once and awhile Paris Hilton will accentuate a post with another of her catchphrases, “sliving,” but she’s generally pretty brief in regards to her thoughts. 

Not here, though. This time around, there’s video! In fact, Hilton went all out, throwing on dreamy pink and dancing around her signature pink car while singing the song lyrics. She accompanied the post with a longer message congratulating her pal and noting she has the song “on repeat.” 

Britney Spears and Paris Hilton have a long history of being in each others’ lives. They were seen out and about together in the early aughts. (The pic is worth it just to see the fashion.) 

Spears even accepted a VMA from The Simple Life star back in 2008. She later invited her to her wedding, after which Hilton gushed about the “magical fairytale” setting when she wed Sam Asghari and more. (Spears did not attend Hilton’s wedding, though reports indicate she was invited.) Now, she seems overwhelmingly positive about where her pal’s career is headed too. 

Of the collaboration, Spears has also seemed grateful and excited. After having deleted her Instagram, Spears took to Twitter to talk about teaming up with Elton John and the point she’s at currently in her career, noting,

Whether “Hold Me Closer” ends up landing Britney Spears a No. 1 hit, there’s no doubt the song marks a big moment for the pop singer. Spears previously seemed as if she was in retirement and had no plans to sing, record or perform again. Her agent said in 2021 that he and Spears hadn’t communicated or worked together for 2 and a half years. Now, she's seemingly back at it in some capacity, which is good news for the fans who have been waiting six years for new music. 

Spears had been busy celebrating the end of her conservatorship and wedding her partner Sam Asghari. You can only celebrate a new beginning for so long, however, and in this case the singer has a large fanbase who clearly were ready for her to make a musical comeback, particularly after all that's gone on with the "Free Britney" movement. What this song means for Spears’ future is still up in the air, but it’s nice to know she has options. That’s hot. 

We are on the cusp of a historic moment, as Britney Spears is about to release her first new music since 2016 — her first anything since her conservatorship ended —and she’s doing it with the legend Sir Elton John. It will be a huge step personally for the former pop star as well, as she continues to enjoy her freedom after 13 years under her family’s control. But after the “Baby One More Time” singer took to Instagram in teasing the duet of “Hold Me Closer” — which is set to be released Friday, August 26 — Spears has now deleted her account altogether.

It’s unknown why Britney Spears went dark on Instagram so close to the release of her single with Sir Elton John, nor if it's related to the tensions that have flared up in recent weeks between her and ex-husband Kevin Federline. Before she deleted her account, Spears posted a sneak peak of the impendingduet, in which Billboard reports she and John sang a verse of his 1992 song “The One” before going into the chorus of “Tiny Dancer.” Included with the clip was a caption in which she suggested the two should enjoy tea time with the queen, before thanking him profusely for the opportunity to collaborate. It read, in part: 

The “Rocket Man” himself responded in the comments (per ET), assuring Britney Spears that her contribution to the single was not merely a “background voice,” saying:

Britney Spears’ other social media activity ahead of the removal of her Instagram account included more promotion for “Hold Me Closer” and shows of love for Madonna and Krispy Kreme (can’t fault her for either of those). And while her IG account may be gone at the moment, the “Toxic” singer has continued to post on Twitter, mentioning that she’s a bit “overwhelmed” at the thought of releasing new music after six years. She said:

I can imagine a lot of this past year has been pretty daunting for the singer, who regained the freedom to drive, drink alcohol, get married, etc., after a judge put an end to her 13-year conservatorship in November 2021. Britney Spears was thought to be retired from music, so to be releasing a new single as she deals with Kevin Federline’s bombshell interview about her relationship with her sons and ongoing legal battles with her family… I’m stressing out just thinking about it.

Hopefully she is taking care of herself and will be boosted by the responses to her highly anticipated “Hold Me Closer” duet with Sir Elton John. Brit Brit has lots of people in her corner — including JLo! — and millions of fans are ready to witness this big musical moment.

Though she is now in marital bliss with her newly minted husband Sam Asghari, the same cannot be said for Britney Spears’ family life. Her ex-husband Kevin Federline did a bombshell interview recently where he discussed the singer’s strained relationship with their two teenage sons, Sean and Jayden. After which, the former couple exposed even more BTS details in a tense back and forth social media feud – but all of Spears and Federline's posts were later scrubbed from the ethers. Spears has refrained since from discussing the matter further and has instead turned to showing some love for a few tried-and-true legends: Elton John, Madonna and Krispy Kreme.

Britney Spears Channels Her Inner Elton John 1970s Era

Despite the pop star’s previous claims that she was retiring altogether in the wake of her conservatorship ending, it seems that’s not quite the case. Reports had been bubbling for weeks about Britney Spears finally releasing new music with none other than the one and only Elton John. Well, she has at least finally teased the collaboration in a since-deleted Instagram post, and wow. Check it out here:

I had sincerely hoped this wasn’t just another hilarious photoshop job done by Britney Spears and would actually be used as cover art. Because, again, wow. I mean, iconic, right? Alas, Elton John himself – who was cinematically immortalized through Taron Egerton’s portrayal of him in Rocketman – posted his own sneak peek at their collaboration on his Instagram, with an entirely different throwback:

Their duet, “Hold Me Closer,” is slated for release on August 26, so it's not too far away. It's a revived take on the English musician’s 1971 hit “Tiny Dancer.” Judging by his version of the cover art, the two legends in their own respective rights have seemingly bonded over their love of performing, which started at young ages.

Move Over Elton, Madonna's In The House

While Britney Spears is busy dipping her toe back into music after a nearly six-year hiatus, she still has time for her old pal Madonna. The “Like A Virgin” singer was one of the many famous faces who attended Spears’ recent nuptials, and the latter can’t stop, won’t stop gushing about it. On August 19, the former Voice judge again posted a snap of them from the wedding reception, along with a clip of Spears doing an interpretation of Madonna’s voguing choreography from the iconic 1990 track:

Fans will remember that the former Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino resident had posted a similar but slightly different throwback with Madonna back in June. In that one, the two celebs recreated their infamous 2003 VMAs smooch. And at this point, it’s hard to say if that or the Elton John duet is giving me more feels…

Britney Spears Gave A Shout Out To Krispy Kreme (And Rightfully So)

Last, but certainly not least, was the post about Krispy Kreme. Its accompanying video had an unidentified woman whispering, somewhat erotically, about their “hot” and “juicy” donuts, which was a little weird, I’ll be honest. But all in all, I’ve never felt so seen at the same time – because their product is far superior to certain notable other brands. And no, Dunkin’ Donuts fans, I will not debate it here. Check it out:

Britney Spears enthusiastically celebrating her Krispy Kreme morning might seem a bit much to some. But in truth, there was a time in the not so distant past that Spears couldn’t even drive herself anywhere, per the restrictions of her conservatorship. That’s all changed now, though, and the avid Instagram A-lister has shared other facets of her post-conservatorship freedoms, to include going to a bar for her “first time.”

There’s still, obviously, the matter of the star pursuing legal action against her father Jamie Spears. Not to mention, Britney Spears continues to feud with her other immediate family members, like her sister and her mom, on top of the aforementioned Kevin Federline debacle. But it appears she’s trying to look on the bright side nonetheless – and who could not when one is tight with both Elton John and Madonna?

When you think of some of the greatest Saturday Night Live hosts, actors like Steve Martin, or Emma Stone, or Justin Timberlake immediately flood your mind. However, I am personally more fascinated and, sometimes, even more excited when I hear that Studio 8H’s master of ceremonies will be someone with little-to-no acting experience at all.

Admittedly, hiring a non-actor to host SNL does not always generate the best results, but we are not going to talk about those instances today. Instead, we want to put the spotlight on the musical artists, athletes, and public figures would end up putting out winning performances and earning laughs on the sketch comedy series, starting with one of the more recent examples.

Kim Kardashian (Season 47)

There was a great rotation of Saturday Night Live hosts for Season 47, including Kim Kardashian, who — along with her family — has been the butt of much merciless teasing on the show. However, the media mogul had the last laugh by mercilessly teasing herself and her family in her fantastic monologue, followed by fun sketches like an Aladdin parody starring her future boyfriend, Pete Davidson, and a Freaky Friday-style sketch with Aidy Bryant.

Billie Eilish (Season 47)

Another first-time host for SNL Season 47 was Billie Eilish, who did an inspired job juggling musical guest duties with hosting duties on December 11, 2021. While a few sketches did require her singing talent (such as one featuring a song about awkward attempts to hit on Santa Claus), her performances in non-musical bits (like a pre-taped short in which she comes to regret inviting an elderly Kate McKinnon to her house for the holidays) suggests more acting could be in her future.

Adele (Season 46)

A season earlier saw another Oscar-winning James Bond theme song singer, Adele, headline for a night while H.E.R. served as musical guest, although the crowd was treated with a few of the artist’s greatest hits. She proved to have good comedic timing and a natural presence onstage, as well as concealing her North London accent quite convincingly in a faux jeans ad also starring Maya Rudolph.

Johnny Cash (Season 7)

One of the earliest examples of a musical artist hosting SNL was when Johnny Cash took the stage in 1982 and, admittedly, only starred in three sketches (two of which featured him playing himself and, among those two, one did not require him to say a word). However, the passion that the “Man in Black” exudes as a train passenger with a poetic way of speaking turns the otherwise absurd bit into something unforgettable and quite beautiful.

Elton John (Season 36)

Serving as musical guest the night Johnny Cash hosted SNL was Elton John, who would return 28 years later as both musical guest and host for an episode that also saw him playing himself most of the time and doing a consistently hilarious job at it. Yet, he would disappear into the character of a flamboyant cowboy who drifts into a small Wild West town on a unicorn.

Wayne Gretzky (Season 14)

Also playing himself for much of his time headlining an SNL episode in the late 1980s was National Hockey League superstar Wayne Gretzky, who even sings a Hawaiian ballad in one memorable sketch. The athlete’s lack of acting experience actually helps his charmingly deadpan delivery in some other bits, such as when he appears on a call-in talk show and is forced to answer questions that have nothing to do with hockey.

Derek Jeter (Season 27)

An athlete who was also surprisingly good at finding his comedic schtick on SNL was former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who hosted SNL in 2001. Highlights include when he dressed in drag to poke fun at himself in a sketch about Yankee players’ wives and when he and Red Sox fan Seth Meyers debated whether or not the MLB champion sucks or not on Weekend Update.

Mick Jagger (Season 37)

Another memorable “Point/Counterpoint” participant (who impersonated Keith Richards while Mike Myers impersonated him) is Mick Jagger, who actually did have some acting experience (debuting in a 1970 Ned Kelly biopic) before he and the rest of The Rolling Stones hosted and served as musical guests in 1978. The legendary frontman returned for both responsibilities on his own (with some help from Foo Fighters and Arcade Fire) for the Season 37 finale, which boasted a hilarious career retrospective in his monologue and a wonderfully meta sketch in which he plays a karaoke bar patron who “can’t get no satisfaction.”

Bruno Mars (Season 38)

A hitmaker who admitted to having no prior acting experience in his monologue while pulling double duty on SNL is Bruno Mars. This was surprising to hear considering how remarkably well he performed in sketches, like one in which he plays a Pandora radio employee who must use his talent for impersonation after the website crashes. The Grammy-winner also gives a tender dramatic performance in a pre-taped bit about a lonely Times Square street performer.

Taylor Swift (Season 35)

A musician who made her acting debut playing Broadway’s Annie in an SNL sketch just months before stepping up as host and musical guest in 2009 is Taylor Swift, who went on to star in the following year’s Valentine’s Day, 2019’s Cats, and David O. Russell’s upcoming period piece, Amsterdam, to name a few. As one would hope, Swift was a good sport about poking fun at herself in her “Monologue Song (La La La)” and proved to be, like Bruno Mars, a great vocal impressionist — such as when she sang like Shakira with nearly uncanny precision.

Chance The Rapper (Seasons 43 And 45)

One musician who has actually hosted SNL twice and served as musical guest twice, but each at different times, is Chance the Rapper, whom, I believe, is already in the running to have his own Best-Of special. The game-changing musician holds his own perfectly and hilariously alongside the other cast members and he has already debuted a few characters worth returning — such as a court judge who makes his decisions based on first impressions alone in a sketch that Jason Momoa cameoed in. 

Garth Brooks (Seasons 23 And 25)

One musician who can technically say his hosting duties were exclusive from his musical guest duties the second time he emceed on SNL in 1999 is Garth Brooks, because he performed music as his alter ego, Chris Gaines. He had no trouble making light of the mixed reactions he had received for this bizarre other persona in a sketch opposite Tracy Morgan, who does not realize Brooks and Gaines are one and the same.

Stevie Wonder (Season 8)

Audiences also, kind of, saw double during Stevie Wonder’s sole appearance on SNL as host and musical guest in 1983. The most, arguably, iconic moment from the episode sees the legendary artist play an aspiring Stevie Wonder impersonator seeking much-needed consultation from an expert in impersonations played by Eddie Murphy, who had previously portrayed the singer/songwriter to wonderful acclaim.

Charles Barkley (Seasons 19, 35, 37, And 43)

Another example of some hilariously meta impersonations on SNL is when Kenan Thompson played Charles Barkley seated next to Shaquille O’Neal, as played by Barkley, during the third time he hosted. The former NBA champion has actually hosted more times than any other athlete, with a total of four gigs so far (first in 1993 and most recently in 2018) and, most likely, because he is just that funny.

Michael Jordan (Season 17)

Another NBA champion I am surprised has only hosted SNL once is Charles Barkley’s Space Jam co-star, Michael Jordan, whom David Spade recalled being “super likable” on set. The former Chicago Bulls shooting guard would poke fun at his many corporate sponsorship deals in his monologue, that featured clips of fake ads for feminine products and pornography.

Peyton Manning (Season 32)

An athlete I would really love to see come back to SNL as host again is Peyton Manning, who was incredible in a faux United Way ad that paints him as the worst role model that a child could ever ask for. For now, I suppose we will have to settle for his funny Season 47 cameo in which he gives an impassioned review of Season 2 for Netflix’s Emily in Paris.

Jeff Gordon (Season 28)

Another competitive sports star who poked fun at his own career in a memorable way on SNL is Jeff Gordon, who encountered a par of overenthusiastic NASCAR fans (or so they initially seemed) in his monologue. The legendary stock car racer (who also cameoed in Pixar’s Cars) really gave it his all in the subsequent sketches, like when he plays an Air Force pilot whom Seth Meyers’ carpet salesman must contend with at a school Career Day.  

Brian Williams (Season 33)

Gung-ho to make a fool out of himself throughout his SNL episode (which also boasted a famous cameo from future president Barack Obama) was former NBC news anchor Brian Willams. The father of Girls and Get Out star Alison Williams had a funny monologue about mistaking SNL’s impersonations of his TV news heroes as the real people, and starred in a digital short about what he does daily (which also boasted a funny cameo by Bono).

Blake Shelton (Season 40)

Another NBC personality who hosted SNL at the peak of his TV stardom is The Voice coach Blake Shelton, who also performed a few of his biggest country music hits that night. After paying tribute to a different sketch show he grew up with called Hee Haw in his monologue, the singer proved himself to be a real natural as a healthy variety of characters and rarely as a fictionalized version of himself.

Katy Perry (Season 37)

When she hosted SNL in 2011, Katy Perry did play herself a couple times (such as on a faux Finnish talk show with a frighteningly resourceful research team). However, her more memorable sketches saw her portray other celebrities like Florence Welch, Christina Aguilera, and Pippa Middleton with a Cockney accent.

Halsey (Season 44)

Another musician who did a phenomenal job in the acting category for her first (and hopefully not last) time hosting is Halsey, who described herself in her monologue as an SNL fanatic who admired the show for featuring female performers whose central goal was to be funny. It appears that was also her goal for the night because she was a riot from beginning to end, like when she put on a New Jersey accent for a sketch about an architect’s very awkward phone call to his parents.

I am looking forward to seeing what public figures SNL has in the hosting line-up for Season 48, and I would not mind seeing a few people who are not quite known for the performing arts.

Britney Spears made a name for herself in the music biz to become a pop superstar, and plenty of fans can still belt out the lyrics for "Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again" at the drop of a hat. Now, the singer is reportedly coming back to music with her first new single in more than five years after a secret recording session, alongside another musical legend: Elton John.

Spears and John are said to have secretly recorded a duet version of "Tiny Dancer," according to Page Six, which also cites a music industry insider saying this about the collaboration: 

The reportedly "super-secret recording session" didn't remain secret for too long, but news of a Britney Spears/Elton John duet is something for fans of both singers to be excited about. "Tiny Dancer" is of course one of John's best-known songs, and it's fitting that Spears' comeback to music is alongside somebody who she is a fan of already. The source further tells the outlet that people at their record label are "freaking out" after hearing the song, and "Britney is officially back." Representatives for the two musicians and record label have not officially commented at the time of writing. The song is expected to release in August. 

Britney Spears hasn't released a new album since 2016, when she released Glory as her ninth studio album. Three songs – "Private Show," "Clumsy,"and "Do You Wanna Come Over?" – were released as singles this year, and then nothing new from the singer since. Back in 2021, she claimed that she wasn't allowed to perform new music during her conservatorship (which was officially terminated after 13 years in November of that year).

The singer did continue performing in the years following that most recent release of new music in 2016, although she decided in 2020 that she wasn't planning on any future performances, which led to another hurdle in her court case under the conservatorship, which wouldn't be terminated for more than another year. Her then-fiancé (and now husband) Sam Asghari hinted last year that fans might get to see her on stage again. While she hasn't started performing concerts again, a single pairing her with Elton John is worth celebrating.

The report of Spears returning to music comes just under two weeks after she took to Instagram with a new take on her "Baby One More Time," with some changes. Her caption said that she hadn't shared her voice in a long time. Take a look:

There are currently no details about when the Britney Spears/Elton John duet of "Tiny Dancer" will debut, but it's good to see that Spears is ready to return to the world of music. This has been an eventful summer for her, after she finally was able to marry longtime boyfriend-turned-fiancé Sam Asghari. Although her ex attempted to crash her wedding, the footage that she released afterwards showed that it went off like a fairy tale anyway. Hopefully the future continues looking bright for the singer.

It was no surprise that actor Taron Egerton was able to belt out Elton John for Rocketman. All you had to do was listen to his amazing rendition of Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” for the animated film Sing and you were sold. But being part of an epic biopic about one of the most legendary performers can help you think about your own career. Egerton reveals how being part of the off-camera elements in Rocketman allowed him to think about a new direction in his acting career.

While Taron Egerton went through a number of preparations to portray Elton John like learning to play the piano and the many costume changes, this British actor had a behind-the-scenes role as well. During an interview with Screen Rant, Egerton revealed that taking part in Rocketman was more than just portraying the “magical” struggles of Elton John.

Before Rocketman, the Golden Globe-winning film’s director Dexter Fletcher directed Egerton in Eddie the Eagle which was another biopic about the true story of British underdog skier Michael Edwards. He then took over for the musical biopic Bohemian Rhapsody after its original director, Bryan Singer, was fired. So with biographical dramas and his partnership with Taron Egerton under his belt, it makes sense why he was the perfect director for honoring Elton John’s legacy.

The 32-year-old actor continued to tell Screen Rant about the surprise additional role he was granted in Rocketman. 

This wouldn’t be the last time Taron Egerton would try his hand at producing. You can see him be part of Apple TV’s haunting new series Black Bird playing the real-life Jimmy Keene who must coax a confession out of a suspected serial killer. Not only will Egerton be showing off his dramatic acting chops in front of the camera, but will also be the show’s executive producer. This will be a great chance for audiences to see what the Kingsman actor can do as he expands his range as an actor and behind the camera. 

We now know who to thank if Taron Egerton’s behind-the-scenes career ends up taking off. After not seeing him in a live-action role in three years, you have the chance to see Egerton’s acting and executive producing skills in Black Bird playing now on your Apple TV+ subscription.

Audrey Hepburn. Andrew Lloyd Webber. John Legend. Whoopi Goldberg. What do these people all have in common?

They’ve all earned their EGOT — that is, they’ve won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. It’s known as the “grand slam” of show business, and it’s incredibly difficult to achieve (despite how easy John Legend made it seem). But, who will be the next actor, composer, singer, director, or producer to join these EGOT winners? 

For this list, we’ll be focusing on artists who seem likely to complete their EGOT during their career — so, unfortunately, that eliminates some of the greats like Bob Fosse or Stephen Sondheim who won’t get the chance to complete their grand slam. Instead, we’ll focus on people who are contenders for the very next EGOT and speculate wildly about which of them it’ll be.

Common - Missing A Tony

Common won an Emmy for his song “Letter to The Free” from the documentary 13th and earned both an Oscar and a Grammy for his song “Glory” from the movie Selma (as well as two additional Grammys he snagged in the early 2000’s).

This one seems like a shoo-in to me. We already know Common can rap, and he’s flexed his musical theater chops in movies like Smallfoot. Plus he’s got a chance to win that Tony by writing, rapping, or acting.

Cher - Missing A Tony

Miss Cher earned her first major award in 1988 when she won an Oscar for Best Actress in Moonstruck, followed by a Grammy in 2000 for her dance recording “Believe” and an Emmy in 2003 for Cher: The Farewell Tour.

Some people might say that Cher is past her prime…and some people would be wrong. We all saw her in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. In reality, Cher is only in her mid-70s and still just as fabulous as she always was, so don’t count her out just yet. I could definitely see her on Broadway…

Jennifer Hudson - Missing A Tony

The talented Jennifer Hudson has already earned two Grammys and won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Dreamgirls. Hudson also earned an Emmy just last year for Baba Yaga, a childrens’ film she produced.

Here’s the thing: Jennifer Hudson is nominated for a Tony this year. As one of the producers of A Strange Loop, she actually has a chance to complete her EGOT at the awards ceremony this summer.

Kate Winslet - Missing A Tony

Unsurprisingly, Kate Winslet has already won an Oscar (for Best Actress for The Reader) and multiple Emmys (for Mildred Pierce in 2011 and Mare of Easttown in 2021). But, many don’t know she actually earned a Grammy all the way back in 2000 for Best Spoken Word Album for Children, called Listen to the Storyteller.

Kate Winslet winning a Tony doesn’t feel far-fetched at all. She's acted in several plays early on, so taking to the stage wouldn’t be brand new to her.

Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross - Missing A Tony

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (yes, from Nine Inch Nails) are one of the most sought after composing teams in all of Hollywood at the moment, earning accolades from the Academy for their Best Original Scores in The Social Network and Soul. They also earned two Grammy awards for Score Soundtrack, again for Soul, and for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (in addition to the Grammys they won years ago with Nine Inch Nails). Add in their Emmy for Music Composition in A Limited Series for Watchmen and you have three prongs on the quadruple crown.

These two are definitely capable of writing the score for a Broadway musical. Crazier things have definitely happened. I mean, if the guys from South Park can write a musical…

Viola Davis - Missing A Grammy

Viola Davis started out as a stage actor, earning Tony awards for King Hedley II and Fences. She then earned an Oscar for the movie version of Fences, and as we all know, won an Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series for How to Get Away With Murder.

Viola Davis is not known for singing. But, as we’ve learned from some of the other Grammy winners on this list, there’s more than one way to earn a Grammy. I’d love for Viola Davis to narrate a spoken word album.

Elton John - Missing An Emmy

This is another EGOT that feels inevitable. Sir Elton John has won many Grammys, and earned a Tony for Best Original Score for the musical Aida. He also won an Oscar for Best Original Song for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King, and more recently, earned another for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman.

All Elton John has to do is compose one perfect song for an HBO show and that Emmy is his. I could also see potential Emmy nominations for a live action musical or Elton John documentary.

Cynthia Erivo - Missing An Oscar

And now for my personal pick for the next EGOT — Cynthia Erivo. She’s won an Emmy, Tony, and Grammy, all for her performances in The Color Purple, so she’s just missing an Oscar.

But, Erivo has already been nominated for two Oscars (Best Actress for Harriet in 2019 and Best Original Song for “Stand Up” from Harriet). Half of the people on this list haven’t even been nominated for the award they’re missing, so she’s right on track to earn an Oscar soon. Keep in mind that Cynthia Erivo is also set to play Elphaba in the Wicked movie in 2024, so at least one future Oscar nom seems eminent.

Hugh Jackman - Missing An Oscar

I can’t believe the only award Hugh Jackman is missing is an Oscar. That seems impossible, probably because most thought he would win one when he was nominated for Best Actor for playing Jean Valjean in Les Miserables.

Jackman already won an Emmy for his hosting gig at the 58th Tony Awards, a Grammy for The Greatest Showman soundtrack, and a Tony for Best Leading Actor in The Boy from Oz. He’s also nominated again in 2022 for The Music Man, a role that's earned huge applause from audiences, so this could be his year.

Audra McDonald - Missing An Oscar

Just because she hasn’t won an Oscar doesn’t mean she can’t act — Audra McDonald has won six Tony awards, as well as an Emmy award for Outstanding Special Class Program for Sweeney Todd (Live from Lincoln Center). She also has two Grammy awards for Best Classical Album and Best Opera Recording.

I’d love for Audra McDonald to earn her Oscar starring in a movie musical, but she also could earn a nomination for writing an original song for a movie.

Lin Manuel Miranda - Missing An Oscar

Like Hugh Jackman and Cynthia Erivo, Lin Manuel Miranda is only missing one award, and he’s already been nominated for it. His EGOT was put on hold when he lost the Oscar for Best Original Song for “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana, and again for “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto. 

Previously, Lin Manuel Miranda won two Tony awards for In The Heights and Hamilton, as well as Grammys for each soundtrack. He earned his Emmy for writing the opening number of the 67th Tony Awards, “Bigger!” and again for Hamilton.

Miranda’s obviously not done writing forever, although he did say he’s looking forward to taking some time off to spend with his family. Whether it's as an actor or composer, he'll eventually get redemption for Moana and Encanto and earn that Oscar. It could even be for a sequel to Encanto, which Miranda has mentioned he'd like to do.

Trey Parker And Matt Stone - Missing An Oscar

Oh, right. The guys from South Park did write a musical.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone won four Tony Awards for their musical, The Book of Mormon, in addition to a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. When you include their Emmy awards from South Park, the pair are only one away from an EGOT.

Again, this one feels destined to happen. Whether it will be a South Park movie or maybe a new movie musical, these guys definitely have the skills to earn their Oscar.

Ben Platt - Missing An Oscar

Ben Platt snagged his E-G-T for his work in Dear Evan Hanson and its soundtrack. Since he’s the youngest person on this list at only 28, he has more than enough time to earn plenty of nominations for Academy Awards.

Consider the fact that Ben Platt became the youngest person to win Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical at the age of 23, and you’ll understand why I’m not concerned that he’ll ultimately complete his grand slam. Let's continue the tradition of Dear Evan Hansen and cast Platt in one of the many other modern musicals that should be made into movies.

Billy Porter - Missing An Oscar

Billy Porter is going to win an Oscar soon, I can feel it. He already won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in Pose, as well as a Tony for Best Actor in Kinky Boots. He might even earn another Tony this year as a producer of the Best Musical nominee, A Strange Loop.

Porter earned his Grammy for Kinky Boots, as well, so I’m wondering if it’s time for another Kinky Boots movie. Whether that happens or not, Billy Porter is an extremely talented actor and definitely on track to complete his EGOT.

Lily Tomlin - Missing An Oscar

Finally, comedy legend Lily Tomlin has won six Emmys for her comedy and variety specials, one Grammy for Best Comedy Album, and even won a Tony for Best Actress in a Play for The Search of Intelligent Life in the Universe.

The Grace and Frankie actress has nothing to prove, but definitely has the ability to take on a dramatic role or maybe even provide some comic relief in an Oscar-worthy movie. 

Again, my money is on Cynthia Erivo getting a full EGOT first, but Jennifer Hudson does seem to be walking away with this one. To keep up with the progress of these EGOT contenders, tune into the 75th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 12.

The 2022 Winter Olympics are well underway, and audiences have been riveted by the remarkable skill displayed by athletes from around the world (even when they’re wearing tape on their faces). Figure skating fans in particular have been treated to astounding feats of finesse from various performers, including Nahan Chen. The American competitor just won the gold medal for his free skate set to "Rocket Man," and it caught the attention of none other than the legend himself, Elton John, who just had to send a supportive message. 

American figure skater Nathan Chen took the top prize for the men’s free skate last Thursday. His vibrant performance was set to a medley of Elton John songs, including "Bennie and the Jets" and, most notably, "Rocket Man." The English pop icon clearly enjoyed this rendition more than he enjoyed The Lion King remake, and took to Twitter to congratulate him. Take a peek below: 

Nathan Chen’s free skate capitalized on every moment of "Rocket Man," with stand-out instances like a mid-air quad turn that perfectly punctuated the song’s build-up to the bridge. He then decided to bust a move to the remixed version of "Bennie and the Jets" from the film Rocketman, a track that features the pop singer P!nk and the rapper Logic. He’s just one of the many figure skaters beginning to incorporate popular music into their routines, as opposed to traditional instrumentals, from symphonies and films like Star Wars; other featured tunes included Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation.” 

In addition to garnering the praise of Elton John, Nathan Chen’s free skate propelled him straight to the top of the podium. After scoring a record-breaking 113.97 on his short program, Nathan Chen’s Elton John medley won him a stunning 218.63 points for a final tally of 332.60. He won the gold by a fairly large margin, with silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama scoring 310.05 and bronze medalist Shoma Uno (both from Japan) scoring 293.00. 

It’s a satisfying turn of events for Nathan Chen, who previously competed at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang. His results were less than stellar, despite the fact that he was a favorite for the gold medal. Refusing to be cowed by a short tenure in fifth place, the figure skater brushed himself off, stepped up his game, and became unbeatable over the next four years. It all led to this moment, where he snagged the proverbial crown in Beijing. In the words of Elton John, it was a “long, long time” - but Nathan Chen finally made it to the moon. 

The 2022 Winter Olympic Games are now airing on NBC. Schedules tend to vary, so be sure to check out how you can stream the event. In addition to airing on regular cable, the Olympics are available to watch on Peacock Premium. Already caught up? Preview these new TV premiere dates set to roll out in 2022. 

Moulin Rouge! just turned 20 years old, but even after two decades, the film's cultural impact is still being felt. Case in point, Moulin Rouge! The Musical swept the Tony Awards in September, taking home 10 trophies, including Best Musical. Well, as it turns out, the iconic tracks heard throughout the film were almost very different until a slew of rock music legends, including Elton John, swept in and helped writer/director Baz Luhrmann maintain his original vision for the jukebox musical.

I recently sat down with Baz Luhrmann to congratulate him on the film’s 20th anniversary and the musical’s Tony wins when he launched into an impassioned display of gratitude toward those who helped the film get made. This includes Paul McCartney, David Bowie and the man who “led the charge,” Elton John. He explained that the music publishers wanted nothing to do with mash-ups or musical adaptations, so he had no choice but to go to the artists themselves. Luhrmann recalled:

Elton John’s “Your Song” is featured prominently in Moulin Rouge! as Ewan McGregor’s Christian serenades his star-crossed lover, Nicole Kidman’s Satine. It’s become such an iconic moment that the idea of any other track being used in its place is nearly unthinkable. If you haven’t seen the film in a while, here is a quick refresher:

But Elton John isn’t the only knighted, rock music superstar to have taken a role in pushing the project forward. The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” is also prominently featured in the film, and Paul McCartney “swung in” to push publishers in the right direction. David Bowie took it up a notch by not only supporting the film’s use of his song “Heroes,” but also working with Baz Luhrmann directly to provide vocals for the film’s cover of “Nature Boy.” As Luhrmann explained:

Perhaps the most charming part of this story is that after working with his heroes, Baz Luhrmann managed to develop meaningful relationships with them. The rock icons were right to put their faith in Luhrmann, as the film became a cultural phenomenon (despite its mixed critical reception) and ended up winning two Oscars. 

As for Baz Luhrmann’s future, he has plenty of projects in the works. Moulin Rouge! The Musical just opened in Melbourne, will open in London in a few weeks, and then will be touring on American soil before making its way to Tokyo. He’s also writing and directing 2022’s Elvis Presley biopic. It stars Austin Butler as the icon himself and features performances from Tom Hanks and Dacre Montgomery. If you’re wondering what to watch while you anxiously await Luhrmann’s next feature, we’ve got you covered. 

Taron Egerton won widespread praise and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Elton John in last year’s Rocketman. Now, he’s taking another real life role, albeit one that’s a bit less of a household name, in a new biopic.

To be fair, the subject matter of the upcoming film is definitely enough to grab moviegoers attention. Titled Tetris, it tells the story of a Cold War-era legal battle that took place surrounding the intellectual property for the legendary video game. Taron Egerton will play Henk Rogers, who eventually won the rights to Tetris for himself and the man who originally created the game, who spent years fighting several different parties before he ended up getting paid.

At first glance, a movie about a legal battle over a video game might not sound like the most thrilling. However, it sounds like Tetris could be a really captivating movie -- not only does it involve a lesser-known story about a well-known entity, but it seems like there’s some political and legal issues wrapped up in the film that could up the ante on the drama.

Another thing Tetris has going for it is that it’s definitely a unique premise, at least as far as biopics are concerned. There have been plenty of movies based on video games, including this year’s surprise hit Sonic the Hedgehog and the long-awaited Uncharted. However, there haven’t been all that many that delve into the behind-the-scenes aspects of how many of our most beloved video games have come into being. Which, when you think about it, is kind of surprising, since the video game industry is one of the most successful in history and likely full of some pretty dramatic stories. Maybe if Tetris is a hit, it will inspire a new wave of video game biopics.

It’s definitely possible that Taron Egerton could help make Tetris a box office success, too. His role will likely be much different than his role in Rocketman -- at the very least, it will require less singing. But we know Taron Egerton is capable of carrying a high-stakes story, thanks to his work in movies like Legend and Kingsman: The Secret Service. Before Tetris hits theaters, he will also lend his voice to Sing 2, once again portraying Johnny. That film is currently due to hit theaters in 2021.

Tetris, which will be directed by Jon S. Baird. It’s currently in pre-production and slated to begin filming in September. However, it does not have a release date scheduled yet. There’s no word yet on who will join Taron Egerton in the cast.

Do you think Tetris sounds interesting? Will you be checking it out when it hits theaters? Let us know in the comments!

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Just like the musician on which it was based, Rocketman is anything but your standard biopic. The 2019 story of Elton John is equal parts biographical drama and jukebox fantasy in its retelling of the life and career of one of the most successful musicians of all time. But just like the famed musician's career, the production of the film was long and full of ups and downs. And although that made for a tough time for the cast and crew, it makes for some great behind the scenes facts.

From the formation of the idea way back in the early days of the 21st Century until the film was finally released in theaters, Rocketman was quite a journey for all involved parties. So without wasting any more time, let's take a look at ten things you didn't know about the Elton John biographical fantasy.

Tom Hardy Was Originally Slated To Portray Elton John, But Wasn't Comfortable Singing

Years before Rocketman was released, or even entered production, Tom Hardy was one of the first names thrown around to portray Elton John. As far back as 2013, the future Venom star was confirmed to be taking on the iconic figure, but after four years of the film failing to get off the ground, Hardy was replaced by Taron Egerton, who went on to win a Golden Globe for his performance.

When he was still attached to the project, Tom Hardy was going to lip-sync Elton John's most memorable songs because of his struggle with the idea of singing. While sitting down with The Sun, the English actor had this to say about the project:

As great as it would have been to see Tom Hardy's natural flair come out in the performance, hearing Taron Egerton's actual voice brought a whole other dimension to the movie.

Justin Timberlake Was Considered For The Role At One Point

Even though he was never approached by Elton John or anyone else attached to the project, Justin Timberlake was once considered to take on the lead role in Rocketman. While sitting down with The Hollywood Reporter in 2019, Elton John's husband and the film's producer, David Furnish revealed that the thought came about because of Timberlake's portrayal of the colorful singer in the 2001 music video "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore," stating:

In the years following the 2001 music video, Justin Timberlake has gone on to have an insanely successful music career as well as a decent run in Hollywood with supporting roles in The Social Network and the recent Trolls World Tour.

Elton John Was Adamant About The Movie Having An R-Rating

Anyone who's watched Rocketman in the year since its theatrical release knows that the movie doesn't hold back in its depiction of Elton John's extravagant lifestyle, especially the singer's problems with drugs and sex. This is why John was so adamant about the film receiving an R-rating, even though different studios wanted a toned down PG-13 version of his life. In a 2019 op-ed in The Guardian, the 1994 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee stated:

But as we all know, Elton John prevailed and audiences around the world were given one of the most extraordinary an awe-inspiring biopics in recent memory that didn't hold back on the famed singer's darkest moments.

Paramount Moved Forward With The Project After Watching Taron Egerton Perform

For a movie about a singer as popular and revolutionary as Elton John, it took an insanely long amount of time to get Rocketman off the ground, but once Taron Egerton signed on for the lead role in 2017, things got a bit easier. In a sprawling profile on the film and its major players in The Hollywood Reporter, producer Matthew Vaughn revealed that after getting Egerton onboard, he and several other of the movie's producers filmed the future Golden Globe winner performing two of John's most noted songs.

In February 2018, the crew recorded a video of Taron Egerton singing "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" and "Your Song," which was then sent off to Paramount chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos, who quickly gave the project the green light.

Taron Egerton Went Through Quite A Process To Pull Of Elton John's Signature Look

Once Taron Egerton secured the role and the production was given the go-ahead, the Kingsman star had to go through quite a lengthy process to pull off Elton John's signature look in Rocketman. In addition to going through extensive recording sessions to pull off the sound of the famous singer, the production had to find a way to pull off the singer's gap between his front teeth and receding hairline, both of which Egerton didn't have. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Egerton revealed the costume department quickly gave up on the idea of using fake teeth as it would affect the actor's ability to speak and sing:

The hairline became even more of an issue, as Taron Egerton explained:

Taron Egerton Underwent Extensive Training To Pull Off The Piano Scenes

Taron Egerton pulled off all of his singing in Rocketman, but the actor did require some training in order to properly pull off playing parts of Elton John's famous songs while also learning how to act like he was playing the songs he couldn't get down. In 2019, Michael L. Roberts, the vocal and piano coach on the set of the film sat down with Screenrant, where he revealed just how much work the actor put in, stating:

Later in the interview, Michael L. Roberts explained that Taron Egerton went through enough training to know exactly where his hands had to be on the piano at all times during the performances. That's taking it to the next level.

Bryce Dallas Howard Discovered Unsetting Truths About Elton John's Mother During Research

Make no mistake about it, Elton John had quite a turbulent upbringing thanks in part to his absent father and borderline-abusive mother. The hard days of the singer's youth were brought to life in great detail in Rocketman, but Bryce Dallas Howard, who plays John's late mother, Sheila Eileen Dwight, originally had a hard time connecting the character before she started doing some research of her own, telling CinemaBlend:

The Production's Costume Department Recreated 85 Different Outfits For The Movie

With a tagline that reads "Based On A True Fantasy," there was no way Rocketman was going to feature some of the most elaborate and extravagant costumes in recent memory. The movie was based on the life and career of Elton John, who's just as known for his wardrobe as he is for this musical talent, so costume designer Julian Day knew exactly what he had to do, telling USA Today:

The designer said he and his department created 85 flashy costumes, 60 different pairs of glasses, and 60 pairs of shoes, all of which are shown off in great detail throughout the film.

Taron Egerton Felt Intimidated When Elton John Was On Set

In many cases, it's likely that actors portraying famous musicians don't have to worry about their real-life counterparts walking around on set. That wasn't the case for the production of Rocketman, as Elton John was a producer of the film and would sometimes be found during shooting. This made some scenes tough for Egerton, especially the explicit scenes, as the actor told Yahoo! Entertainment:

There Was A Controversy Surrounding The Delta Airlines Edit Of The Film

And this final little tidbit of information doesn't have much to do concerning the production of Rocketman but more so with the Delta Airlines edit of the film that was shown on flights in last 2019. In the version shown on Delta flights, the same-sex love scene between Taron Egerton's Elton John and Richard Madden's John Reid was edited out, causing quite a stir in the process. A similar scene in Booksmart was also omitted from the Delta version of that film. In response to the incident, Delta Airlines released a statement reading:

The airline also went on to boast the number of LGBTQ+ titles that were available as in-flight entertainment that proved this wasn't an intentional omission. Delta also vowed to put a new process in place to prevent the issue from arising in the future.

Those are just 10 fascinating facts about the "true fantasy" that was Rocketman. If you want to see what the cast of the 2019 fantastical biopic is up to now, hop on over for more on CinemaBlend.

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Creating remakes of beloved properties has always been a tricky business, but the company behind the powerhouse mouse, Disney, has been rolling out live-action remakes for some of their most well-known animated movies for several years now. A new version of Mulan is coming our way in 2020, while films like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, Aladdin and The Lion King are already behind us. While the (actually, not really) live action Lion King made goo-gobs of green at the box office, not everyone was happy with it. You know, like Elton John.

Elton John, who was an integral part of making the music for the animated Lion King, went on record a few weeks ago to say that he wasn't happy with the new film, stating that he felt it was a "huge disappointment." This specifically applied to what was done with the songs he had so lovingly crafted for the original, which were re-recorded by the new stars, who included Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner. Well, now we know that Alfre Woodard, who voiced Sarabi in the remake, isn't the least bit bothered by John's words.

Well, this is a relief, isn't it? We love Alfre Woodard. We love Elton John. Whose side would we have taken if this turned into a battle royale?!

Elton John's big complaint about what was done with his songs in the new Lion King is that they "messed the music up" when they re-recorded the songs, which he felt led to a loss of the "magic and joy" which were held in the original versions. John also revealed that he was "extremely sad" to not have been invited to play more of a part in the new direction taken with his music and said he didn't feel he was "treated with the same level of respect" as the first time around.

Regardless, it's not hard to see where Alfre Woodard was coming from when she noted to Us Weekly that she simply doesn't worry about things like reviews. Once you do a movie (especially an odd direct-to-video movie), and know that you've given the performance your all, the only thing you really can do is clear the remnants of the character out of your psyche and move on to the next job.

When the job is done, it's done. I'm sure it's always lovely to know that someone enjoyed a project you did, but hearing that it wasn't liked, for whatever reason, doesn't add anything to or take anything away from the experience of making it. So, as Alfre Woodard does, it seems like a good practice for actors and filmmakers to just get on with the gettin' on afterward, positive reviews or not.

Woodard didn't say if this has always been her practice once she's done with a project, but for someone who has 120 film and television credits dating back to 1978, it's probably served her well to stay away from reviews.

You can watch the animated The Lion King right now on Disney+ (here's a link for a free 7-day trial if you haven't subscribed yet), while the 2019 version will surely be along on the service before too long.

Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody are two recent films that have received a great deal of comparison. Both are biopics about music stars from the same era, and both follow very similar trajectories in their stories. There are plenty of reasons to compare them, but one person who can't do that is Elton John, the subject of Rocketman, because he's never seen Bohemian Rhapsody.

Bohemian Rhapsody was a box office hit and an awards season darling, so a lot of people ended up seeing it, and one might expect that, especially since Elton John would have a unique perspective on the movie, he would be one of those who checked it out. However, it turns out that's exactly the reason he's avoided the movie. John says he can't watch it because he was too close to Freddie Mercury.

I've never seen somebody I knew personally portrayed by an actor in a film, but just trying to imagine such a thing is strange. I can totally see why Elton John might have trouble watching Bohemian Rhapsody. There's the possibility of getting frustrated with the film for the ways in which it changes the story. There's the potential difficulty that comes with reliving events that might be emotionally difficult to go through a second time. Regardless of how good or bad the movie turns out to be, there's the possibility of dealing with some serious issues.

Elton John says he's seen pieces of the film, enough to compliment Rami Malek's portrayal as Freddie Mercury, but that's all. If anything, the fact that Malek did such a good job may have reinforced to Elton John the idea that he shouldn't watch the rest of the movie. It might have hit too close to home.

While the similarities between Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman are obvious there is one significant difference. The Freddie Mercury movie was rated PG-13, while the Elton John biopic was rated-R. John told GQ that the success of Rhapsody did not lead to any additional pressure to sanitize his story. What it did lead to was more people being introduced to the music of Queen.

Elton John is likely experiencing a similar resurgence. While Rocketman hasn't been quite the hit Bohemian Rhapsody was, the movie still grossed close to $200 million dollars globally, and it still has a chance at some awards season recognition of its own.

Over the past few years, Disney has seen great success in making live-action remakes of its animated blockbusters. This all began with Maleficent, and continued with projects like The Jungle Book, Cinderella, and The Lion King. The latter was Jon Favreau's remake of the 1994 Oscar winning original, which made a ton of money when it hit theaters last summer. Elton John's beloved music was adapted into the new version, but it turns out that the iconic songwriter wasn't happy with the latest version of Simba's tale.

Elton John's music was a big reason why the original Lion King was such a powerful moviegoing experience, and what ultimately earned the animated blockbuster its Academy Awards. Those stunning songs were re-recorded with the remake's cast, including Donald Glover, Beyonce, Billy Eichner, and Seth Rogen. But those new version are what John has taken umbrage with, as he put it:

Well, that was certainly honest. It looks like Elton John wasn't a collaborator with Jon Favreau's version of The Lion King. And as such, he believe the joy and power of his songs were lost in the remake. And it's also why the soundtrack failed to make an impact on the music charts following the movie's release in July.

Elton John's comments to GQ may surprise moviegoers, given how many people ran to theaters to catch a screening of the new Lion King. The digital technology Jon Favreau used to bring The Jungle Book to life was applied to the remake, allowing the various animals of Pride Rock to be rendered in photorealism. It was a stunning visual treat, although Elton John wasn't happy with the handling of the music.

Related: The Hilarious Reason The Lion King’s Circle Of Life Ends How It Does

While the new Lion King was at point a shot-for-shot remake of the original, there were some liberal changes to the music. Keys were altered to accommodate the new cast, including tracks like "Hakuna Matata". Scar's signature song "Be Prepared" was almost unrecognizable from the original, with the lyrics changed for the new story and Chiwetel Ejiofor. It results in some of the songs be disappointing for the hardcore fans, including Elton John.

Beyonce's single "Spirit" was also added to the The Lion King's third act, which stuck out like a sore thumb among Elton John's original songs and the iconic orchestration. Luckily for John, he believes the true spirit of The Lion King's music lives on the with the long-running Broadway musical.

The Lion King is available on Digital HD on October 11, 2019 and on DVD and Blu-ray on October 22, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

In 1995, Elton John, along with lyricist Tim Rice, won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King. For the live-action remake from director Jon Favreau, Elton John and Tim Rice teamed up once again for a new song that could put Sir Elton in contention to win his second Oscar. Should that happen thanks to The Lion King, Elton John may be facing fierce competition in the form of himself and his biopic Rocketman.

Elton John was already expected to be in the running to win Best Original Song at the 2020 Oscar ceremony thanks to his “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from his fantastical biopic Rocketman. That song plays over the closing credits of the Dexter Fletcher film in a retro music video-esque sequence. It was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and performed by Sir Elton and his onscreen counterpart Taron Egerton.

“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” will have some competition from the Rocketman himself though. The recently announced track listing for The Lion King soundtrack revealed that Elton John and Tim Rice re-teamed to make magic once more. The two collaborated on an end-titles song called “Never Too Late”, which Elton John performs with an African choir.

So as noted by Variety, this means that Elton John will be competing against himself in the Best Original Song race as he looks to win his second Oscar statue. This wouldn’t be the first time the music legend has faced such tough competition though. Back in 1995, The Lion King dominated the category, earning three out of five nominations for the Elton John/Tim Rice collaborations “Hakuna Matata”, “Circle of Life” and the Oscar-winning “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.”

It worked out for Elton John then so we’ll have to see if these songs are both nominated and he again goes home with a statue. His competition has yet to come into focus for the moment. The feature film adaptation of the musical Cats is still to come as is Frozen II. The first Frozen won the award for the song with the highest play count in the history of music “Let It Go.” Also “Speechless” from Aladdin was pretty great.

There is also the question mark of Beyoncé. Beyoncé only appears on the soundtrack listing for the new rendition of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” alongside Donald Glover. The Lion King soundtrack does have a mystery song on it though for which the title and the artist has not been revealed.

Beyoncé apparently did do a song for The Lion King soundtrack, which would presumably be this mystery song, but it seems it was on her own and not the collaboration with Elton John that he had expressed interest in doing. It would be a shame if Beyoncé and Elton John didn’t collaborate for the soundtrack but either way, Elton John should probably start planning his outfit for next year’s Academy Awards ceremony.

The Lion King opens in theaters on July 19. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to prep for all of this summer’s biggest movies.

In director Dexter Fletcher’s musical-fantasy biopic Rocketman, the story of Elton John’s origins, triumphs, and struggles in the music industry are shown in connection to his relationship with then-manager John Reid. Played by Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden, Reid is played off as basically the villain in the story of Elton John’s rise to fame, and his attempts to cope with its pressures through drugs and drink.

What makes for even more of an interesting note is the fact that last year, another big ticket biopic highlighted the contributions of John Reid to the music industry. In the case of Bohemian Rhapsody though, there’s a big difference with John Reid’s depiction in the very same film that Dexter Fletcher helped direct not too long before jumping into Rocketman.

Comparing the two versions of John Reid is an interesting exercise, especially when discussing how both films tackle their very similar subject matter. With that in mind, here’s the full story of why John Reid is in both Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody, and how he’s portrayed in both films.

John Reid’s Connection To Both Elton John And Freddie Mercury

As a musical manager, John Reid handled two of the hottest clients anyone could have ever gotten their hands on in the 1970s: Elton John and Queen. In the case of Elton John, despite Rocketman’s sentiments that John was free from his manager’s grasp by the end of the film, the truth is that John Reid actually managed Elton John from his signing in 1970 until 1998, just a year short of his retirement from music management.

His tenure with Queen was shorter lived, and apparently not as dramatic as his firing in Bohemian Rhapsody was depicted. Serving as the manager to the band between 1975 and 1978, the parting between the band and John Reid was mutually friendly. Though these portraits of John Reid and his service to the music industry do draw interesting contrasts to how both Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody use him for their narrative purposes.

How John Reid Is Portrayed In Rocketman

In Rocketman, Richard Madden’s John Reid is initially shown as a romantic figure whom Taron Egerton’s Elton John falls naively in love with. Eventually, their relationship sours as Reid turns into a character more focused on his business empire who enjoys making money off of representing John’s career, rather than truly loving Elton. By the end of the film, Elton John seems to have made peace with their relationship not being an authentic one, and learns to love himself again.

Were a biopic to have a need for a villain, Rocketman’s John Reid definitely qualifies as one. With his seemingly cold-hearted demeanor when dealing with Elton John, particularly as his excesses and insecurity consume him in the film, he’s made out to be the big bad of the film’s story. While his portrayal in Bohemian Rhapsody isn’t all sunshine and rainbows either, it certainly paints him to a lesser degree of villainy.

How John Reid Is Portrayed In Bohemian Rhapsody

Portrayed by fellow Game of Thrones alum Aiden Gillen, Bohemian Rhapsody’s John Reid is a gentler figure than shown in Rocketman. Meeting the band in the now infamously edited pub scene, Reid seems to get the cut of the band’s jib. For most of the film, John Reid is seen as sort of a yes man to the band, as he defends their artistic vision in front of Mike Myers’ Ray Foster, as the latter tries to stifle the vision of both “Bohemian Rhapsody” and the album it called its home, A Night At The Opera.

Though when the time comes to pick an alternate single when Bohemian Rhapsody’s titular track is in danger, this version of John Reid doesn’t shy away from throwing out other options. Then, of course, there’s the big firing scene, where Rami Malek’s Freddie Mercury fires John Reid for even suggesting he go solo in the name of a lucrative offer. Which, as was pointed out previously, was debunked by Queen’s following manager Jim “Miami” Beach. The parting, according to Beach, was on really friendly terms.

Why Rocketman And Bohemian Rhapsody Never Crossed Over

Now some of you may be thinking about how fun a crossover between both Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody could have been. Two huge musical biopics, with John Reid adjacent to the action and taking place during the same era, might have been a shoo-in for at least one crossover scene. Even more so when accounting the fact Dexter Fletcher worked as a director on both. But that prospect was dismissed by Fletcher himself for a pretty sound reason. He noted:

As much of a musical fantasy as Rocketman is supposed to be, a wink and a nod cameo by Rami Malek reprising the role of Freddie Mercury would have been just a hair too much. Even Fletcher himself stated that he didn’t want the audience to think that he was all of a sudden creating a musical biopic cinematic universe. Just as easily as the thought of Mercury and John Reid toasting Elton John in one of the film’s dour restaurant scenes had occurred, the concept was dashed, and history took its natural course.

With two varying depictions of his career in the ‘70s on screen, John Reid’s legacy as a musical manager means very different things depending on which film you’re running with. In terms of Bohemian Rhapsody, he was a bit of an overly ambitious man who knew how to play both sides so as to smooth over negotiations on both sides. While Rocketman shows Reid as more of an icy businessman who isn’t afraid to push Elton John to his limits and has him performing shows even shortly after a heart attack.

Biopics show their subjects in the best light possible to tell their story, and both films have done just that. So while neither may adhere solely to the letter of history, they’ve used the real events that John Reid was a part of, and turned them into box office victory.

In Rocketman, actor Taron Egerton does all of his own singing, and through his performance, he truly becomes Elton John, a musical legend that has been playing in front of sold out crowds for decades. But playing a rock star in a movie isn’t quite the same thing as actually being one, and Taron Egerton got a taste of what it’s like to perform in front of a huge live audience when Elton John pulled him onstage to sing “Your Song.” Fortunately, there’s video, so check it out:

Rocking a rainbow tee shirt and large pair of glasses befitting Elton John, Taron Egerton proved that he can walk the walk and doesn’t need the multiple takes of a feature film to be a capable singer. With Taron Egerton singing and Elton John playing piano and joining him on vocals, this duet of “Your Song” made for a really cool and special moment between the music icon and the man who helped tell his life story onscreen.

This also had to be an amazing treat for the crowd as well. If you’re seeing Elton John on tour, there’s a good chance you’re probably a huge fan and have already seen Rocketman. So like Bradley Cooper showing up to sing with Lady Gaga, this made for a memorable moment that the crowd won’t soon forget.

This duet took place at the Sussex County Cricket Club grounds in Hove, England as a part of Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. The tour, which began last year, will consist of more than 300 shows across 5 continents and will run all the way until 2021. The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour will be Elton John’s final tour ever as he moves to the next chapter of his life.

So it definitely is poetic that this final tour coincides with the release of his life story in Rocketman and that Taron Egerton got to be a part of Elton John’s last act as a touring artist. “Your Song” is the perfect choice for the two to sing together, and you can see their affection for one another in lyrics like “How wonderful life is when you’re in the world.”

Following the show, Elton John took to Twitter to express his gratitude to Taron Egerton. Take a look:

One of the most charming things surrounding Rocketman has been seeing the relationship between star Taron Egerton and the musical legend he plays in the film. The two seem to have developed a real friendship making the movie, and that came across in the duet of “Your Song” and in this tweet.

Elton John’s final tour will no doubt be full of special moments as he wraps up his career in grand fashion, and this will surely stand out among them.

Rocketman is now playing. Go see it and check out our 2019 Release Schedule to prep for all of this year’s biggest movies.

Here’s a fun fact: biopics are generally where the facts go to get twisted into Hollywood gold. Now while that’s something that Rocketman definitely addresses by labeling itself as a “magical” musical fantasy, there’s still some stuff that doesn’t check out when history and cinema are lined up next to one another.

While this doesn’t spoil the fun and whimsy that Rocketman’s 2019 release has been banking on in its critical reviews, there are some interesting truths that make for interesting comparisons when looking at the facts. So if you’re inclined to separate the facts from the fiction, please enjoy our look into Rocketman’s big differences between the movie life and Elton John's real life.

The Origin Of Elton John's Name Is Half Right

In a big Rocketman moment that plays out across two scenes in the film, young Reginald Dwight is inspired to change his name by two different sources: an early bandmate and John Lennon himself. That second half is particularly interesting as according to the film, Elton drew inspiration from a framed photo of The Beatles in Dick James’ office.

That wasn’t exactly the case in real life history though, as “Elton John” came from two different members of Dwight’s early band, Bluesology. While we saw Elton Dean inspire the first half, it was really singer Long John Baldry who gave him the last name of his alter ego, soon to be his actual name starting in 1972. And before you ask, yes, Hercules is his middle name, so Rocketman isn’t telling lies in that respect.

Elton John And Bernie Taupin’s First Song Wasn't "Border Song"

Elton John and Bernie Taupin are one of the greatest singer/songwriter pairs in musical history, full stop. Apparently, their chemistry was pretty much spot-on from the moment they met through that fateful envelope handed to Elton in a crucial scene in Rocketman. However, as the film would lead you to believe that “Border Song” was their first big collaboration, that is not exactly correct.

In truth, it was really the song “Scarecrow” that saw Elton John and Bernie Taupin record their first song together. Funnily enough, by time they had written and recorded that first song, Elton was still going by his given name, Reginald Dwight.

The Pair Also Wrote Songs For Other Artists Before Elton’s First Album

The Elton John and Bernie Taupin relationship is a subject so voluminous that it could practically take up its own film, so it’s not like Rocketman could cram everything into the story. Another couple of interesting tidbits come out when looking at how their relationship worked in actual history, starting with the fact they didn’t skip straight to pumping out Elton John albums.

Before they would go on to release their first single in 1968, Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote songs for other artists, and even had a song in the Eurovision Song Contest. Though Rocketman kind of touches upon this by mentioning Scottish recording artist Lulu as someone the pair would work with, so it’s not a total omission.

There Were Only Two Albums That Saw Elton John And Bernie Taupin Split Up

While Elton John and Bernie Taupin have technically never had an argument in their 50 years of working together, they did have a break up as depicted in Rocketman. Only, the film would have you believe that it lasted longer than it actually was. While you see Elton John and Bernie Taupin split after a fateful moment on a jet plane, their relationship seems to only have been repaired by Elton’s stay in rehab.

Rocketman’s 2019 version of the story puts that event quite further down the line than history did. In actuality, John and Taupin were only separated for two albums, before they’d start teaming up together again. If you go by how Rocketman tells the tale, the two wouldn’t reunite until 1990, when Elton John finally went to rehab. Keep that piece of information in mind, as it’ll play into other events the film depicts.

Renate Blauel Wasn’t Elton John’s First Engagement

Rocketman shows the short marriage between Elton John and Renate Blauel in even shorter order, as one moment the two are married and in practically the next scene, they break up. Even more interesting is the fact that there was actually almost another marriage that Elton John nearly entered into a long time before those nuptials in 1984.

The 1970s saw Elton John and Linda Woodrow engaged to be married, with the relationship eventually ending by Elton’s choice. While Rocketman shows Elton in a relationship with a landlady, who he ultimately comes out to and breaks up with, that was apparently the substitute for Linda’s story, as well as the fact that Elton John technically wouldn’t come out as a homosexual until after his four-year marriage dissolved. Something that Woodrow herself is a little disappointed in, as she’s gone on record stating she wish she’d played a part in Rocketman’s 2019 narrative.

John Reid Remained Elton John’s Manager For Years After Rocketman's Ending

It’s so easy to want a nice and tidy ending, and Rocketman’s 2019 musical fantasy basically has one. We see Elton John emerge from rehab, with a new song written, his partnership with Bernie Taupin restored, and a new life where he lives in the name of art and love. But there are some details that stick out rather drastically when taking reality into account.

One such detail is that while Elton John made peace with former boyfriend John Reid not exactly being in love with him, the two remained in an artist/manager relationship for quite a long time. In fact, Reid only stopped being Elton John’s manager in 1998, shortly before he retired from management altogether. Yet, if you watch the ending of Rocketman, it feels as if Elton is saying goodbye to him for good before his triumphant closing number.

Elton John Didn’t Miss A Madison Square Garden Gig To Go To Rehab

As the framing device for Elton John’s telling his life story in Rocketman, we see Elton John enter a group therapy session in a bejeweled devil costume and ready to vent. Later in the film, we see Elton John storm out of a show at Madison Square Garden, only to take a cab out to said facility and check himself in.

The truth comes calling once again, as not only did we state that Elton John wouldn’t go to rehab until 1990, it was in Chicago that he would take that big step in his life. Considering you see the World Trade Center in the background as he arrives in rehab, that must have been one hell of a cab ride for the Rocketman protagonist to have taken!

"I’m Still Standing" Happened Before Rocketman’s Finale

Throughout Rocketman, there are a lot of songs played out of historical order. “I Want Love” is one of the most interesting examples of the musical fantasy angle of the film, as while it made its debut on 2004’s “Songs From The West Coast” album, the song pops up in young Reginald Dwight’s family home.

An even bigger switch up in the film is the fact that in Rocketman’s 2019 story, Elton John writes the tune of “I’m Still Standing” after freshly reuniting with lyricist Bernie Taupin. Again, Elton John’s stint in rehab was in 1990, with John and Taupin reuniting 1979 – with more than enough time to spare in order to produce “I’m Still Standing” for its 1983 release.

While these are certainly not all of the differences between Rocketman and Elton John’s life story, they are indeed among the biggest. And even with those changes made to the narrative, the film still works as the musical fantasy it’s labeled as.

If the film hadn’t owned up to its own slightly fictitious nature, then Rocketman’s 2019 tour probably wouldn’t have been as well received. But this is the story that Elton John helped to tell, and since he approves of the film, then as long as it’s codified in the right way, it’s all good. That is exactly the film we’re left to watch and enjoy.

Rocketman is in theaters now, but if you’ve already seen it, you can always take a look at our 2019 release schedule to see what else is rocking in theaters now and in the near future.

The musical biopic celebrating Elton John’s rise to stardom and personal struggles has finally arrived to cinemas. However, at a screening of Rocketman in Moscow on Thursday, audiences missed out on the intended experience of the film, which was meant to shown an uninhibited and flashy approach to the musician's early life.

Scenes including gay sex and kissing in Rocketman were removed by the Russian distributor, sparking this response from Elton John and the filmmakers:

Five minutes of footage was reportedly removed from the movie for Russian audiences, due to the country’s laws banning "homosexual propaganda." According to Variety, the filmmakers and Elton John had not been made aware of the censorship until Russian journalists reported the cut following the Moscow screening.

Paramount Pictures also released a separate statement about Rocketman’s censorship:

The studio supported Elton John’s words, expressing that the movie will be released uncut across the globe. There is however one caveat: the studio “must adhere” to local laws, and in some regions those include the censorship of gay content. Will Paramount then continue to release Rocketman in foreign territories that will cut these scenes? This seems to be the case, otherwise the studio would have to pull Rocketman from a few foreign markets.

Those involved in the musical have been vocal about the movie’s approach to truthfully depict Elton John’s life, showing his drug use and gay sex scenes. When John originally set out to have his life told, he went through studios unwilling to back an R-rated Elton John biopic. The musician recently said “I haven’t led a PG-13 rated life," so it never made sense to him for a movie about him to hold that rating.

Rumors previously swarmed about Paramount’s pushback to cut a gay scene from the flick as well, but director Dexter Fletcher shot those rumors down, assuring the film “has and always will be the no holds barred."

Bohemian Rhapsody recently dealt with a similar situation when it was released in China. Six sequences regarding Queen frontman Freddie Mercury’s sexual identity were censored from the film, and that movie was PG-13 to begin with. Chinese film advocates spoke out about the censorship, saying it really affected the intended message of the movie about Mercury finding himself.

Rocketman has been met with positive reviews by critics and is expected to open behind Godzilla: King of the Monsters this weekend at $25 million.

You’ve probably heard by now that actor Taron Egerton does all of his own singing for his role as Elton John in Rocketman. It’s incredible and just adds another layer of authenticity to the performance that helps Taron Egerton disappear into the role. But while being able to sing is a huge deal, Elton John himself had a specific request for the actor playing him, as Taron Egerton explained:

This certainly seems counterintuitive and Taron Egerton said as much when speaking with The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere of Rocketman. When you’re an actor in a biopic, the logical assumption is that you should try to become that person in any and every way possible, from look and mannerisms to way of speaking and, when the subject is a famous rock star, as is the case in Rocketman, singing.

But Elton John did not want Taron Egerton to try and sound like him which is something that the actor had to work on because it went against his instincts in the role. He’s dressed as Elton John and singing Elton John songs, but Elton John doesn’t want him to sound like Elton John. Who knows how much practice was for naught after that request.

Taron Egerton must have been quite taken aback upon hearing this request and had to adjust his whole approach to the singing in the film. Yet, he has said that he really just wanted to make Elton John happy with his performance, so if that’s what Elton wants, that’s what Elton gets.

Taron Egerton didn’t reveal why Elton John made the request that he not try and sound like him, so we are left to speculate. Perhaps hearing Taron Egerton’s singing chops, Elton John just wanted the actor to use his own voice and not try and imitate him because it wouldn’t be as powerful and authentic, and he would sound better if he didn’t.

We know Elton John thought highly of Taron Egerton’s singing, and it sounds like he wanted him to put his own spin on the beloved tunes and express himself as an artist without being afraid to try things because they wouldn’t adhere to what Elton sounds like. The important thing is that the songs sound good and Taron Egerton captures the essence of Elton John’s music, even if he doesn’t sound exactly like him.

This request seems to have worked all around. Rocketman is receiving rave reviews and given that Elton John is sending positive notices to Taron Egerton, one assumes that he was happy with how it all turned out.

Rocketman launches in theaters today. This is just one of the exciting movies arriving this summer, check out the rest in our 2019 Release Schedule and for all your movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

Memorable art often is born from pain. Could be a broken heart. Could be a broken home. But art that stands the test of time too often can be traced back to an inspirational source of tragedy, and that has been proven time and again over the years.

Elton John can attest to this notion. In the new film Rocketman, it’s made clear that the piano prodigy’s home life as a child was a struggle, with his parents Stanley (Steven Mackintosh) and Sheila (Bryce Dallas Howard) being less than accepting of his talents and musical aspirations. It only got worse as the singer/songwriters’ career flourished.

Seeing as how Bryce Dallas Howard comes from a show business family, we wondered if she had a hard time connecting with a parental figure who didn’t support the fantastic dreams of a gifted child. And during a recent Rocketman press day in London, Howard told CinemaBlend:

Elton John, according to Rocketman, didn’t necessarily rebel against his strict parenting, but he did seek out new relationships through music. After studying at a sophisticated music academy, he gravitated to rock and roll, and eventually found a spiritual and artistic kinship with lyricist Bernie Taupin (Jaime Bell). Their collaborations span a lifetime, and still produce hits to this day.

In fact, when I pointed out to Bryce Dallas Howard that Elton John’s gift prevailed through the emotional hardship put upon him by his misguided mother, the actress wisely clarified:

She’s right. Sir Elton John has achieved perhaps the highest level of success in his chosen field. But there’s no telling how smoother his path might have been if he had received the support that he craved from Day One. Then again, without those hardships, we might never have a dramatic musical like Rocketman to appreciate in theaters.

Here’s Bryce Dallas Howard, talking about her preparation to play Sheila Eileen Dwight in Rocketman.

Dexter Fletcher directs the musical biopic Rocketman, which is carried by a breathtaking lead performance by Taron Egerton. The movie roars into theaters on Thursday night, and if you can’t tell, we think you need to check it out.

Biopics are a tried and true genre in filmmaking, and there are no shortage of interesting real-life figures to adapt for the big screen. Last year was a big one for biopics, as the Freddie Mercury musical blockbuster Bohemian Rhapsody cleaned up at the box office and accrued countless awards and nominations. But there's already another musical biopic on the way, as Rocketman will bring the gritty and magical world of Elton John's history to the silver screen.

Elton John himself is intimately involved in Rocketman, insisting that the darkness and mistakes in his life are vital to the story. Kingsman favorite Taron Egerton is playing the legendary singer in the biopic, and seems to have formed quit the bond with John throughout the process. And it turns out that Elton John has a penchant for sending Egerton Rocketman reviews to the 29 year-old actor. As he recently revealed:

Taron Egerton may largely avoid reviews, but you can't ignore then when they're being sent by Elton John himself. Of course, the pop icon likely wasn't bringing the bad ones to the actor's attention. So Egerton should be safe from seeing anything he'd rather avoid.

The news about Elton John's relationship with Rocketman reviews come from Taron Egerton's recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! While promoting the upcoming movie musical, Egerton spoke about his relationship to the real-life figure he's portraying. John's partner David Furnish is a producer on the project, so Rocketman should be an intimate look into his life and career. Warts and all.

In addition to portraying Elton John in Rocketman, Taron Egerton will also be belting out select choices from the singer's massive catalogue. It's his voice that seems to have truly captured John's attention, and the two have already done a few duets ahead of the biopics's release. Their bond is strong enough that they have private conversation-- many of which revolving around the early reviews for their collaboration.

Related: The Emotional Reason Rocketman Should Be Seen In A Theater, According To Taron Egerton

Early reception for Rocketman has been pretty positive. The movie has been praised for its over the top cinematography and movie magic, as well as Taron Egerton's performance as Elton John. But official reviews aren't up, so we'll have to wait and see if the critical community agrees.

You can see Taron Egerton's conversation with Jimmy Kimmel below.

When Rocketman is finally released, it will likely be compared quite a bit with Bohemian Rhapsody. In fact, Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher actually stepped in to complete Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer departed the project. Now he's working on another musical biopic, and this time the star is actually singing the songs himself-- unlike Rami Malek's performance as Freddie Mercury.

Rocketman will arrive in theaters on May 31st. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

This weekend the story of Elton John takes the big screen in the form of the massive musical adventure Rocketman. The film is sort of an anomoly, as it's a big budget musical, but it's also rated-R. Those two things don't often go together, but since Elton John himself is something of a unique combination, it probably shouldn't be too surprising.

It turns out, that not every studio was quite on board with this particular combination however. Elton John says that many studios wanted to tone down the story in order to achieve the broader audience friendly PG-13 rating, but John says such a decision wouldn't have made sense because it wouldn't have fit his life. According to Sir Elton...

No biographical film is 100% accurate when it comes to what actually happened. Things will always be modified in some way for dramatic effect. However, there is a general feeling that a movie must be accurate enough to capture the essence of the person, and as Elton John himself says, you can't really do that with him without including sex and drugs.

It's not entirely uncommon for a movie to wallpaper over the darker parts of a true story. Especially when the subject is still alive, there's a natural inclination to focus on the more positive elements of a life story. Elton John could have wanted to see that happen here, but that wasn't what happened. In a piece he wrote himself for the Guardian, he says while he did work with producers and make a couple of "yea or nea" decisions (he doesn't specify what those were) about the film, but for the most part he kept himself away from the production, intentionally wanting to avoid casting his shadow over things.

Quite the contrary, Elton John clearly wanted his struggles with alcohol and drugs to be part of the film. He takes full responsibility for them, and says for that reason those elements aren't even difficult for him to watch. He knows they were his fault and is at peace with the decisions he made.

Based on the early critical reaction, it seems that the decisions that Rocketman made may be the right ones. The film is getting very positive reviews overall. The rest of the world will get to see it this Friday.

On the heels of the worldwide box office phenomenon known as Bohemian Rhapsody comes another tribute to a popular music icon who rose to fame in the ‘70s and loved to don a glittery get-up: Rocketman. Taron Egerton stars as Elton John in a biopic/musical framed around his breakthrough years.

Ahead of its theatrical release in a couple weeks, Rocketman has now premiered at Cannes Film Festival in France to a standing ovation from the crowd. That’s certainly a good sign! But did it lift off and soar in critics' eyes? Let’s take a look at some of the first reactions about the fantasy musical.

CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell is now in London doing interviews for Rocketman. Before that, he had a chance to see the movie and shared his rave review:

That's a great start! Rebecca Keegan of The Hollywood Reporter sounds like she was absolutely floored by the film. Take a look:

Along with loving Taron Egerton’s iteration of the music sensation, she praised it for the “I’m Still Standing” message. The actor worked closely with the Elton John himself, even having to sing and act with John in front of him, which he understandably found to be extremely intimidating. The iconic musician has been quite supportive of Egerton though.

Not everyone was completely convinced by Egerton’s performance though. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw felt he didn’t quite hit every note with these words:

When it comes to the dramatic aspects of Rocketman, Bradshaw didn’t feel like he sold it. Conversely, Stuart Oldham of Variety specifically pointed out the more somber moments of the film hitting a high for him. Here’s what he said:

Elton John’s husband of 26 years, John Furnish, recently watched the flick and said his personal struggles at the beginning of his career and prior to their life together made him want to give John a hug. Considering some of these reactions, as an audience we may collectively be feeling the same way as the film discusses his stint in rehab and sexual identity.

A couple months ago, there were rumors that Paramount had cut a “nude cuddle” between Taron Egerton’s Elton and Richard Madden’s John Reid due to the studio pulling back on the film’s adult content. This reaction from NY Times’ Kyle Buchanan indicates Rocketman does not steer away from portraying his sexuality. In his words:

One primary criticism of last year’s Bohemian Rhapsody was the way it shied away from completely exploring Mercury’s relationships with men – Rocketman won’t be making that mistake. Richard Madden’s role is also gaining recognition as well. Here’s what Anne Thompson of IndieWire had to say:

Comparisons to the Queen biopic just keep coming up! In addition to the film sharing a bit of the same subject matter and Dexter Fletcher being involved as director in both, it also includes one of the same villains. To round out the reactions, check out Ramin Setoodeh’s thoughts:

It looks like the movie is a lot more musical than biopic, but it still works better than the Queen film in his opinion. The Variety bureau chief also caught a sweet video of Taron Egerton’s own reaction upon seeing the film and watching the audience’s reaction at Cannes. Take a look:

The actor looks both happy and overwhelmed at his Rocketman debut! The 29-year-old actor is still fairly new to the industry and still best known for his Kingsman role. After the premiere, he and Elton John took to the stage to perform the song “Rocketman” together, captured by The Hollywood Reporter:

Wow! The actor has found a duet partner in Elton John before when they sang “Tiny Dancer” at an Oscars party in February. The pair look energized by the film’s screening in this performance. It was no doubt an emotional day for the both of them seeing their work on the film (and for John, quite literally his life’s work) finally premiere.

Rocketman hits theaters on May 31 and is expected to open at around $20 million during its first weekend as Godzilla: King of the Monsters presumably tops the musical.

Biopics can be a difficult business. Real life stories can often be the most satisfying, but it isn't always easy when it comes to dealing with the rougher elements of somebody's life. Elton John very much lived a rock and roll life and as such has many of those darker elements in his past. For John Furnish, Elton John's husband, it was especially difficult for him to be on set when the new movie Rocketman was filming some of those rough moments, as he saw the man he loved going through a very tough time. According to Furnish...

Elton John and John Furnish have been together for 26 years according to Variety, but that means that the events of Rocketman all, or at least largely, take place prior to Furnish having met the singer/songwriter. One can only imagine how unusual it must be to see the person you love at a time before you knew them. In most cases that person might be largely unrecognizable.

Based on the trailer for Rocketman we see that the film will deal with the way that the singer lived life to excess in the days of his early success. Furnish admits that Elton John is a "monster" to some degree here. Of course, he doesn't see that person now.

From John Furnish's comments one gets the distinct impression that the version of Elton John's story we're going to get in Rocketman is fairly true to life. It's been difficult to tell just how much of the film will be a true biopic and how much will simply be an Elton John rock opera. The movie itself refers to the production as a fantasy, implying the events won't necessarily be based on reality, but perhaps that's not quite the case.

Rocketman comes on the heels of Bohemian Rhapsody, which was partially directed by Dexter Fletcher who also helmed Rocketman. It was a fun time with lots of great music but it told a story that failed to add any depth to it's characters or story. It feels like Rocketman is largely going to take the same approach, but maybe these elements being mentioned here are an indication that there will be a little something more.

We'll find out for certain when Taron Egerton plays Elton John in Rocketman beginning May 31.

Rocketman is not Bohemian Rhapsody. Taron Egerton is aware of it. There are easy comparisons, of course, in that Egerton is playing Elton John in a music biopic the same way Rami Malek played Freddie Mercury. They even have director Dexter Fletcher in common, since Fletcher stepped in to finish Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer was fired.

Since Bohemian Rhapsody made a mind-boggling $903,175,016 at the box office, off a projected production budget just over $50 million, it's a ridiculously high bar for the next music biopic to face.

Taron Egerton was candid about the comparisons, just hoping for the best:

True. As Taron Egerton suggested in his quote to THR, half of Bohemian Rhapsody's record-breaking money is still about half a billion dollars worldwide, a success by any metric for a film of this size. The 29-year-old actor is clearly keen to advance his career. He's known to many as Eggsy from the Kingsman movies, and also the titular Eddie the Eagle. He also has some singing experience from the movie Sing. And he was the lead of the notorious 2018 bomb Robin Hood.

All it takes is one movie to launch your career -- just ask Rami Malek, who was best known from Mr. Robot before being shot to fame, picking up a Best Actor Oscar for Freddie Mercury, and now playing a Bond villain.

Rocketman will inevitably be judged next to Best Picture-nominated Bohemian Rhapsody, but they aren't exactly apples to apples. For one thing, Rocketman is Rated R, vs. Bohemian Rhapsody at PG-13. They are also telling their stories in very different ways. Rocketman has a lot of sex and drugs -- and that sex is between men, with Taron Egerton's Elton having sex scenes with Richard Madden's John Reid.

Apparently that's one reason why Rocketman stalled at Universal. Producer Matthew Vaughn recalled a conversation with studio chairman Donna Langley:

Despite reports that Paramount asked director Dexter Fletcher to tone down the film -- to make it more marketable in a huge box office like China, which usually bans any gay scenes -- the filmmakers say Rocketman still depicts Elton John coming to terms with his sexuality and also shows his issues with substance abuse.

Another difference between Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman is Elton John is still with us (unlike Freddie Mercury) and was able to be there for the film and give his blessing. He praised Taron Egerton's performance to THR, saying the film made him forget it was Taron up there, he thought he was watching himself. "That's the highest compliment I can tell you."

Rocketman is opening in theaters on May 31, which puts it squarely up against Godzilla: King of the Monsters. It's going to have to grab onto the rest of the audience and hope to leg out from there. Early tracking put Rocketman's opening weekend around $20 million.

If Rocketman gets good reviews -- from fans even more than critics -- it could theoretically enjoy success on a level next to Bohemian Rhapsody, which just kept quietly making money week after week until we all turned around and it was knocking on the door of $1 billion worldwide. Most of that money came from overseas, though -- especially Japan, which just went crazy for Queen -- and it's much less likely that Rocketman will be embraced by the foreign box office in the same way. But we'll see. Keep up with all of the 2019 movies ahead with our handy release schedule.

Taron Egerton has done a lot in his years as an actor. He’s done tough, long shoots for action movies like Kingsman and Robin Hood and he even learned to ski for Eddie the Eagle. But nothing was quite like having to perform in front of Elton John for the upcoming flick Rocketman. According to Taron Egerton…

Previously, while speaking onstage with director Dexter Fletcher at CinemaCon 2019, Taron Egerton also revealed to the audience that Elton John wasn’t a major presence on the set of Rocketman, preferring the creative team to put together their own version of his life story without him present most of the time on the set.

However, THR also revealed that while Elton John only came and watched Taron Egerton during a day when he was performing “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” at a carnival in front of a group of extras, he did watch the dailies as they came in from the set.

Related: Watch Rocketman's Taron Egerton Sing "Tiny Dancer" With Real Elton John

Paramount’s Rocketman was already preparing for release when Bohemian Rhapsody started winning awards early this year. The second musical biopic to come out in just as many years, Rocketman will follow the life of legendary singer and performer Elton John, who is currently on the road performing his farewell tour.

Paramount is likely hoping it will have a similar trajectory to Bohemian Rhapsody, which went on to gross over $900 million worldwide.

There’s no reason to think it couldn’t, as Elton John is currently on a tour he has dubbed his Farewell Yellow Brick Road aka retirement tour, after a career spanning multiple decades and an absolute ton of record sales, over 300 million in fact. He's popular and the movies early trailers look great.

However, while the Queen biopic softened Freddie Mercury’s story somewhat and kept to a PG-13 rating, the Rocketman team is going a lot harder, telling the full R-rated tale of Elton John’s life story, likely with some embellishments as well. R-rated movies can sell and sell well, but they certainly aren’t as friendly in some markets as others.

Previously, Taron Egerton talked about how he hopes to make Elton John happy with his portrayal when the movie comes out, noting,

No matter what ends up happening with this movie (although from the footage I saw at CinemaCon it looks great), Taron Egerton will be able to look back and say. 1. He did all of his own singing playing Elton John in this movie (which Malek did not as Mercury). 2. He cut his hair to create a receding hairline in this movie.

He did quite a lot to give Rocketman his all and we’ll be able to see how it all pans out—and hopefully exactly what Elton John thinks—when the movie hits theaters on May 31. Take a look at what else is coming this summer with our full schedule.

The summer movie season, which started in earnest with Avengers: Endgame, is finally upon us and the month of May is stacked with movies. From franchise sequels and franchise starters, to remakes and buzzy indie flicks, there’s plenty you’re going to want to make time for to see in the theater. Luckily, you can see one of the month’s most anticipated titles, Dexter Fletcher’s Rocketman, weeks before its theatrical release date.

The Elton John biopic technically doesn’t release until May 31 opposite Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but Paramount Pictures and online ticketing service Fandango are teaming up to offer advance screenings of the film on May 18. That’s two weeks prior to its U.S. theatrical release date. So if you’ll be spending your weekend with the Titans or you just want to see Rocketman as soon as you can, these advance screenings are a great opportunity.

The advance screenings will be held at 400 theaters nationwide including the big chains like AMC Theatres, Regal, Cinemark, Arclight Cinemas and others. The advance screenings for Rocketman are Fandango exclusives and are available to its VIP Rewards program members. You can get your tickets for these screenings through Fandango now.

In a statement reported by THR, Fandango’s president Paul Yanover referenced the success of the company’s previous Early Access Screenings for films like How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and Shazam! and how they helped generate buzz for those titles. These advance screenings may already have some buzz to start with considering that the May 18 advance screening date is a mere two days after Rocketman premieres out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Rocketman certainly has the makings of a movie that could make a splash at Cannes and go on to be a crowd-pleaser at the box office. Last year, two other music films, A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody, both racked up critical acclaim and became huge successes financially. And like Bohemian Rhapsody, this film will benefit from a catalog of recognizable songs audiences will want to hear in theaters.

Dexter Fletcher actually finished Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer was fired, so it will be interesting to see what he can do with another musical icon when the film is his from start to finish. The musical fantasy element is also very intriguing and the fact that Taron Egerton is actually doing all the singing in the film gives it must-see performance potential.

Rocketman follows Elton John’s personal and professional journey in his breakthrough years as he went from the shy Reginald Dwight into the flamboyant musical superstar Elton John. Starring alongside Taron Egerton in the film are Bryce Dallas Howard, Richard Madden and Jamie Bell.

Fandango's advance screenings of Rocketman are on May 18, followed by its theatrical release on May 31. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all of this summer’s biggest movies.

Rocketman is the movie that will tell the sort of true story of Elton John, and as such, you can be sure the movie will be filled with many of the singer/songwriter's greatest tunes. However, in addition to the songs you know, the film will also include one brand new song, which will be a duet between the real Elton John and the man who plays him on screen, Taron Egerton.

The song, titled “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” was written by Elton John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin specifically for the new film. The song's existence was confirmed by the release of the movie's full soundtrack listing. The song is the last of 22 tracks, which leads Variety to believe the song will likely play over the closing credits of the film.

One way that this new song separates Rocketman from Bohemian Rhapsody, which is the recent film that Rocketman is getting comparisons to, is that it gives the former film a shot at competing for an Oscar that Rhapsody, with all its nominations, wasn't able to be in the running for, Best Original Song. “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” is a brand new song written specifically for Rocketman which will likely make it a strong contender in the category regardless of how well the rest of the movie is received.

Interestingly, the brand new song appears to be the only place where Elton John's actual voice will be heard on the Rocketman soundtrack, and by extension, in the film itself. Unlike the recent Bohemian Rhapsody, where most of the vocals were from original Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, in Rocketman, all the music is actually being sung by Taron Egerton.

If you're interested in hearing how Taron Egerton sounds singing the music as Elton John, the first single from the film has been released, with Egerton performing the title song "Rocket Man." Check it out below.

While Rocketman is still essentially a biopic of Elton John, the trailers have shown that the movie will have a bit of the fantastic added in for good measure. It's a bit more of a traditional musical structure with characters bursting into song and dance rather than simply seeing songs performed as part of concerts or recording sessions.

Rocketman arrives in theaters may 31. if you can't wait to hear all the music from the new film, the soundtrack will be available a week earlier on May 24.

If portraying a famous icon on the big screen while they’re alive to see it doesn’t sound stressful enough, let’s throw in this… singing like them too. Not just any celeb, but iconic singer Elton John. This circumstance could go horribly wrong, but it appears to be a major strong point in the upcoming biopic Rocketman. According to Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher, the audience is in for a treat when they see Taron Egerton as the British pop star. Here’s what he said:

That’s right… the fantasy musical will have the actor recreating some of Elton John’s most recognizable performances, looks, life moments and is even pulling off his hits with his own vocals tool. If Rami Malek can score an Oscar for primarily lip-syncing to Freddie Mercury’s Queen vocals, imagine the accolade in store for the Kingsman star.

It sounds like a lot of pressure, but if you’ve seen Illumination’s animated film Sing then you’ve already seen Taron Egerton nail a Elton John track-- just as Johnny the Gorilla. It certainly helps that the actor received some high praise from the legend himself. Check out what Rocketman’s music producer Giles Martin said of his singing in a recent featurette:

Over the years, there’s certainly been tons of artists take on Elton John's songs or impersonate his vocal stylings, so the fact that Elton said Taron has impressed him the most says a lot about how much faith the musician has in the film star. Elton John is an executive producer on Rocketman, and it’s putting his life out there on the big screen. So it’s safe to say the movie wouldn’t exist if he didn’t believe in the actor playing him.

Taron Egerton seems to have certainly felt the weight of the role, previously saying he just wants to make the singer happy with his portrayal. What looks to have taken the edge off as Giles Martin also explained is Elton John’s interest in the actor putting his own interpretation on screen. Here’s what Taron said of his time as Elton John for Rocketman:

Check out Taron Egerton’s vocals for yourself below, along with the filmmakers gushing about his talent:

Taron Egerton seems to have bonded with Elton John during the process of making Rocketman. The two even performed “Tiny Dancer” together at an Oscars after party a couple months ago. Fans can witness Taron taking on the icon’s story when Rocketman hits theaters on May 31.

A lot of footage was shown at CinemaCon this year, including but not limited to a Hobbs & Shaw trailer and the first 17 minutes of Toy Story 4. Among that footage was another glimpse at Rocketman, the upcoming Elton John biopic starring Taron Edgerton and led by Dexter Fletcher, who did reshoots on Bohemian Rhapsody recently. When asked at CinemaCon 2019 what the toughest part of bringing a real-life person like Elton John to light on the big screen, Fletcher revealed the musical numbers were often the hardest bits.

It’s not just the musicality that was tough but also getting Elton John right in 141 minutes. Dexter Fletcher said:

Onstage at CinemaCon 2019 as part of Paramount Pictures’ panel, Taron Egerton joined director Dexter Fletcher onstage, whereupon he was also asked what was the most difficult thing to manage while making Rocketman. Per Egerton:

That’s a lot to juggle and it’s not always easy to juggle, as we’ve seen with other musical biopics. First and foremost, directors have to service the story they are telling, which is why last year’s Bohemian Rhapsody changed the timeline narrative a bit. Yet, when that happened people were upset about factual inaccuracies in the movie and how it ultimately played out.

So far, Rocketman has already been in the press for allegedly editing down Elton John’s sex life, as well as nudity related to that sex life. Dexter Fletcher has already addressed the rumors, but it just goes to show that people want a movie that tells the truth but that is also a lot of fun. It’s not an easy feat to achieve.

Luckily, it sounds as if Taron Egerton at least got the spirit of Elton John right. Although the actor mentioned the singer has been pretty “hands off” throughout the whole Rocketman experience, Dexter Fletcher had nothing but praise for the younger actor, who also does his own singing in the movie.

If you’ve seen the trailer for Rocketman, you should have some idea of what you are getting into with the new movie, which is out on May 31.

In the extended footage we saw at CinemaCon shown on a large screen in Las Vegas, Rocketman looks even bolder and bigger than in the early trailers. If you’ve been a fan of recent musical biopics, this one might even blow those away. It may be my most highly anticipated movie this spring (and yes I’m including Endgame but obviously tastes differ). To see what Rocketman is competing with, take a look at our full movies schedule.

This May, the next chapter in a recent string of high profile musical films arrives in the form of Rocketman. The film stars Taron Egerton as Elton John in a fantasy musical that chronicles the life of the international superstar. Speaking about the film recently, Taron Egerton highlighted one scene in particular that really moves him to watch: the sequence at Dodger Stadium, as he explained:

Taron Egerton was almost bashful when he spoke about the Dodger Stadium scene to AMC Theatres. He seemed like he really wanted to talk about the sequence because he was so proud and excited about it. But he also didn’t want to be boastful or spoilery. Fully aware of how it might come off though, Egerton couldn’t help but admit that the scene at Dodger Stadium genuinely moved him.

As has been glimpsed in the trailers, one of the scenes in Rocketman shows Taron Egerton’s Elton John playing Dodger Stadium. In 1975, Elton John played two sold-out shows on back to back nights in Dodger Stadium to over 100,000 fans combined. Elton John was the first musical act to perform in the stadium since The Beatles in 1966 and these massive and historic concerts were career defining for the man born Reginald Dwight.

Taron Egerton is actually doing all of the singing as Elton John himself in Rocketman, so that must have made him especially proud of his work in the film and in this huge scene. Given the magnitude of the concert being replicated, this enthusiasm and pride is exactly what you want to hear from Taron Egerton about the Dodger Stadium scene in the movie. We want to be sitting in the audience of a theater and be moved and blown away by the spectacle, the music and the performances on display.

It’s impossible to hear Taron Egerton pump up the Dodger Stadium sequence in Rocketman and not draw comparisons to Bohemian Rhapsody and its Live Aid sequence. That film, which Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher came on to finish (although the final sequence was directed by Bryan Singer), built towards the climax of the 1985 Live Aid concert. That concert was the centerpiece of the film and even some of those that didn’t like Bohemian Rhapsody overall still found a lot to love in the thrilling concert that closed the show.

Hearing how Taron Egerton feels about the Dodger Stadium sequence in Rocketman, it’s easy to get hyped to see what he and Dexter Fletcher have put together. And unlike Bohemian Rhapsody, which some criticized for glossing over certain elements of Freddie Mercury's life, Rocketman is said to not be holding anything back. Perhaps it will capture the brilliance of the Live Aid scene while adding a little more substance in other areas.

Rocketman opens in theaters on May 31. That’s only one of the exciting movies too look forward to in the coming months, check out the rest in our 2019 release schedule.

There are certain film genres that always prove to entrance audiences, and chief among them is the biopic. Moviegoers delight in seeing celebrity's stories played out on screen, usually with a touch more drama for good measure. Most recently, Bohemian Rhapsody entranced moviegoers, as Freddie Mercury's life and music was portrayed onscreen. That project ultimately resulted in a ton of award nominations, taking home an impressive four Academy Awards in the process.

The next musical biopic coming down the line is Rocketman, which will tell the story of Elton John's career and personal life. Kingsman's Taron Egerton is highly anticipated as the starring role, although there have been some rumors about the film's editing process. Namely, that Paramount was trying to edit down the gay content and nudity. Now director Dexter Fletcher has addressed these reports on Twitter. Check it out.

Well, that seems to put the kabosh on those rumors. Rocketman will reportedly feature all the content that Dexter Fletcher wants. And this should hopefully include Elton John's same-sex relationships being shown honestly onscreen.

Dexter Fletcher's tweet should be a relief to the Elton John fans that took umbrage with reports of Rocketman's censoring. From the start, Rocketman has been billed a holds-no-bar approach to John's life and career. While the legend is a producer on the project, the upcoming biopic was supposed to show the less flattering side of his time in the public eye. And his sexuality will likely be a major aspect of that characterization.

Rocketman's inclusion of queer content and same-sex romance has been a selling point of the movie ahead of its release. Following insane performance of Bohemian Rhapsody, the Elton John biopoc is expected to build off the success film. For instance, Taron Egerton is singing all of the musical numbers from Elton John's catalogue. Meanwhile, Rami Malek's Oscar winning role as Freddie Mercury only required him to lip synch the music.

Bohemian Rhapsody also got some backlash for not including enough scenes related to Freddie Mercury's sexuality. Instead, Mercury's girlfriend Mary Austin was the subject of most of his attention and affection. So if Rocketman goes full tilt and offers are more authentic view into Elton John's coming out process and personal life, then it could succeed where Bryan Singer's massively successful movie stumbled.

Taron Egerton recently spoke to how Elton John's romantic life would be handled in the upcoming biopic. He told Variety:

Rocketman has been developing for a number of years, so there's a certain level of anticipation and excitement for the upcoming biopic. And with Elton John currently on his goodbye tour, the timing is perfect. Generations of fans already have their focus on the legendary singer, so moviegoers will likely rush to theaters to see Rocketman. At least, that's what Paramount Pictures and Dexter Fletcher are likely hoping.

All will be revealed when Rocketman arrives in theaters on May 31st. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

As Rocketman, the “musical fantasy” biopic showcasing Elton John's life and career, has been progressing through production, there have been certain promises made to the audience. Namely, that it will be a fantastical spin that also tells Sir Elton's personal story, including a no holds barred approach. Well, it looks like that promise is already coming into question, as recent whispers indicate that Paramount, the studio releasing the film, wants a nude scene cut from the film.

The story goes as follows: there's an approximately 40 second scene where Taron Edgerton and Richard Madden have what's been referred to as a “nude cuddle” in Rocketman. Reportedly this scene is offensive enough to the studio that they want it cut, and the filmmakers are fighting this decision through “heated discussions.” In other words, it sounds like the studio is balking at the more adult oriented approach, and those making the film aren't having it.

Some may think this argument is odd, considering Rocketman is poised to do what Bohemian Rhapsody would not in regards to same sex attraction. It's expected to be a biopic that could appeal to Elton John fans, while also showing his more R-rated vices, warts and all. However, the Bryan Singer directed film is exactly what Paramount is probably thinking about when putting the finishing touches on this piece of musical history; especially considering the meteoric ride that film has taken to the bank and a slew of Oscars.

With $879 million dollars in international grosses, and four wins out of five Academy Award nominations, Bohemian Rhapsody is more than likely going to be the benchmark most studios aim for when it comes to musical biopics. And that film has one key advantage when compared to Rocketman's more adult approach: its PG-13 rating allowed it a wider swath of audience members that could enjoy it in theaters.

So if Paramount has even a thought of making Rocketman a close to billion dollar success, it's more than likely that the studio wants to have a cozy PG-13 rating attached to it. Which makes this latest item from Baz Bamigboye's Twitter all the more believable, as well as that much more unfortunate. The issues that the studio seems to have with director Dexter Fletcher's movie don't seem rooted in any sort of moral grounding, but rather it feels like this is a business decision being made for the commercial viability of the film.

It'd be interesting to hear what Sir Elton John thinks of the Rocketman debacle, as he's been a driving force behind getting this project off the ground for some time now. With everyone from Justin Timberlake to Tom Hardy having their names put into the ring for consideration, it's been quite the road to where the film currently resides. If these reports get back to the right people, sooner or later there has to be a clarification as to whether the film will include the sex and nudity it's talked up, or if they back down and trim the film to a more blockbuster friendly extent.

Rocketman burns out its fuse in theaters, alone, on May 31, 2019.

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