Month: January 2023

It’s been nearly 20 years since American Idol debuted, and its first winner, Kelly Clarkson, has had an impressive career in the time since. The “Since U Been Gone” singer has become a three-time Grammy winner, coach on The Voice and is now a host on her namesake talk show, on which she invited fellow season one Idol alumn Justin Guarini to reminisce about their time on the singing competition for Wednesday’s (Jan. 4) episode.

Clarkson admitted that she often does not remember moments from her time on Idol, but asked Guarini if he had any special memories of his own.

“It’s wild because we got shot out of the cannon, but I just loved being around and the fact that we were at the beginning of things, nobody knew what was up,” he reflected. “The stakes weren’t super high for us. We got to hang out so much.”

Guardini then issued actress Alexandra Daddario, who was also a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, a stern warning. “If you ever have the chance to see Kelly and she says, ‘Hey, do you want to play a card game?’ Don’t,” he advised the actress. “We would hang out and we would play speed because there were huge swaths of time, and I think I may have won twice in the hundreds of time that we played together.”

“I feel like I have natural caffeine in me, so it was really my game,” Clarkson mused, to which Guarini said, “It was ridiculous! I just kept coming back for more.”

Guarini’s was the runner-up in American Idol‘s first season. He has since released two studio albums, two EPs and has appeared on Broadway and television.

Watch Guarini and Clarkson reminisce on their Idol experience above.

Yellowstone actor Luke Grimes is balancing roles as both singer and actor, portraying Kayce Dutton on the hit television show, while also launching his own music career by recently inking a deal with UMG Nashville, and releasing his current single, “No Horse to Ride.”

Grimes appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday (Jan. 3), telling the late-night host that he does have an album in the works. The artist shared that he begins recording in February and estimates the set will release near the end of March.

As for the ending of the show’s current story arc, Grimes says he does not know how it will end. “I think some of the cast know the end,” he says. “Some have been told, some haven’t.”

He added that he doesn’t want to know how the show ends, but also that Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan doesn’t want him to know. “I don’t think Taylor, who writes our show, wants me to know, either. I don’t know — it might affect the way you do something or play something. And it’s kind of fun to experience it this way, anyway. It’s sort of like life.”

Fallon also asked Grimes to describe his character, noting that many Yellowstone fans have likened Kayce Dutton to Michael Corleone, a character in The Godfather.

“Yeah, that’s kind of a reference throughout, but we’ll have to see. You know, I think that’s what we’re all kind of waiting to see: Can he come up and man up and do the things necessary to help the family keep the place or not? I think that’s what we’re all kind of watching to find out.”

The fifth season of Yellowstone premiered in November 2022, with 12 million viewers tuning in during the premiere’s simulcast. Yellowstone season five is on a mid-season break, and returns this summer. In the meantime, another Yellowstone prequel, 1923, has launched. It follows the Dutton family during Prohibition and the Great Depression.

Unless you’re part of a microscopic global percentage of ultra-wealthy people, Taylor Swift‘s cat has a lot more money than you — and it’s not even close. In a recent report by All About Cats, the 33-year-old pop star’s fan-favorite feline Olivia Benson ranked as the world’s third richest pet, with a whopping estimated net worth of $97 million.

The ranking was created based on Instagram analytics, with many of the top-earning furry friends having climbed the ranks of wealth through fame on social media. For A-list animals such as Olivia, however, involvement in outside projects was taken into account.

“Olivia has found success outside of the world of Instagram influencing,” the listing read. “The Scottish fold earned her fortune starring alongside her owner in several music videos, has crafted her own merchandise line, and has had cameos in many big-budget ads.”

Indeed, Olivia — named, of course, after Mariska Hargitay’s popular Law & Order: Special Victims Unit character — has starred alongside Swift in commercials for DirectTV, Diet Coke and AT&T, and in the music videos for “Me!” and “Blank Space.” Those who attended the “All Too Well” singer’s 1989 World Tour in 2015 may also remember that the kitty appeared alongside her big sister Meredith, Swift’s first cat, in an intermission video that played during the concert.

Meredith, however, did not make it onto All About Cats’ richest pets ranking, nor did Benjamin, Swift’s third and most recently acquired cat, who also made a cameo in the “Me!” music video.

Olivia’s net worth was topped only by a German shepherd named Gunther VI, worth an estimated $500 million, and an Instagram-famous cat named Nala, who is worth a reported $100 million. She did outrank Oprah’s five dogs, the late Karl Lagerfeld’s cat Choupette and the late Betty White’s pup Pontiac.

See a photo of Taylor Swift’s top-earning kitty, Olivia Benson, below:

Zach Bryan notches his first No. 1 on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart (dated Jan. 7) with “Something in the Orange.” In its 36th week on the survey, the song ascends from No. 2 with 15 million official streams (up 2%) and 4,000 downloads sold (up 11%) Dec. 23-29, according to Luminate.

“Orange” debuted on the survey dated May 7, 2022, at No. 11 and reached the top 10 in June. Being promoted to country radio by Warner Music Nashville, the song marks Bryan’s first entry on the Country Airplay chart, where it ranks at No. 31 in its 26th frame with 2.4 million in reach.

Meanwhile, Bryan’s new live album, All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster (Live From Red Rocks), arrives on Top Country Albums at No. 14. Released Dec. 25, it earned 12,000 equivalent album units through Dec. 29. The 24-song set, which includes “Orange,” was recorded at Bryan’s concert Nov. 3 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo.

“Seems there is a massive issue with fair ticket prices to live shows lately,” Bryan shared on social media. “I have met kids at my shows who have paid upwards of four-hundred bucks to be there and I’m done with it. I’ve decided to play a limited number of headline shows next year to which I’ve done all I can to make prices as cheap as possible and to prove to people tickets don’t have to cost $450 to see a good and honest show.”

“Orange” original parent album American Heartbreak debuted at No. 1 on Top Country Albums last May with 71,000 units – the biggest week tallied by a country LP in 2022. On the Jan. 7-dated list, it ranks at No. 5 (30,000 units).

Notably, Bryan wrote “Orange” solo. It’s the first Hot Country Songs No. 1 penned by a single writer since Taylor Swift’s “Love Story (Taylor’s Version),” which debuted atop the chart dated Feb. 27, 2021. Before that, Blanco Brown’s self-written “The Git Up” reigned for 12 weeks beginning in July 2019.

On Hot Country Songs, “Orange” dethrones Morgan Wallen’s “You Proof,” which dominated for 19 nonconsecutive weeks starting with its debut last May. Concurrently, “You Proof” leads Country Airplay for a record-extending 10th week.