Justin Bieberhas locked down some of music's biggest names to join him on his comeback album, and he's already floating a name for the project that's made a permanent mark on his body ... TMZ has learned.
Sources close to JB tell us Travis Scott, Post Malone and Kehlani are among the featured performers on his album ... Bieber's first since he released "Purpose" in 2015. We're told Bieber plans to drop the album by March -- his birthday month -- and the tour starts in May.
Our sources say Justin has completed his parts for the song with Post, but is still waiting on the vocals back from the "Circles" singer.
As for the album name ... we're told a leading candidate is "Forever." Justin recently got the word tatted on his neck and has put album names like "Purpose" and "Believe" on his body before, so it's a signal. But, we're told so far no firm decision on album name has been made.
Justin's single "Yummy" dropped Friday -- his first from the new album -- and a very personal 10-part docuseries profiling the singer's life and struggles over the last few years comes out this month.
2020 is certainly shaping up to be the year of The Biebs.
It's been one year since Surviving R. Kelly premiered, which led to the singer's arrest less than two months later and, ultimately, placed R. Kelly behind bars without bond while facing multiple federal cases. While Kelly remains incarcerated until his trial later this year, on Thursday night, Lifetime aired Surviving R. KellyPart II: The Reckoning, a new five-hour program airing over three consecutive nights.
There were a lot of big takeaways from the first two hours of the new series. However, one of the biggest revelations was when Aaliyah's ex-boyfriend, Damon Dash, who was dating Aaliyah when she died in 2001, got candid about her marriage to Kelly in 1994, when she was only 15 years old.
"She just said he was a bad man, and she left it at that," Dash said about Aaliyah. "I'm just saying, it just made her so uncomfortable, that I couldn't know about it, because it would've made me too uncomfortable not to try to rectify that situation. But I just wouldn't have been able to tolerate, you know, knowing certain things and being in the same room with certain people. You know what I mean? Unless they're begging me not to. So, I had to get therapy over that."
"If, like, people would have protected Aaliyah, so many other girls wouldn't have got touched. You understand what I'm saying? And whether they know they're in a bad place or not, the fact that they were able to get touched meant they were in a bad place, and they would've been able to get help earlier. You know, you shouldn't have to always learn from pain. Sometimes you can learn from other people. Like, Aaliyah was like the sacrificial lamb for all that, 'cause she didn't deserve none of that," said Dash.
Dash went on to explain that Aaliyah had a good soul and, despite everything that happened between her and Kelly, she wasn't resentful, saying that her general attitude was to "let that man live, but just keep him the f*** away from me." Dash shared that Aaliyah, "was just happy to be away."
While Aaliyah and Kelly never addressed reports about the nature of their relationship, Dash claims to know "the whole story" and revealed that Aaliyah wanted nothing to do with Kelly following their annulment in 1995.
"I know the whole story, you know what I'm saying? I know it was to cover up and all of that,” said Dash. “But how did that cover it up? It just made the conversation less crazy. 'Oh, he married a child?' That was a headline. That was, like, a rumor. That was something talked about like it was normal."
Dash then expressed that the conversation should have been how "disgusting" it was to marry "a 13-year-old." When the producer corrected Dash, saying that Aaliyah was 15, not 13, Dash stated, "I don't have to be accurate 'cause I don't care. It's 15, 13. Anything under 18 is disgusting. You know what I mean? She was a child, bro."
According to a tweet from the two-week music festival, Rage Against the Machine will perform on the Friday nights, Travis Scott on Saturdays and Frank Ocean on Sundays.
Artists including Calvin Harris, Big Sean, Lewis Capaldi, Charlie XCX, Flume, 21 Savage, Lana Del Rey and Lil Nas X will perform as well.
The festival takes place in Indio, California, every year. The 2020 shows are April 10-12 and 17-19, according to the tweet. Presale tickets go on sale Monday at noon PT.
Pack your flower crowns and SPF. The Coachella lineup is here.
Travis Scott, Frank Ocean and Rage Against the Machine were announced as this year's headliners for The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which takes place across two weekends in April and draws plenty of celebrity attendees to the Southern California desert for three nights of nonstop music, fashion and frivolity. Passes go on sale Monday, Jan. 6, and with an estimated 99,000 people expected to make the trek, you'll want to plan accordingly.
As for a day-by-day breakdown of the performers, we've got you covered. Check out a few highlights and the full lineup reveal below:
It’s not hyperbole to say Star Wars was revitalized in 2019, though in a very unexpected way. Nobody expected Disney+’s The Mandalorian would basically usurp The Rise of Skywalker in capturing everyone’s imagination.
Those who grew up with Star Wars have mostly said The Mandalorian is the kind of project they’ve been waiting to see, with the big-screen finale of the Skywalker saga still having a mixed opinion. Because of that, knowing The Mandalorian won’t be back on again until next fall means there’s a long wait ahead.
Hints for the second season, though, seem to have given away the basic plot. Even if there seems to be a clear path ahead of guessing what happens next, most likely everyone has no clue what’s in store. Let’s keep in mind it worked the same way when it debuted.
Will it really just focus on Din Djarin finding The Child’s proper home?
Din Djarin on ‘The Mandalorian’ | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney
As seen in the final chapter of Season One, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) managed to rescue The Child — also known as “Baby Yoda” — from the clutches of another kidnapping. Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) and his Stormtrooper henchmen cornered Din Djarin, Cara Dune (Gina Carano), and Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) until the latter three managed to be saved by IG-11 (voiced by episode director Taika Waititi).
Thanks to Kuiil (Nick Nolte) reprogramming IG-11 to protect The Child, it was the only means of escape without any serious injuries.
Audiences at least saw Din Djarin unmasked, albeit briefly while badly injured. Had it not have been for IG-11’s healing injection, he likely would have died.
And, of course, all escaping through an underground sewer (with lava besides) couldn’t be a more classic plot mechanism from the Star Wars mold.
The whole series takes things back to the feel of the original trilogy, which is obviously why so many love it so much. At the same time, it stays modern and manages to carve out its own universe without having to reference the Skywalkers.
Regardless, the show was also smart enough to give some emotional connections to the original trilogy through cameos and offhanded references. During the upcoming second season, there’s all expectation this is going to continue.
The Child will probably have some surprising revelations in Season 2
Despite the last episode seemingly giving away the plot of Season 2, a lot of speculation is still going on the background of The Child. Most people are still calling The Child “Baby Yoda,” outside of it not being the proper title. Once all the toys start arriving next holiday season, fans may finally start changing it officially to Baby Yoda.
The series intentionally or unintentionally mapped out where the show is headed next season. In a pivotal scene, The Mandalorian has a conversation with the Armorer.
She identifies the child to be a Jedi even though their numbers are slim to none — near legend status — at this point in the Star Wars‘ universe’s timeline. Despite revealing there’s tense history between Jedis and Mandalorians, the Armorer makes the Child a “foundling” of the Mandalorian and seals the deal with their own custom Signet.
“By Creed,” she tells The Mandalorian, “until it is of its age or reunited with its own kind, you are as its father.”
This suggests season 2 will involve finding the Child’s own kind. Given the history Armorer alluded to, this task may not be so simple.
What revelations might be uncovered about The Child could potentially disrupt how viewers perceive the character. In no way will the show likely be straightforward in Din Djarin searching out The Child’s home planet.
The only interesting revelation, so far, is the Mandalorians were aware of the Jedi and considered them a bit of an indifferent ally. Their awareness of creatures like Baby Yoda is an eye-opening starting point.
Any notion The Child has some kind of nefarious background should continue to have all validity at the rate this show takes sharp turns. Whatever the revelations ultimately are, expect Din Djarin and The Child to be inseparable for a long while to guarantee top merchandise sales during the 2020 holiday season.
Proof of the emotional connection to the Skywalker saga
Based on the popularity of Season One, The Mandalorian is in for a long run on Disney+. Its success also points to the emotional connection to the original trilogy, arguably making up a good chunk of the Star Wars fan base. As such, it may pave the general path toward future Star Wars shows/movies.
Thankfully, The Mandalorian isn’t all pat storytelling as George Lucas gave people originally. Having Jon Favreau at the helm means nostalgia while also giving a lot of major surprises along the journey.
Season Two is undoubtedly going to step this up, meaning any potential leaks seen between now and Fall 2020 should be taken with a grain of credulity.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker brings the saga full circle. While it will not be the final Star Wars release, the film does conclude the story of the Skywalker family George Lucas started 42 years ago. And this ending couldn’t have come soon enough.
The Star Wars fandom has become increasingly divided in recent years, perhaps necessitating a temporary hiatus. So The Rise of Skywalker could be the saga’s final chance to collect some major awards before it turns in for the time being. Could this final Star Wars episode become an Oscar winner?
Benjamin Burtt Jr., C-3PO, and Mark Hamill at The 50th Annual Academy Awards | Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images
‘Star Wars’ started as a major Oscar player
Although the saga hasn’t won any Academy Awards in more than 35 years, it began as a major contender. 1977’s Star Wars — later subtitled A New Hope — won six Oscars, including one for John Williams’ iconic score. The film was even nominated for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor (for Alec Guinness) as well as earning Lucas nods for writing and directing.
The Empire Strikes Back won two Oscars, including one for its sound and a special achievement award for its visual effects. Meanwhile, Return of the Jedi walked away with just one, again for its visual effects achievement. But Star Wars has remained in the Oscar conversation ever since, albeit only in technical categories.
The prequel trilogy received a total of five Oscar nominations, including two for its visual effects. And The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi earned five and four nods, respectively, including two for Williams. Even Rogue One and Solo received three nominations between them. So there’s precedent for The Rise of Skywalker to sneak into some Oscar races.
The saga’s awards momentum has died down
To be sure, the Star Wars saga has lost a great deal of awards momentum over the years. All three eras of the franchise have seen diminishing returns as they continued. Yet, despite its mixed reviews, The Rise of Skywalker might be able to stand out from its predecessors.
Any kind of major nominations — picture, acting, and screenplay, etc. — are almost certainly not in the cards. However, The Rise of Skywalker does continue the strong production values of the saga. This being the final entry in the Skywalker saga, the film could receive an extra push toward recognition for its technical achievements.
After all, the Disney era of Star Wars has been met with just about every possible reaction. But fans have never questioned these films’ ability to live up to the legacy of eye-popping visual effects and awe-inspiring music. And The Rise of Skywalker could be recognized for both in the near future.
‘The Rise of Skywalker’ could win a couple big awards
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently released shortlists for some of its awards, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker landed on two. Not surprisingly, the film remains in contention for Best Original Score and Best Visual Effects.
For the former, this would be the Academy’s final chance to reward Williams for his work in the Star Wars saga. He won the Oscar for the very first film in the saga and hasn’t gotten another for this series since then. Giving him an Oscar now would be the perfect way to bookend his Star Wars work. It’s also probably The Rise of Skywalker‘s best chance for an Oscar.
In Best Visual Effects, the Star Wars film ironically faces the most difficult competition in other Disney projects. In particular, the photorealistic aliens of The Lion King and the time-hopping superheroics of Avengers: Endgame are likely contenders.
Will The Rise of Skywalker be an Oscar winner? Given the divisive reaction, it does feel like a longshot. But the Academy may have a soft spot for the series’ early days and reward Williams for his nine-film body of work throughout. We’ll have to wait and see.
Damon Dash says Aaliyah wanted absolutely nothing to do with R. Kelly after they pulled the plug on their controversial marriage back in the day.
TMZ's obtained this clip of Damon's interview on the soon-to-be-released Lifetime documentary, "Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning" ... and the music insider makes some bombshell revelations about Aaliyah's life after Kelly.
Damon famously dated Aaliyah after she split from R. Kelly ... and now he says the singer wanted to keep Kelly "the f*** away" from her following the annulment.
TMZ.com
As we've reported ... R. Kelly's former tour manager, Demetrius Smith, says he unwittingly and regretfully helped Kelly and Aaliyah tie the knot, by getting the 15-year-old a fake ID the day before the wedding ... a claim R. Kelly just denied in court.
Damon says it's disgusting Kelly would marry a child.
Not much is known about Aaliyah's feelings regarding Kelly -- she died way too young -- so Damon's claims are pretty shocking.
