Welcome to your Daily Lowdown podcast from HELLO!. Today, we're discussing Sam Smith speaking out about the recent controversy surrounding the Brit Awards nominations.
Not only that, Beyonce divided her fans during her recent Dubai performance and Dolly Parton talks a future biopic. Take a listen to today's episode below...
Sam Smith has spoken out after the upcoming Brit Awards came under fire for its all-male nominated Artist of the Year category. The Unholy singer, who called for gender-neutral categories at the annual awards event in 2021, has responded in a new interview about no female acts bagging a nomination among the likes of Harry Styles, Stormzy and more. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Sam, who identifies as non-binary, said it was a "shame" to only see male acts receive recognition and that the industry has made steps forward in inclusivity, but not quite enough, adding that there's "a long way" to go. Sam also added the importance of seeing more LGBTQ+ acts recognised at award events as a form of inspiring others. The Brits take place on Saturday 11 February.
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Beyonce has seemingly divided her fans following her huge live performance in Dubai recently. The global superstar took to the stage for the first time in four years to put on a private set at the Atlantis The Royal to celebrate the luxury hotel's grand opening but some of her followers have criticised the Halo singer for performing in the country due to the strict laws against same-sex relationships.
Critics online have stated that the star's performance, which was put on in front of a relatively small crowd of just 1,500 guests, was hypocritical due to her latest album Renaissance's celebration of LGBTQ+ culture. However, while some disagreed, others were more than thrilled to see the star return to the stage and plenty of videos flooded the internet despite a no-phones policy. the star sang a number of her well-known hits such as crazy in love and countdown, and also welcomed her daughter blue ivy carter on stage to sing their song Brown Skin Girl.
Lisa Marie Presley's memorial took place at her father's famous Graceland estate in Memphis recently where it was revealed that the late singer had become a grandmother before she died. The star, who died at aged 54 earlier this month, was honoured by her family at the public service when her son-in-law Ben Smith-Petersen confirmed to mourners in attendance that he and his wife, Riley, Lisa's daughter, had welcomed their first child together. Riley's heartbreaking tribute was read by her husband and was titled A Letter to my Mama, stating she was grateful for spending 33 years of her life with her. It comes soon after it was confirmed that Lisa's cause of death has not yet been confirmed by the la county coroner.
Dolly Parton has opened up about a potential biopic about her life and career. The legendary country singer, who is still making music and currently working on her rock n roll album, appeared on CBS for an interview when she revealed what qualities she requires for an actress to portray her on the big screen. Dolly explained candidly that the future star would need to have her spirit, and that she'd need to have some physical resemblance to the singer. The film has not yet been officially confirmed, but Dolly did state that an unreleased script had been floating around in recent months. We're keeping our fingers crossed that it definitely happens!
Speaking of the movies, James Cameron continues his success streak as his epic blockbuster Avatar 2: The Way of Water has officially crossed $2 billion at the box office. The milestone achievement is thanks to global interest in the movie which was released at the end of 2022. Deadline reports that the $2 billion mark makes the film in the top six highest grossing movies of all time. James recently confirmed in an interview that he would continue the franchise if the film managed to break even, so it looks like fans are in with a good chance of seeing more sequels in the future.
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