Welcome to your Daily Lowdown from HELLO!. In today's episode, we're discussing Ryan Gosling's 'I'm Just Ken' from the Barbie movie being released and Sam Smith being announced as the final act on the film's official soundtrack.
Not only that, but Madonna has given an update on her tour and health following her recent stint in the ICU, and the family of Aretha Franklin are in court over her will.
Listen to today's episode below...
Excitement for Barbie is growing by the day and now Ryan Gosling's solo song from the movie has been released and it's safe to say it broke the internet. The actor's hilarious portrayal of the iconic doll sees him performing an 80s-style power ballad all about being 'Just Ken' next to Margot Robbie's Barbie. Fans online have gone crazy for the song, which will feature on the official soundtrack, and some have even spoken about Ryan receiving Oscar and Grammy buzz.
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In other Barbie news, Sam Smith has been announced as the final surprise act to appear on the movie's soundtrack. The star announced the exciting news on social media, revealing to fans that they recorded a song called 'Man I Am' which will be sung from the perspective of Ken. Sam explained they had been invited by producer Mark Ronson and the film's director Greta Gerwig to write and record the song which Sam described as 'so much fun'. Meanwhile other big names appearing on the highly anticipated film's soundtrack, which will be released with the film on the 21 July, include Nicki Minaj, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and more.
Madonna has broken her silence and shared an update on her health and tour after being hospitalised in the intensive care unit. The legendary musician took to social media to update her fans on how she's doing, stating that she's on the road to recovery and that her focus is on her health and getting stronger so that she can return to the stage as soon as she can. The singer also added that the plan for her Celebration tour is to postpone the North American leg and instead begin in Europe in October. Madonna didn’t reveal the rescheduled dates for North America but she thanked her fans for their support and care.
The family of late singer Aretha Franklin are in court this week to determine the star's will. Aretha died in 2018 from pancreatic cancer and, at the time, it was thought that had left behind no will for her million-dollar estate. However, after a number of hand-written documents were later found in her home, the family is now in court to determine which should be used as Aretha's last testament. The trial commenced on Monday at the Oakland Country Probate Court and will hear from her children, her niece, and a handwriting expert to examine the papers that were found, which prompted rows between her sons after they found two separate and differing documents. A judge has said the jury will seek to determine the validity of the will before giving a final verdict in less than a week's time.
And Noel Gallagher's gig in New York was cancelled midway through due to a bomb threat. The former Oasis star was performing with his band High Flying Birds at the Saratoga Performing Arts Centre when a message appeared on the screen instructing the crowd to exit the venue and that the show would not continue. The New York State Police later confirmed a bomb threat prompted the cancellation and that K9s completed a sweep of the venue and thankfully had negative results but the incident is being investigated further. Noel apologised to fans on Twitter and assured that the tour would continue in New York City.