Netflix announced the reality competition series Squid Game: The Challenge, based on the original Squid Game series, which became Netflix’s most popular show of all time upon its release in late 2021.  The platform announced casting for the new series in a vague promo on Twitter.  Squid Game: The Challenge will enter 456 contestants for the grand prize of $4.56 million dollars. That’s the same number of contestants in the drama, but an American dollar adaptation of the show’s 45.6 billion won prize in Korean money.  The reality series is looking ‘for brave, self-punishing souls interested in competing in harrowing games’.  For information on casting for the show, head to www.squidgamecasting.com.

The original Squid Game series is about a competition of childhood games for a cash prize, such as Red Light Green Light, Honeycomb and Marbles.  Netflix promises some games inspired by the show on the reality version, plus new surprises.  On the drama, the losers are executed; and while Netflix hasn’t announced how they plan to adapt the game, the streaming service confirms contestants could be “going home empty-handed” (meaning- they will not die if they lose).

Netflix had also just announced last week that they have renewed Squid Game for Season 2.  The original series, created by South Korean director Hwang Dong-hyuk, primarily starred Korean actors who spoke Korean throughout the show; whereas Squid Game: The Challenge is seeking “English-language speakers from any part of the world.”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/netflix-squid-game-reality-tv-show-1235165133/

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Eminem and CeeLo Green have joined forces for a brand new collaboration called “The King & I” from the soundtrack to the Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis, based on the life of the legendary Elvis Presley.  The song features Green on the chorus, while Eminem contributes on 3 verses with production from his long-time mentor and collaborator Dr. Dre.

The full soundtrack will be released along with the movie on June 24th, and features music from Denzel Curry, Doja Cat [Vegas], Jazmine Sullivan, Nardo Wick, Swae Lee, Diplo, Tame Impala and more.

Listen to the new song The King & I – here.

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The BET network announced that media mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during 2022 BET Awards ceremony, taking place on Sunday, June 26 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The 2022 BET Awards will be hosted by actress Taraji P. Henson for the second year in a row.

The Lifetime Achievement Award ‘honors entertainers who have significantly shaped culture through their careers and been transformative leaders that consistently inspire generations by setting a standard of excellence.’ Past Lifetime Achievement Award recipients include industry legends such as Whitney Houston, Prince, Queen Latifah, Anita Baker, Mary J. Blige, Samuel L. Jackson, Lionel Richie and New Edition.

BET CEO Scott Mills said in a statement:  “Diddy has always been a pioneering force in our community, breaking barriers, achieving unprecedented heights, blazing new trails, and, in so doing, raising the bar for all of us. His virtuosity is matched only by his range — from music to media, culture, business, and philanthropy — Diddy has exemplified Black Excellence. We are delighted to have this opportunity to use our biggest stage to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of our friend Diddy.”

Doja Cat leads the field of nominees with six nominations, including Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, Best Female Hip Hop Artist, Album of the Year, and more.

The 2022 BET Awards will air Sunday, June 26, on BET at 8 p.m. ET/ PT.

https://allhiphop.com/news/diddy-to-receive-lifetime-achievement-award-at-the-2022-bet-awards/

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Drake surprised fans on Thursday by announcing on social media that his seventh studio album, titled ‘Honestly, Nevermind’, will be released Friday at midnight.

Drake posted the artwork for the album on Instagram, writing: “7th studio album HONESTLY, NEVERMIND out at midnight.”   Shortly after, he made another Instagram post revealing the tracklist to the album, featuring 14 songs in total.

The project clocks in at approximately 50 minutes, and features a sole guest appearance from 21 Savage on the closing track “Jimmy Cook’s” with production work from Tay Keith, Gordo, Noah “40” Shebib and Black Coffee, with the last two also serving as executive producers alongside Drake, Oliver El-Khatib and Noel Cadastre.

Honestly, Nevermind comes just nine months after Drake released his sixth studio album, Certified Lover Boy, last September. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and featured tracks such as “Knife Talk” with 21 Savage and Project Pat, “Way 2 Sexy” with Future and Young Thug and “Fair Trade” with Travis Scott.

You can stream Honestly, Nevermind at Apple Music (here) or Spotify (here).

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Nicki Minaj, A$AP Rocky and Future will headline the Rolling Loud New York festival, taking place at Citi Field in Queens on the weekend of Sept. 23-25. Lil Baby, DaBaby, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, Bia, Bktherula, Moneybagg Yo, DreamDoll, Kali and Lakeyah, along with New Yorkers Lil TJay, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Lil Tecca and Fivio Foreign and veterans like Pusha T, Busta Rhymes and Fat Joe are on the lineup as well.

Festival organizers are preparing for this summer’s Rolling Loud Miami 2022,the festival’s flagship event set to take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL on July 22nd-24th.  Rolling Loud Miami 2022 will be headlined by Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, and Future.

Tickets for Rolling Loud New York go on sale Friday, 6/17 @ 12PM ET. For tickets and other details, head to www.rollingloud.com.

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Warner Bros Studio shared a photo from the new film Barbie, which stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. In the photo, Gosling appears in costume as the character Ken, sporting platinum blonde hair and wearing an open denim vest with matching jeans.  Ken is based on the doll from Mattel’s Barbie toy line.

Barbie is written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach and directed by Gerwig. The cast also features Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Simu Liu and Emma Mackey.

Barbie opens in theaters July 21, 2023.

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Amazon Prime Video has shared a teaser trailer for the romantic drama My Policeman, featuring singer and actor Harry Styles.

My Policeman is based on the Bethan Roberts novel of the same name. The story follows Tom Burgess (Styles), a closeted gay policeman living in Brighton, England, in 1957 when homosexuality was illegal. Tom starts publicly dating a schoolteacher, Marion (Emma Corrin), but embarks on a secret love affair with a museum curator, Patrick Hazelwood (David Dawson).

An official film description reads: “Based on the book by Bethan Roberts, director Michael Grandage carves a visually transporting, heart-stopping portrait of three people caught up in the shifting tides of history, liberty, and forgiveness.”

My Policeman opens in theaters Oct. 21 and will begin streaming Nov. 4 on Prime Video.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/watch-harry-styles-my-policeman-trailer-1235165576/

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Beyoncé has officially revealed on Tidal the release date for her new project titled “Renaissance”, set to drop on a July 29th. Fans had been speculating that a new album was on the way when the profile pictures, bios and cover photos from Beyoncé’s social media channels were removed.  On Thursday, her Twitter and Instagram account bios were updated to include “act i RENAISSANCE 7.29.”

Renaissance will be Beyoncé’s first new solo music since 2016’s “Lemonade,”and will mark her seventh album. You can head here to pre-save/ pre-add Renaissance.  In addition, Beyoncé’s website is also offering preorders on Renaissance box sets, featuring four different surprise t-shirt designs. The product listings state the box sets will begin shipping July 29 “upon album release.”

Also on Thursday, Beyoncé revealed that she will be appearing on the July 2022 edition of British Vogue, sharing several photos from the magazine.

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Hulu announced the premiere date of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, set to return on Sept. 14.  Hulu made the announcement in a tweet, posting “Season 5 arrives September 14.” Attached to the tweet were new stills of stars Elisabeth Moss and Yvonne Strahovski.

Moss stars as June Osborne, and in the pictures posted on Twitter she stares intensely into the camera. Strahovski, as Serena Joy Waterford, wears a veil and a black robe in her photo.

The new season comes over a year after Season 4 ended in June 2021 with a shocking finale. The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 will premiere on Hulu with two episodes on Sept. 14, with remaining episodes debuting weekly on Wednesdays.

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Netflix is sharing a glimpse of Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2, revealing first-look photos for the new episodes. The Volume 2 photos include looks at Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Jim Hopper (David Harbour), Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) and the rest of the cast.

One of the photos shows Eleven with Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine), aka Papa. Another photo shows Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Argyle (Eduardo Franco) making their escape in Argyle’s van. In addition, Eddie (Joseph Quinn), Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and other characters are seen gathered around a book.

Volume 1 ended with a twist reveal, and the final two episodes will lead to a giant showdown set to “punch you right in the heart,” according to executive producer and director Shawn Levy. The official description for season four reads: “It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time — and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.”

The two episodes in Volume 2 will drop July 1 and span nearly four hours — 408 runs 1 hour, 25 minutes and the finale, 409, will be a whopping 2 hours and 20 minutes.

https://people.com/tv/stranger-things-season-4-volume-2-first-look-photos/

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