Hello, and welcome to another edition of The Monitor, WIRED’s entertainment news roundup. There’s been a lot happening in national and international news lately, so you’d be forgiven for missing the latest in the world of pop culture. Let’s get you caught up.
Billie Eilish Pretty Much Swept the Grammys
Last night, during a telecast that was preceded by the death of NBA star Kobe Bryant and a huge shakeup at the Recording Academy, Billie Eilish made history. The pop star won five of the six awards for which she was nominated—Record of the Year (“Bad Guy”), Album of the Year (When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?), Song of the Year (“Bad Guy”), Best Pop Vocal Album (When We All…), Best New Artist—and became the youngest person (she recently turned 18) to be nominated for, and win, all four general-field categories (Album, Record, Song, New Artist). Meanwhile, Lizzo won three awards for Best Traditional R&B Performance (“Jerome”), Best Urban Contemporary Album (Cuz I Love You), and Best Urban Contemporary Album (Cuz I Love You) and Lil Nas X won the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance trophy for “Old Town Road [ft. Billy Ray Cyrus].”
Chance the Rapper Is Rebooting Punk’d on Quibi
Remember Punk’d, the Ashton Kutcher-hosted MTV prank show on which Justin Timberlake once cried? Well, it’s coming back! This time around, Chance the Rapper will be psyching stars out on the mobile video platform Quibi. “Punk’d is one of MTV’s most iconic franchises,” Chance said in a statement. “I grew up watching this show and it’s surreal to be in the driver’s seat this time around.” The show will launch on April 6.
1917 Wins DGA Top Honors
Speaking of awards, the Directors Guild of America honors were held on Saturday. Director Sam Mendes took home the top honors for his film 1917. The win greatly increases Mendes’ chances of bringing home some little gold men at the upcoming Academy Awards considering 64 of the last 71 DGA winners have gone on to win Best Director. Relatedly, Greta Gerwig won the USC Scripter Award for her adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, a good omen for her forthcoming Oscar bid.
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