Grammy nominations are here | Pop Recap #22

Happy Sunday everyone! Despite the very stressful week with the 2024 election, I hope you all have been able to find joy in something or someone that you love. Let's dive into the pop culture world for a much needed mental break!

🗞️ MAKING HEADLINES 🗞️

🏆 Nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards are officially here! Beyoncé leads with 11 nominations, followed by Billie Eilish, Post Malone, Kendrick Lamar, and Charli XCX with 7 each. Taylor Swift earned 6 nominations, along with breakout artists Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, while Shaboozey picked up 5. Here are the nominations for the big four categories:

Album of the Year

• New Blue Sun - André 3000

• Cowboy Carter - Beyoncé

• Short n’ Sweet - Sabrina Carpenter

• Brat - Charli XCX

• Djesse Vol. 4 - Jacob Collier

• Hit Me Hard and Soft - Billie Eilish

• The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - Chappell Roan

• The Tortured Poets Department - Taylor Swift

Song of the Year

• “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” - Sean Cook, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Chibueze Collins Obinna, Nevin Sastry & Mark Williams

• “Birds of a Feather” - Billie Eilish O’Connell, Finneas

• “Die With a Smile” - Dernst Emile II, James Fauntleroy, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Andrew Watt

• “Fortnight” - Jack Antonoff, Austin Post, Taylor Swift

• “Good Luck, Babe!” - Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Daniel Nigro, Justin Tranter

• “Not Like Us” - Kendrick Lamar

• “Please Please Please” - Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff, Sabrina Carpenter

• “Texas Hold ‘Em” - Brian Bates, Beyoncé, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nate Ferraro, Raphael Saadiq

Record of the Year

• “Now and Then” - The Beatles

• “Texas Hold ‘Em” - Beyoncé

• “Espresso” - Sabrina Carpenter

• “360” - Charli XCX

• “Birds of a Feather” - Billie Eilish

• “Not Like Us” - Kendrick Lamar

• “Good Luck, Babe!” - Chappell Roan

• “Fortnight” - Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone

Best New Artist

• Benson Boone

• Sabrina Carpenter

• Doechii

• Khruangbin

• Raye

• Chappell Roan

• Shaboozey

• Teddy Swims

The full list of nominations can be viewed here.

Legendary music producer Quincy Jones has passed away at the age of 91. Jones left an remarkable impact on the music industry, from producing Michael Jackson’s iconic Thriller album to co-writing “We Are the World.” His work also extended to film, composing for memorable movies like The Wiz and The Color Purple. His legacy of genre-defying music and cultural influence will be celebrated for generations.

In this edition...

• Film News

• Theater News

• Music News

• Television News

• Pick of the Week

🎥 FILM NEWS 🎥

• Anne Hathaway and Zendaya are joining Tom Holland and Matt Damon in Christopher Nolan’s next film, set to release in July 2026.

• Nate Bargatze is set to star in The Breadwinner at Tristar Pictures.

• Gabriel LaBelle and Isabela Merced are joining Chloë Grace Moretz in the heist film Dutch & Razzlekhan.

• Lola Tung, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Austin Nichols and Gabbriette are joining the cast of the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel.

• An Ice Age 6 film is in development with Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Dennis Leary and Queen Latifah set to return.

• Marvel Studios has released new trailers for Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts.

🎭 THEATER NEWS 🎭

• Hell’s Kitchen, Merrily We Roll Along, The Notebook, The Outsiders, Suffs and The Wiz all received nominations for Best Musical Theater Album at the Grammys.

• The Great Gatsby has set its West End debut for April 2025.

🎵 MUSIC NEWS 🎵

• Ariana Grande says she is looking to focus less on music and more on her acting career. “I’m always going to make music, I’m always going to go on stage, I’m always going to do pop stuff, I pinky promise. But I don’t think doing it at the rate I’ve been doing it for the past 10 years is where I see the next 10 years,” the star said on the Las Culturistas podcast.

• The casts of Disney’s Descendants and Zombies franchises are headed on the road! The Worlds Collide Tour kicks off in San Diego, CA on July 17, 2025.

• Halle has announced a residency at The Sun Rose in West Hollywood, set to begin on November 14.

  Check out the official Fan Fave New “poppin’ music” playlist on Spotify here for a look into what’s trending and new releases I’m into.

📺 TELEVISION NEWS 📺

• Bill Burr hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guest Mk.gee. Read a full recap here.

• Outer Banks Season 4, Part 2 is now streaming on Netflix. The hit series has been renewed for a fifth and final season.

• Stranger Things Season 5 is set to premiere in 2025. A new promo teases the titles of upcoming episode names.

• Andor Season 2 is set to premiere on April 22, 2025 on Disney Plus.

• Macaulay Culkin has joined Season 2 of Fallout at Amazon Prime.

👍🏽 PICK OF THE WEEK 👍🏽

I’m a bit late on checking out the latest movie from M. Night Shyamalan. Trap follows a father, portrayed by Josh Hartnett, as he takes his daughter to see her favorite artist in concert. We learn very early on that a serial killer is at the show too, and the entire event has set up one big trap to catch him. That’s all I will say about the plot because its worth watching for yourself, but I will say its unique how the movie reveals what would typically be the huge twist at the end, right at the beginning. By the ending of the film though, it gets ridiculously silly, so don’t expect anything too serious. I did find it funny how realistic the concert felt, minus the fact that it took place during the day.

Trap is now streaming on various digital platforms.

Thanks for reading this week’s edition of the Pop Recap newsletter! If you enjoyed it, make sure to share with a friend. Stay connected with the Pop Recap and Fan Fave community on social media.

xx Katrina