Puede que ya hayas oído la noticia: ¡Lejos de ser el asesino de la gran pantalla, YouTube va a salvar al cine! En el transcurso de dos semanas del pasado mayo, llegaron dos películas muy diferentes que han puesto patas arriba la idea de lo que tendrá éxito, o no, entre el público de los cines multiplex. Una trata sobre un sueño romántico que se hace realidad y que se convierte en una especie de pesadilla. La otra convierte un espacio de oficinas industrial en un reino infinito de terror psíquico. Ambas películas encajan perfectamente en la categoría de “terror moderno”, ambas toman ideas familiares del género y les infunden una sensibilidad extravagante propia de la Generación Z, y ambas fueron realizadas con presupuestos modestos por cineastas menores de 30 años quienes ganaron atención a través de canales de YouTube. Cada una de estas películas ha batido récords para sus respectivos estudios, y eso está haciendo que Hollywood preste atención.
Obsession, una película dirigida por Curry Barker, de 26 años, te sumerge en un escenario sacado directamente de una comedia romántica estadounidense: Bear (Michael Johnston) está enamorado de su compañera de trabajo Nikki (Inde Navarette). Él cree que ella es el amor de su vida. Ella, muy probablemente, piensa en él solo como amigo (o tal vez no). El día en que finalmente va a invitar a Nikki a una cita de verdad, Bear compra por casualidad un artículo curioso en una tienda de curiosidades: algo llamado “One Wish Willow”, que promete que si rompes este supuesto palo mágico y pides un deseo, este se hará realidad. Ante la oportunidad de confesarle sus sentimientos a Nikki, nuestro protagonista la embarra. Por pura frustración, parte el sauce por la mitad y desea que la chica que le gusta lo ame más que a nadie en todo el mundo. El hechizo funciona demasiado, demasiado bien.
El argumento es el clásico “pide un deseo a la pata de un mono”, de esos que han servido de inspiración a todos, desde Stephen King hasta Los Simpson. (De hecho, fue un episodio de Los Simpson basado en el cuento de W. W. Jacobs de 1902 —sobre una mano de simio cortada con poderes sobrenaturales— lo que inspiró a Barker). El tono va desde un terror que se va acumulando lentamente hasta la locura total, con una escalada que da sus frutos de manera magnífica. A excepción de Andy Richter, quien tiene un pequeño papel secundario como dueño de una tienda, el elenco está compuesto por actores prácticamente desconocidos, aunque Navarette, quien interpreta a la joven poseída con una dedicación que raya en la obsesión en sí misma, probablemente verá cómo sus oportunidades profesionales dan un salto cualitativo.
En cuanto a Barker, su carrera ya ha pasado de cero a 60. Al igual que varios cineastas destacados que trabajan en el género de terror (en particular el autor de Get Out, Jordan Peele, y Zach Cregger, de Weapons), comenzó como comediante de sketches antes de aprovechar sus habilidades para atraer audiencias en línea. Después de que Obsession se estrenara en la sección Midnight Madness del Festival Internacional de Cine de Toronto en 2025, desató una guerra de ofertas. Focus Features adquirió los derechos de la película por, según se informa, 15 millones de dólares. Debutó en tercer lugar y, en contra de toda lógica de la industria, vio cómo su recaudación en taquilla aumentaba casi un 40 % en su segundo fin de semana, un salto prácticamente inaudito. Y podría haber sido la película número uno de Estados Unidos, si otra película de terror, igualmente improvisada, no le hubiera pisado los talones.
Backrooms es una creación de Kane Parsons, un joven de 21 años que había estado publicando una serie de clips que simulaban ser grabaciones encontradas, centrados en un enigmático instituto que estudiaba espacios misteriosos que desafiaban las leyes de la física, conocidos como los “backrooms”. Esos cortos —un subgénero de ficción de terror conocido como creepypasta— llamaron la atención de varios guardianes del género, de creadores de tendencias y, más importante, de A24. El estudio, conocido por su estilo hipster, expresó interés en utilizar esos fragmentos virales como base para un proyecto de larga duración, y el joven conocido como @KanePixels de repente se encontró con un lucrativo contrato.
El debut cinematográfico de Parsons construye una mitología minimalista y alucinante a partir de sus cortometrajes. La historia sigue a Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), gerente de una gran tienda de muebles en Silicon Valley. Una noche, ya tarde, Clark ve lo que parece ser un rayo de luz que se cuela por una grieta en la pared del sótano de la tienda. Aún más extraño: es capaz de atravesar la pared sin más y se encuentra explorando una serie interminable de pasillos, corredores y rincones subterráneos de formas extrañas. Se lo cuenta a su terapeuta, Mary (Renate Reinsve, de Sentimental Value), quien cree que Clark está sufriendo una crisis nerviosa.
De repente, Clark desaparece. Mary va a la tienda, que parece estar abandonada. Ella también descubre las habitaciones secretas del título. Se adentra en la madriguera del conejo, y ahí es cuando empiezan a pasar cosas jodidamente extrañas.
Al momento de escribir esto, Backrooms ha recaudado más de 200 millones de dólares a nivel mundial, superando a Marty Supreme como la película más taquillera de A24 de todos los tiempos. Obsession se ha ganado el honor de convertirse también en el mayor éxito de Focus Features hasta la fecha. El hecho de que estas dos películas se estrenaran con una semana de diferencia fue pura coincidencia, aunque el hecho de que ambas llegaran a los cines justo cuando los estudiantes universitarios terminaban sus exámenes finales parece una estrategia obvia. Y el doble impacto de estas películas de terror de presupuesto relativamente bajo, que arrasaron con su competencia basada en propiedades intelectuales (The Mandalorian and Grogu, Masters of the Universe) durante varios fines de semana, es el acontecimiento que ha desencadenado un sinfín de artículos de opinión.
Parece que nos encontramos en los albores de un renacimiento del cine de terror de la Gen Z, impulsado por una combinación perfecta de talento joven, nuevas tecnologías, comunidades de fans en línea y una plataforma capaz de eludir las vías tradicionales y llegar directamente a millones de espectadores.
Es la cresta de una ola que se ha estado formando desde hace ya un tiempo. Los cineastas neozelandeses Danny y Michael Philippou —gemelos más conocidos por su nombre artístico en YouTube, RackkaRackka, donde sus videos violentos y alocados fueron aclamados por millones de espectadores— se convirtieron en los favoritos del cine independiente gracias a su éxito de 2022 para A24, Talk to Me. El actor hawaiano convertido en creador de contenido Mark Fischbach, también conocido como Markiplier, convirtió su adaptación de un videojuego autoeditada, Iron Lung, en uno de los mayores éxitos de este año en cuanto a retorno de inversión (tuvo un presupuesto de 3 millones de dólares y recaudó 51,2 millones de dólares). Aunque tanto los hermanos Philippou como Fischbach tienen treinta y tantos, supieron moverse por las redes de Internet de una manera que le mostró a una generación más joven cómo se pueden convertir las comunidades de fans digitales en un público que va al cine en la vida real.
Sin mencionar que los cinéfilos más jóvenes —esos que han convertido a A24 en un gigante entre los fanáticos del cine y que colapsaron sitios web durante la venta anticipada de boletos para las proyecciones en 70 mm de La Odisea de Christopher Nolan— ahora tienen el poder de compra colectivo que les permite desafiar a los gigantes de la taquilla. Tanto Obsession como Backrooms se han beneficiado de canales creativos alternativos, segmentos demográficos desatendidos, campañas orgánicas de boca a boca y un sentimiento generalizado de cansancio con las franquicias que ha llevado al grupo de edad de 18 a 28 años a buscar otras formas de entretenerse. Tu opinión sobre estas películas puede variar, pero no puedes negar que están definiendo la experiencia cinematográfica en este momento. La pregunta es si este momento se convertirá en un movimiento genuino. Apostaríamos un lote de patas de mono malditas a que la respuesta es sí. En algún lugar, un adolescente con un programa de edición y un sueño espera convertirse en la próxima gran revelación. Nunca ha habido un mejor momento para hacer realidad ese deseo.
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Dolly Parton had it all. Talent, humor, an entrepreneurial spirit. A great, pounding heart. And she represented her homeland quite like no one else.
For his second night hosting ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, Jelly Roll had the difficult task of paying tribute to the legendary singer, songwriter and entertainer. He did it from the top, during the monologue, staring down the barrel of the camera and saluting the all-time great of country music.
“We lost a legend today, the great Dolly Parton. She was such an inspiration to so many, myself included. We’re both from Tennessee and she meant a lot to my family, y’all,” he remarked.
Parton’s influence on a young Jelly Roll (real name: Jason DeFord) was profound. “We used to sit around the kitchen table and listen to her music together as a family. I’ll never forget it,” he recalled. “I learned so much from Dolly over the years, about songwriting, how to handle this crazy business, and how to support your community.”
Dolly was a one-off, and someone we could all be proud of. “She was infinitely talented. She was relentlessly funny and adored by all. She might be the last American that everyone liked,” he recalled. “We will miss her dearly. Rest in peace, Dolly. We will always love you.”
Parton died Tuesday at age 80 following “a brief battle with cancer,” according to a statement released by her team. Parton died at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville.
With a career spanning more than 60 years, Parton has been one of country music’s leading lights, one of the genre’s most revered and prolific songwriters. She’s a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, she wrote more than 3,000 and placed 113 tunes on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart starting in 1967. Cumulatively, those hits spent more than 28 years on the chart.
Watch Jelly Roll’s tribute to Dolly Parton below.
A Jay-Z 30 pop-up experience is set to land at London’s UMusic Shop Camden this week, giving fans a chance to celebrate the rapper’s upcoming shows at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium .
Located at The Stables Market, the pop-up will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. between Aug. 27 and Sept. 2, ahead of Jay-Z’s only U.K. performances of the year on Sept. 4 and 5. The Brooklyn-born rapper last toured the U.K. in 2018 as part of his On The Run II trek with Beyoncé, visiting stadiums in Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow and London.
Fans can shop a curated selection of limited edition merchandise created exclusively for the London concerts. The experience will also feature a series of DJ sets, with the likes of DJ Target, DJ Manny Norté, DJ Semtex and DJ Esi taking over the decks from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. each day.
The London double-header follows Jay-Z’s three-night run at Yankee Stadium in New York City, which took place in July. Across the shows, the rapper was joined by a star-studded line-up of guests that included Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Usher, Eminem, Nas, Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Slick Rick and more. The shows are billed as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of debut LP Reasonable Doubt, which kicked off the 56-year-old’s illustrious career in 1996.
Reporting from night two of the Yankee Stadium residency, Billboard’s Angel Diaz described the show as “a masterclass show.” She continued: “Jay went through each song at what felt like a feverish pace, giving fans little time to rest. And they didn’t mind – they just kept getting louder. It was impressive to see in person, especially when the surprise guests hit the stage.”
Beyond London, Jay-Z is scheduled to bring the 30th-anniversary celebration to Paris’ Stade de France on Sept. 10, followed by two Los Angeles shows at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 23 and 24. He kicked off his run of comeback live shows by headlining Philadelphia’s Roots Picnic in March, which marked his first solo show in over six years. The performance spawned the “Roots Picnic Freestyle,” which, in June, Billboard crowned the best rap song of 2026 so far.
Jay-Z has reigned as one of the biggest names in hip-hop for the past 30 years, and counting. Reasonable Doubt peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 upon release in 1996. Jay-Z’s breakthrough LP The Blueprint was released five years later in 2001, debuting at No. 1 on the all-genres albums chart. Over time, Jay-Z has amassed 14 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, holding the all-time record among solo male artists. He has also scored four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Nene Royal didn’t enter America’s Got Talent to dilly-dally about. She came to rock.
Hailing the Phuket, Thailand, the teenager made the long-haul to the United States to compete in the current, 21st season of AGT, getting it done with an electric guitar and a knack for cast-iron metal. From the top, Royal caught the attention of millions when she auditioned with The Cranberries’ mid-‘90s protest anthem “Zombie.”
If you weren’t already paying attention, the penny dropped when she covered “Hysteria” by Muse,” laid out on a bed of licks, squeals and technical tricks that Hendrix would’ve approved of.
For Tuesday night’s (Aug. 25) Quarterfinals, Royal cranked it up yet again with a performance of Soundgarden’s signature song, “Black Hole Sun,” a grunge-era classic which was released in 1994 on the band’s album Superunknown.
Royal literally lit up the stage, for a heavy, and fiery, moment. The roar from the crowd told you all you needed to know.
“I know I’m not supposed to say this. NBC, give her the million right now,” Howie Mandel enthused.
“Nene I think you could really win this competition,” remarked Sofía Vergara. “Because you can sing and you can play that guitar. I mean, insanely. The way you look. No wonder everybody in the street asks me about you. I think you can win.”
Mel B met the youngster and other contestants backstage. “You are just like the most quietest, humblest, sweet-like young lady. And then you’ve come out on this stage and it’s a different vibe,” she said. The Spice Girl, like her fellow judges, struggled to be heard over the raucous audience. “I have to say that I love really good vocals. I’m a ‘90s girl. I’m into pop music. That kind of music is not my vibe. But, your vocals are on point, your guitar is on point, your look, your energy, your vibe. How could I not do this.”
And with that, Mel B dramatically activated the Golden Buzzer. Cue golden glitter, and tears of joy, hugs.
Royal is now fast-tracked to the Finals. Her fellow Quarterfinalists will learn their fate during Wednesday night’s results show. America votes, and three more acts progress to the semifinals. Also on the night, Season 20 standout country singer Steve Ray Ladson returns to the stage alongside Grammy-nominated act The War and Treaty.
Watch Nene Royal’s Golden Buzzer-winning performance below.
Welcome to the club, Camilo. That is, YouTube’s Billion Views Club.
The Colombian singer and songwriter passes one billion streams on YouTube with his feel-good tune from 2020, “Vida de Rico.”
Directed by Camilo’s wife Evaluna Montaner, the music video for “Vida de Rico” is his second to reach the 1 billion view mark, following his breakthrough collaboration with Mau y Ricky and Manuel Turizo, “Desconocidos,” which dropped in 2018.
Following its release, “Vida de Rico” climbed to No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart (dated Jan. 30, 2021), doing so in its 16th week, and notched multiple weeks atop the Latin Pop Airplay tally.
He also performed the number during Billboard‘s virtual Latin Music Week in 2020, presented during the pandemic, and the following year during the 22nd annual Latin Grammy Awards.
The Latin star is currently on the road with his Camilo Worldwide Tour, which continues in Mexico with 14 dates, starting in the capital, Mexico City, on Aug. 28, and ending Sept. 20 in Acapulco, before heading to San Juan and Santo Domingo, and returning to the United States in October. The trek will visit almost 40 cities across more than 15 countries in Europe and the Americas, coming to an end in his homeland, with a concert Dec. 11 at Bogotá’s Movistar Arena.
“The best motivation while I finish my next album is that we already have the first dates to see each other,” Camilo said in a statement ahead of his tour, which began June in Spain.
The six-time Latin Grammy winner is currently working on what will be his fifth studio album, the followup to his fourth album, cuatro, which arrived in May 2024.
“When it comes to writing my songs, I’m systematically opposed to being a perfectionist. For me, perfectionism is a burden, a mask of cowardice,” he told Billboard’s 2025 Latin Alternative Music Conference. “We’re going to perceive excellence and it’s measured in the final product. It’s measured in the totality. I have the philosophy of ‘good enough.’ If I feel the song is good enough, that’s it — we’ll move on to the next one. When your creative brain is burned out, that’s when you start creating, and you ask yourself, ‘Is it good enough?’ Yes, next! Whatever is closest to the first creative seed is almost always the best.”
Watch “Vida de Rico” below.
Dolly Parton isn’t a national icon. She’s an international icon.
As fans from the music and entertainment communities share their memories of the late country music superstar, Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese has paid tribute to the “Jolene” singer and songwriter.
“Dolly Parton made our world a better place in so many ways, it’s hard to imagine the world without her. A singer and songwriter of rare power and talent, she also shone brightly as an actor, author and philanthropist,” he writes in a social post, which is accompanied by a picture of the pair enjoying a laugh.
“And the big, radiant heart of the Dolly universe was a personality as strong as it was compassionate, a vivacious woman of great humour and a sense of humanity sustained in no small part by the humble strength of her roots.”
Parton made a rare trip to Australia for her Better Day tour of 2011. Michael Chugg was the promoter of that trek, her first of these parts in decades.
Red tape, however, threatened to unravel the 12-show national trek, as Parton’s tour bus was found to flout the regulations. The vehicle was deemed to be too long, too wide for Australian roads.
With the intervention of Albanese, who was federal transport minister at the time, in the Julia Gillard government, the shows went ahead.
“One of the joys of my time in Government was when I was able to help Dolly overcome a bit of red tape and get her tour bus on to Australian roads in 2011. It was a magical experience meeting her, but what was even better was seeing her among her legions of local fans,” Albanese recounts.
“There are a lot of broken hearts in Australia and across the world today. Wherever you are, turn your stereo or your phone to Dolly then turn the volume up. And may the great Dolly Parton rest in peace.”
Parton returned to Australia in 2014 for six dates, part of her Blue Smoke World Tour.
The “Islands In The Stream” artist had a special connection with Australia, and, particularly, the city of Melbourne, for which she was handed the keys to the city in 1987.
The symbolic gesture “was the least we could do,” reads a social post from the City of Melbourne. “Dolly’s values of creativity and community are ones Melbourne shares. We are a city known for our love of music, and we embrace the songwriting legacy she leaves behind.
As a UNESCO City of Literature, we’ll keep spreading the joy and importance of reading to the next generation. And as the inventors of the 8-hour day, we’ll be Workin’ 9 to 5 in your honor,” a nod to the 1980 comedy film, in which she starred, and its hit title track, which she performed.
The state of Victoria’s peak body representing trade unions and hundreds of thousands of workers, the Victorian Trades Hall Council, also saluted Parton for her integrity and the choices she made to help countless others.
“Dolly Parton could have been a billionaire. But instead, she chose to lift the rest of the world up,” reads a statement from the organization. “She created thousands of good jobs in the community she grew up in. She made sure that millions of children around the world have access to books in those vital early years. She donated millions to medical research. And she was a proud union member for over 50 years. Vale comrade Dolly.”
Parton died in Nashville on Tuesday (Aug. 25) at the age of 80, leaving a legacy that will be cherished for as long as people listen to music. Named Billboard’s top country artist of all time in 2024, Dolly was a cultural and commercial force. She landed 49 albums in the top 10 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, the most of any woman, and she landed more No. 1s on the Hot Country Songs chart for a woman artist, with 25. In 1999, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and in 2022, elevated into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.
It was anything but an ordinary Tuesday night (Aug. 27) in Sydney as Darren Hayes was feted with the Excellence in Community Award at the 17th annual Music In The House event.
The ex-Savage Garden singer and songwriter was on hand at the Support Act fundraiser, presented at The Linseed House, The Grounds of Alexandria, where he doubled up with induction into APRA AMCOS’s Billions Club — recognition of the pop group’s Billboard Hot 100 leader from 1997, “Truly Madly Deeply,” one of their two U.S. No. 1s.
Savage Garden, the pairing of Hayes and Daniel Jones, was one of Australia’s biggest exports of the 1990s. Their self-titled debut album — which houses “Truly Madly Deeply” and top 10 hit “I Want You” — peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, while sophomore and final release Affirmation, which houses No. 1 smash “I Knew I Loved You,” reached No. 6. The group split in 2001.
For the past quarter century, Hayes has enjoyed a solo career, one that has yielded five studio albums, most recently the 2022 release Homosexual.
Across his career, Hayes has sold over 35 million albums worldwide, and collected 14 ARIA Awards and 10 APRA songwriting awards.
Away from the studio and the stage, Hayes has been a tireless leader of community, a stance that saw him appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to the music industry in 2019.
The Queenslander has candidly shared his personal journey with mental health, resilience, and LGBTQIA+ representation, Support Act explains, and used his global platform to break stigmas and foster safer, more supportive spaces across the creative industries.
“I’m deeply honored to be recognized by Support Act for my achievements beyond commercial success and chart statistics in the Australian music industry,” he remarked on receiving the Music In The House award. “I’m grateful to have been a voice advocating for an end to violence against women, homophobia, and racism, and I’m a passionate advocate for removing the stigma associated with mental health.”
Longtime friend Claire Marshall presented Hayes with his Excellence in Community Award, with television presenter Osher Günsberg serving as emcee of the celebration.
Hayes added, “Receiving any recognition from Support Act is an extreme honor. I hope that by highlighting my career, we can shine some of that spotlight on the much-needed funding crucial to the survival of this essential organization.”
On the night, a lineup of guests performers covers of Hayes and Savage Garden songs, including including Tania Doko, Electric Fields, Meg Mac, Michael Paynter, and Sister2Sister.
“Darren Hayes is not only one of the greatest songwriters and performers Australia has ever produced, but he is also a beacon of courage, openness, and empathy,” comments Clive Miller, CEO of Support Act. “His bravery in speaking out about mental health, trauma, and identity has paved the way for healthier, more compassionate conversations across the music community. We are thrilled to present him with this year’s Excellence in Community Award.”
Hayes left with his hands full, his APRA AMCOS prize for entry into the 1,000,000,000 List with “Truly Madly Deeply,” which has surpassed one billion streams across major services including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. APRA chair and ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Jenny Morris presented the Billions Award to Hayes.
“When APRA’s founding publishers first met 100 years ago in 1926, they could never have imagined we’d be here in 2026 celebrating songwriters and publishers for reaching one billion streams,” Morris said. “It’s an extraordinary achievement, a testament to the staying power and connection of the song. I’m thrilled to announce that Savage Garden’s ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ has reached that major milestone and will be added to our coveted Billions List.”
Established in 2006, Music In The House gathers the nation’s music industry to salute leaders in music for both their artistic achievements and their broader contributions.
Previous recipients include Troy Cassar-Daley, Powderfinger, Marcia Hines, Midnight Oil, Tina Arena, and the late Archie Roach.
All proceeds raised on the night go to Support Act’s much-needed initiatives, which include the charity’s Wellbeing Helpline, Crisis Relief grants, and mental health prevention programs for struggling music workers. Visit supportact.org.au for more.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Ralph Carr, the disgraced promoter and talent manager who once guided the careers of Kate Ceberano, Tina Arena, Vanessa Amorosi and others, is behind bars after a court found him guilty of rape.
The Melbourne businessman was this week sentenced to six years’ jail for crimes committed on the night of March 23, 2023.
“Your conduct was appalling,” Judge Frank Gucciardo said during sentencing this week, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. “Rape is a crime of violence. This was committed by you in an egregious breach of trust.”
Carr is said to have faced the County Court of Victoria via video link, sobbing, and unrecognizable without the hairpiece that had earned him the nickname “The Rug,” as the judge read the sentence, according to the public broadcaster. The 66-year-old must serve a minimum of four years before he is eligible for parole.
Earlier, prosecutors alleged Carr committed the attack against a woman at his Melbourne home, after a night when the pair had been consuming drugs and alcohol.
He pleaded not guilty at the trial. A jury, however, found him guilty of two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
“You maintain your innocence of these offences and consequently there is no evidence of your remorse or contrition,” Judge Gucciardo remarked.
Carr is currently held at the Melbourne Assessment Prison but will be moved to Hopkins Correctional Centre in Ararat.
The sentencing judge is said to have taken into account several factors, including the public nature of Carr’s downfall, his lack of a criminal record and his mental health.
“These offences strike at the most basic values, the norms of a decent society,” Judge Gucciardo explained.
A high-profile professional in the worlds of Australian sport and music, Carr was publicly identified on Monday, Aug. 3 when an almost three-year-long suppression order was lifted by the County Court.
Media outlets were unable able to disclose Carr’s identify until then, due to a suppression order granted under Section 18(1)(c) of Victoria’s Open Courts Act. Carr’s legal reps had called for the gag order, arguing his personal safety was at risk if he was outed in the press.
The secrecy ended when Carr was found guilty and an application to extend the order was abandoned.
Ralph Carr Management (RCM) clients once included Vanessa Amorosi, Rick Price, Mark Vincent, and ARIA Hall of Famers Kate Ceberano and Tina Arena, to whom he was married for several years in the mid-to-late 1990s. His live entertainment company RCM Touring Pty Limited went into liquidation in 2018, after reportedly owning A$120,000 to another touring enterprise, Big Deal Touring. Two years later, in 2020, Carr was questioned in a “public examination” at Sydney’s Supreme Court in relation to RCM Touring’s financial affairs.
Speaking on Episode 6 of the “GLOW Stories” podcast, Arena reflected on her former partner and the culture that enabled improper behavior. “I think what happened to Mr Carr a couple of weeks ago is the culmination of very, very inappropriate behavior that has been going on for a very long time,” she remarked.
Carr’s legal team is expected to lodge legal documents with the Court of Appeal within the next two months, according to the ABC.
Dolly Parton spent her life turning her own experiences, memories and emotions into music. Even after death, her songs will continue to tell her story — including two that show just how thoughtfully she considered her musical legacy.
The country music icon, who died Tuesday (Aug. 25) at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer, had already decided what song she wanted played at her funeral more than a decade before her death. And, in true Dolly fashion, she also left behind another song that she specifically instructed would not be heard until her 100th birthday in 2046.
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In a 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Parton was asked what song she would want played at her funeral. While many might have expected “I Will Always Love You” — the song she famously wrote and recorded and then later watched become an even bigger hit through Whitney Houston‘s rendition — Parton had something more personal in mind.
“I’m sure they’ll be playing ‘I Will Always Love You’ when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston,” she told the outlet at the time. But when it came to the song she actually wanted for her own funeral, she chose “If We Never Meet Again,” an old country-gospel hymn with a particularly meaningful connection to her family.
The song had been her father’s favorite, and it was performed at his funeral. Parton said she hoped the same song would one day be sung at hers.
The choice is fitting, given the song’s message about separation and the hope of being reunited in the afterlife.
Her funeral plans were indeed something Parton had considered in advance. Her representatives confirmed Tuesday that she requested a small, private service for immediate family. Her nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, also shared that Parton wanted to be laid to rest in a “beautiful bed of plush cotton.”
But Parton’s planning for the music that would remain until after her death went beyond her funeral. At Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, sits a locked chestnut box containing a recording of an unreleased Parton song called “My Place in History.” The song was written in 2015, the same year the resort opened, and Parton specifically arranged for it to be unveiled on what would have been her 100th birthday: Jan. 19, 2046.
Inside the box is a CD containing the recording, along with a CD player so that future generations will be able to hear it, outwardly a Dolly time capsule. The country legend even acknowledged the uncertainty of leaving technology from 2015 to be opened decades later.
“There’s no telling what music is going to be by then,” she wrote in her 2020 book, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics. “Hopefully, it will play and the whole thing ain’t rotted.”
Parton also joked that she hoped she would live long enough to hear the song herself when the box eventually opened. She was 69 when she wrote and recorded “My Place In History.”
Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift never recorded a song together, but openly shared a mutual admiration. Now, Swift is sharing her heartfelt appreciation for Parton, who died Tuesday (Aug. 25) at age 80, thanking her for “the melodies and lyrics she wrote that thawed even the coldest hearts.”
Swift praised Parton for her songwriting and also for her philanthropy and just general Dolly-ness.
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“A world without Dolly doesn’t feel possible, real, or right,” Swift wrote in a statement provided to Billboard. “But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one.”
She lauded Parton for knowing her own value as a creator, something the two artists shared: “She possessed the softest heart when it came to the struggles of others, and a backbone of steel to defend her own self worth as an artist,” Swift said.
Just last month, Parton took to social media to thank Swift and her then-fiancé Travis Kelce for their $2 million donation to Parton’s Imagination Library as part of their $26 million in charitable giving prior to the pair’s July 3 wedding. Parton even jokingly asked, “Hey, when you have your first born can I have it? Because that is going to be one special baby.”
Parton often praised Swift, telling E! News last year, “I’m just crazy about Taylor. I just admire her so much for what she’s done with her life. Her career. Such a great artist and songwriter.”
Swift’s statement in full is below. Like so many tributes to the icon, Swift even managed to fit in a reference to Parton’s most famous and enduring song, “I Will Always Love You”:
“A world without Dolly doesn’t feel possible, real, or right. But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one.
She was truly the gift that kept on giving. Dolly gave us someone to look up to while encouraging us to be who we are as individuals. Somehow, she was able to give us her lessons about the world gently and honestly, simultaneously, and oftentimes hilariously. She managed to give the world the ultimate mystery and fantasy in some corners of her life, but to give full transparency in the ways that counted. Somehow, she was true grace and true grit, all in one dazzling person. She possessed the softest heart when it came to the struggles of others, and a backbone of steel to defend her own self worth as an artist.
Along with her other fans, I am so grateful for all of it. For the melodies and lyrics she wrote that thawed even the coldest hearts. For the millions of books she provided children all over the world so that they might fall in love with stories the way she did. For the tightropes she walked so that young girls like me could grow up dreaming of joining the circus too.
Dolly, I’ll think of you each step of the way.”