Michael Jackson’s biopic, Michael, has dethroned Bohemian Rhapsody to become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, crossing $911.9 million worldwide as the Jaafar Jackson-starring film continues its global rollout.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, the Lionsgate and Universal co-production has surpassed Bohemian Rhapsody‘s total gross with $358.6 million at the domestic box office and $553.3 million internationally — with Universal generating $540.5 million of the international total after acquiring foreign theatrical and ancillary rights. The film arrives in Japan today, a territory that could push Michael past $1 billion worldwide, which would make it only the second film to cross that threshold at the 2026 global box office after Universal’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

By comparison, the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody — which won four Oscars including Best Film Editing and earned Rami Malek a Best Actor win — grossed $216.6 million domestically and $694.3 million internationally for a $910.9 million global total. Both films were produced by Graham King, meaning King has now broken his own all-time box office record for music biopics.

The film has set a string of records in addition to its overall gross — among them the largest global opening weekend ever for a music biopic, the highest-grossing domestic biopic of all time, and the most successful biopic ever in France, surpassing La Vie en Rose. Forty international markets surpassed Bohemian Rhapsody‘s lifetime gross, including Brazil, France and Mexico. It is also Lionsgate’s highest-grossing theatrical release ever worldwide.

The road to release was not without turbulence. Lionsgate was forced to undertake $50 million in reshoots after the Jackson estate identified a key issue with a plot point in the screenplay concerning one of Jackson’s accusers, who was not meant to be dramatised in the film. The film stars Jaafar Jackson — Michael Jackson’s nephew — in the title role.

Michael Jackson remains one of the most commercially successful recording artists in history. He has sold an estimated 350 million records worldwide, scored 13 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist — including “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Black or White” — and holds the record for the best-selling album of all time with Thriller, which has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide.

Thriller spent 37 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — once as a member of the Jackson 5 in 1997 and once as a solo artist in 2001.

Australian indie-pop four-piece The Tullamarines have delivered one of Like A Version’s most anticipated covers of the year, taking on Fleetwood Mac‘s “The Chain” in their debut appearance at the triple j studio.

The band — Angus Purvis, Lucinda Machin, Josh and Benny — leaned into the song’s dynamics, trading harmonies across its quieter passages before spotlighting the iconic bass-driven breakdown and building into a full-blown closing jam. The arrangement stayed faithful to the spirit of the original while leaving room for the band’s own four-part vocal blend to take centre stage. They also performed their original track “Running On Empty” as part of the session.

The song choice came with some nerves attached. “We had a lot of songs that we were thinking about. The Chain came up as an option, and we were very, very scared,” vocalist Purvis admitted in an accompanying triple j interview. “And they were thinking we couldn’t do that justice.” Co-vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Machin said the band ultimately decided to “give it a go, see what happens” — describing the song’s lyrical themes and construction as “very angsty,” while Purvis remarked that “The Chain” feels like it’s been around “forever.”

For good reason. “The Chain” is drawn from Fleetwood Mac‘s Rumours (1977) — the album that spent 31 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making it one of the longest-running chart-toppers in the chart’s history. Rumours has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and remains one of the best-selling albums ever recorded. While “The Chain” was never released as a standalone single, it has become one of the most recognised tracks in the band’s catalogue, widely used in film, television and sport and covered extensively in the decades since.

The Tullamarines are currently on an upward trajectory in the Australian independent music scene. Their 2025 sophomore EP Safety Blanket has been nominated for Best Independent Pop Album or EP at this year’s AIR Awards, with winners to be announced at an invite-only ceremony at Adelaide Town Hall on July 30. The band spent the past 12 months building momentum through sold-out headline shows, festival appearances and achieving full triple j rotation, while supporting international acts including The Vaccines and Everything Everything.

Wearing a Spurs jersey, Texas native Mickey Guyton sang the U.S. national anthem at game five of the 2026 NBA Finals Saturday night (June 13). The game had the San Antonio Spurs in their hometown, playing the New York Knicks at Frost Bank Center.

The country singer — a four-time Grammy nominee who’s no stranger to “The Star-Spangled Banner,” having notably performed it at the Super Bowl a few years ago — put her natural twang into a powerful vocal delivery that had her hitting a triumphant high note on “free” in the last line of the national anthem.

Born in Arlington, Texas, Guyton’s personal connection to the national anthem runs deep — it was a mesmerizing performance by a very young LeAnn Rimes at a Texas Rangers game, when both Guyton and Rimes were just kids, that inspired her to pursue a music career. “Our church had drove from Waco to Arlington to see a Texas Rangers game,” she recalled to Billboard in an interview back in 2015. “I’ll never forget it. We were all the way in the nosebleed section, and I wasn’t more than 8 or 9 years old. The announcer came on the PA and said, ‘Here is 10-year-old LeAnn Rimes performing the national anthem.’ I thought, ’10? She’s 10?’ Then, she starts singing, and she sounds like a grown woman. It was so bittersweet because I wanted to do that. I was so envious of her.”

Guyton’s latest album release is her sophomore full-length studio set, 2024’s House on Fire, which was led by the single “Nothing Compares to You” featuring Kane Brown.

She recently performed at the 51st annual Gracies Awards Gala, presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF). The May event, held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., honored actress Andie MacDowell and was hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown.

Watch Guyton’s performance of the national anthem at Saturday’s Spurs vs. Knicks game below.

On the final day (June 13) of an eventful Tribeca Festival, Bono, Patti Smith and Tribeca co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal gathered in lower Manhattan to honor Bruce Springsteen with the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award.

“I’m a little embarrassed to get this award,” Springsteen, who dedicated the award to the people of Minneapolis, Portland and Los Angeles for standing “against the federal invasion of their cities this year,” admitted during a lengthy sit-down conversation with Bono. “I’m just a concerned citizen.”

Much like Springsteen’s recent Land of Hopes & Dreams Tour, the main topic of concern at this Tribeca Storytellers event was the erosion of democracy in America and President Trump’s federal overreach. Prior to the conversation, De Niro and Rosenthal introduced the Boss and explained why he was receiving the award.

“This is a man who knows how to use his voice,” explained the Oscar-winning actor. “He uses it to give voice to the powerless and he uses it to lead the resistance. He is fearless and direct. He knows what the problem is and he names it: Donald Trump. Donald J. Trump and his feckless enablers. That’s so important because this isn’t about reasonable disputes on policy: this is about the corruption and megalomania of one person. Bruce Springsteen puts a face on it, and he does it with the words of a poet.”

Though a peer and a self-professed “fan masquerading as a friend,” Bono asked thoughtful and even tough questions of Springsteen during their chat.

Speaking about a rock star’s ability (or inability) to connect with the working class, which both Bono and Springsteen came from, the U2 frontman said, “I fear sometimes we on the left lost a little bit of it and that the accusations of elitism that are out there for people like me are not inaccurate.”

“Has it cost you?” Bono asked Springsteen. “Do you feel torn at all thinking there’s people in this town that used to come see my shows who don’t now? Or have you made peace with that?”

“I’m not sure,” Springsteen candidly answered. “You have to do two things. There’s the classic folk song, “Which Side Are You On?”: you have to make your stand and follow your beliefs and you have to have the faith in them that they will be explicable and understandable by your fellow citizens. And you have to believe that America is a sacred argument and a compromise.”

Elsewhere in the chat, Springsteen pointed out that no one should have shown up to his recent tour – the most explicitly political one he’s done in a career marked by socio-political concerns – expecting anything different from what they got. “I warned everybody what the tour was gonna be like so they didn’t waste their money before they came,” Springsteen said with a chuckle. “I figured I did my job and it was every man for himself after that.”

Despite his consistent activism, Springsteen chooses his battles carefully. Bono shared that in the past he’s asked the Boss to sign various petitions and has been politely but firmly turned down. Bono recalled asking Springsteen to license his 2007 song “Girls In Their Summer Clothes” for a Gap commercial when Bono joined up with the clothing brand for the (PRODUCT) RED campaign, which raised money to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. Springsteen’s response? No.

“That was a big mistake, too,” Springsteen cut in, seemingly to Bono’s surprise. “I should have said yes.” Explaining it was one of his favorite songs even if it wasn’t a hit, Springsteen admitted, “I should have f–king done it. I have to apologize.”

After standing up and hugging it out, the two welcomed a third Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Patti Smith, to the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center stage. With Tony Shanahan on keys, she performed a soft plea for peace, “Peaceable Kingdom,” which was inspired by Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli military bulldozer in 2003 while protesting the demolition of Palestinian homes in Gaza Strip.

Smith then performed a live favorite of hers, “People Have the Power,” a rousing call-to-activism. Springsteen and Shanahan backed her on acoustic guitar, and though Bono left the stage, Bruce called him back out to contribute backup vocals (which he also did).

Nothing on the advance program promised a live performance from Springsteen, but everyone in the crowd was quietly hoping for a little something (key word: quietly, unlike the extremely vocal fans at Miley Cyrus’ Tribeca Q&A last year who heckled until she sang something, though her event never promised music). Springsteen did, in fact, perform, offering up an utterly mesmerizing solo version of “Land of Hope and Dreams.”

Before leaving the stage amid a standing ovation, Springsteen offered up one more important thought to the New York City audience: “Go Knicks.”

The curtain may have come down for President Donald Trump at the Kennedy Center, but the tarp stays up for now.

Matt Floca, executive director and chief operating officer of the performing arts venue, told a federal court Saturday (June 13) that the institution had complied with an order to remove Trump’s name from the facade. In a filing, Floca said the board of trustees and the center had removed “all physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds, including the front portico, that purports to rename the Kennedy Center after President Trump.”

But for onlookers who have gathered on the plaza in front of the center over the past day hoping to witness a dramatic moment symbolizing the limits of Trump’s power, it was virtually impossible to see whether the signage was gone. A tarp hung over the scaffolding constructed for workers to perform that task. It was unclear when the tarp might be removed to reveal the original lettering that had endured for decades: “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

A reporter was able to peer through a slight opening in the tarp, which was pulled tightly against the wall, and saw that the letters for Trump’s name were no longer affixed to the building.

By the end, the Kennedy Center’s leadership had dug in against a federal judge’s order to erase Trump’s name from the building. Two courts rejected the institution’s last-minute request to keep retain Trump’s name pending an appeal. After severe thunderstorms raked Washington on Friday evening, the Kennedy Center sought one more extension before complying with a noon Saturday deadline.

Those who pushed for the scrubbing of Trump’s name were in a celebratory mood. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex officio member of the board who sued to remove references to the president from the building and the center’s operations, was spotted in the plaza late Friday and Saturday morning. She posted a video to social media that purported to show her performing the “Trump dance” in one of the Kennedy Center’s great halls.

“Today’s victory is the beginning of returning the Kennedy Center to the American people,” Beatty said in a statement. “The rule of law prevailed, and that is worth celebrating.”

Leo Bartholomaus, a recent graduate of Syracuse University who lives in Virginia, said he was walking by the Kennedy Center on Friday afternoon after visiting the National Mall to see events related to this weekend’s UFC match at the White House. He said he was not happy that Trump added his name to the building.

“My grandmother had a big love of the arts,” he said. “I’ve been here to see The Lion King. I wasn’t a fan of Donald Trump putting his name on it. I thought it was better as the Kennedy Center.”

The removal of Trump’s name closes one of the more unusual chapters in the history of the Kennedy Center, which began construction in 1964 and was dedicated to the memory of the slain president, Democrat John F. Kennedy. At what is typically one of the few relatively nonpartisan spaces in Washington, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his second term.

Though he rarely discussed the Kennedy Center during his 2024 campaign, Trump moved quickly to oust the institution’s leadership when he returned to office in January 2025 and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. His name was quickly added to the building.

While the removal of his name marks a setback for Trump, he is moving forward with plans to reshape the physical landscape of the nation’s capital in ways that have few modern parallels.

He demolished the East Wing of the White House and is building a controversial ballroom in its place. He remodeled the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and plans extensive renovations of a golf course in East Potomac Park, moves that could significantly reduce the public’s access to running and biking paths. He is also moving forward with a triumphal arch that will sit near Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River in Virginia.

Indeed as Trump’s name was being removed from the Kennedy Center, the South Lawn of the White House has been transformed into a venue for a UFC match intended to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence but also coinciding with Trump’s birthday on Sunday.

Back at the Kennedy Center, there are many questions about the institution’s future. The same May court decision that ordered Trump’s name to be removed from the building also blocked a planned two-year closure for renovations that was set to begin next month.

The Kennedy Center’s calendar for the weeks ahead include performances of Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Bluey’s Big Play. Comedian Bill Maher is to be awarded the Mark Twain Award for American Humor during a ceremony on June 28.

But little is scheduled for the stages beyond that and, after substantially reducing staff, it is unclear how quickly the Kennedy Center could build out a robust performance list. Trump, angered by the court’s order to remove his name, has said he would turn the Kennedy Center over to Congress and has suggested it might simply shutter because of public safety concerns.

In its unsuccessful appeal on Friday seeking a pause on the order removing Trump’s name, the Kennedy Center’s leadership argued, in terms that seemed similar to the president’s speech patterns, that the lower court was interfering with needed renovations.

“The District Court is not allowing us to close in order to properly fix up and repair the Building, including potentially life threatening structural damage like beams and parking garage ceilings that are rusted, and in serious danger of falling onto people below,” according to the appeal. “Indeed, total collapse!”

The institution also suggested that the president’s name could return to the building if the Kennedy Center later wins its appeal.

If the court denied the venue’s request for a pause, the Kennedy Center argued it would “be forced to squander time and money — by both removing the signage and then potentially returning it after appeal.”