Carrie Underwood surprised the crowd at Iowa’s Velocity Festival on Saturday (Sept. 5) with a run of nu-metal covers spanning Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park and Papa Roach, capping her headlining set at the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Dyersville with a costume change to match.

Underwood worked through Collective Soul’s “Shine,” Papa Roach’s “Scars” and Linkin Park’s “One Step Closer” before closing the block with Limp Bizkit’s 1999 hit “Break Stuff,” for which she donned a backward red baseball cap in a nod to frontman Fred Durst.

Fan-filmed footage of the performance circulated widely online, drawing a mixed reaction: some praised the detour into late-’90s rock, while others pushed back on the song choice given its explicit lyrics, which Underwood largely sang around, letting the crowd fill in the words instead.

Underwood topped Saturday’s bill at the 2026 Velocity Festival, a three-day event that expanded this year following the success of its 2025 debut. She was joined on the day’s lineup by Default, Maggie Rose and Danny Worsnop, while Shinedown headlined Friday alongside Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Creed closed the weekend Sunday with Nate Smith and Filter.

The genre-blending, rock-heavy bill tracks with the festival’s identity since its inaugural year, when Tim McGraw and Nickelback headlined its first two-day run at the same site — the 193-acre Iowa farm made famous by the 1989 film Field of Dreams.

The covers aren’t a new direction for Underwood, who has repeatedly leaned into her rock and metal influences over the years, previously sharing stages with acts including Guns N’ Roses and Papa Roach. Earlier this year, during the May 11 finale of American Idol — where she serves as a judge — Underwood joined Mötley Crüe for performances of “Home Sweet Home” and “Kickstart My Heart,” earning a standing ovation from the studio audience.

“Home Sweet Home” carries added history for Underwood, who recorded her own version of the Mötley Crüe ballad in 2009 for use as the farewell song during American Idol Season 8.

Bad Bunny won his first Primetime Emmy on Saturday (Sept. 5) – night one of what were formerly known as the Creative Arts Emmys, which were held at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The Puerto Rican superstar won outstanding variety special (live) for The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny (NBC). He won as both the lead performer and a producer.

It’s just the second Super Bowl Halftime Show to win the top program Emmy. The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent won four years ago. Shawn Carter (Jay-Z), Desiree Perez and Jesse Collins won as executive producers of both shows. Dave Meyers won as co-executive producer of both shows.

The other nominees in the category this year were 83rd Annual Golden Globes (CBS), 68th Annual Grammy Awards (CBS), The Oscars (ABC) and 78th Annual Tony Awards (CBS).

The award comes seven months after Bunny became the first artist to win album of the year at the Grammy Awards for a Spanish-language album. He won for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.

The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny won seven awards, easily becoming the most-awarded Super Bowl halftime show in Emmy history, surpassing the aforementioned 2022 hip-hop show, which won three. It is also the first Spanish-language program to win outstanding variety special (live).

Bunny’s Halftime Show also won outstanding music direction; outstanding directing for a variety special; outstanding sound mixing for a variety series or special; outstanding choreography for variety or reality programming; outstanding lighting design/lighting direction for a special; and outstanding technical direction and camerawork for a special.

A second program starring Bunny won a Primetime Emmy: The Season 51 opener of Saturday Night Live that he hosted won outstanding makeup for a variety, nonfiction or reality program.

Another pop megastar, Taylor Swift, was nominated for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded) for Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show (Disney+), but lost to another Disney + program, The Muppet Show.  The show, which paid tribute to the beloved series, also featured top talent, including Sabrina Carpenter (who won her first Primetime Emmy as an executive producer and performer on the special), Maya Rudolph and Seth Rogen. The other nominees in the category were Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable… (Netflix), Nikki Glaser: Good Girl (Hulu) and Wicked: One Wonderful Night (NBC).

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert won five awards, two for episodes that featured rock royalty by name in the episode descriptions. The series, which concluded an 11-year run in May, won outstanding picture editing for variety programming (segment) for an episode that featured Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello and outstanding lighting design/lighting direction for a series for an episode that featured Bruce Springsteen and special surprise guests.

Billy Joel: And So It Goes (HBO Max • HBO) won outstanding sound mixing for a nonfiction program.

The “Blink Again” segment of Sean Combs: The Reckoning (Netflix) won outstanding picture editing for a nonfiction program.

Mr. Scorsese, the Apple TV program about film director Martin Scorsese, won outstanding documentary or nonfiction series.

Hamish Hamilton won for outstanding directing for a variety special for the third time in the past four years. He won this year for his work on Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime show. He won in that category in 2023 for co-directing (with Jay-Z) the Super Bowl Halftime Show starring Rihanna and in 2024 for directing the Oscars.

On Sunday, night two of the Primetime Emmys, Julie Andrews won outstanding character voice-over performance for the second year in a row for her role as Lady Whistledown in Netflix’s Bridgerton. Andrews, who turns 91 next month (Oct. 1), becomes the oldest woman to win a Primetime Emmy, narrowly edging out her long-time friend and co-star Carol Burnett, who was a few months away from turning 91 in January 2024 when she won her most recent Primetime Emmy for Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love, on which Andrews appeared. The NBC program won outstanding variety special (pre-recorded).

Prior to these back-to-back wins for Bridgerton, Andrews had won two other Primetime Emmys – outstanding variety musical series in 1973 as the star of ABC’s The Julie Andrews Hour and outstanding nonfiction series in 2005 as host of PBS’ Broadway: The American Musical.

Andrews headlined two Broadway cast albums (My Fair Lady and Camelot) and two film soundtracks (Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music) that reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Rob Reiner, who was tragically killed in December, won outstanding guest actor in a comedy series for his role as Albert on The Bear. It was his third Primetime Emmy, following a pair of wins in 1974 and 1978 for All in the Family, the biggest TV hit of the 1970s.

Comedy Central’s South Park won outstanding animated program for the sixth time. Executive producers Trey Parker and Matt Stone were among the recipients. Parker and Stone were inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in August.

Also on Sunday, the Television Academy presented its first-ever Legacy Award. The first honoree, fittingly, was I Love Lucy — the CBS series that virtually created the blueprint for sitcoms. The landmark show starring Lucille Ball and executive produced by her husband Desi Arnaz will mark its 75th anniversary next month. It debuted on Oct. 15, 1951.

A total of 49 categories were presented on Saturday. A total of 53 categories were presented on Sunday. Just 19 categories will be presented on the live Emmy telecast, set for Monday Sept. 14.

The two pre-telecast awards ceremonies are not telecast or streamed but highlights from the two ceremonies will air on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m. PT on FXX. The program will be available to stream on Hulu starting the next day.

Mariska Hargitay won two awards on Saturday for producing and directing My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay, about her mother, 1960s sex symbol Jayne Mansfield. Hargitay is set to host the 78th Emmy Awards telecast, which will air live coast-to-coast on NBC on Monday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live. It will also stream on Peacock.

Here’s a complete list of programs that won multiple awards across the two nights of the pre-telecast Emmy Awards.

Here’s a complete list of individuals that won multiple awards across the two nights of the pre-telecast Emmy Awards. Their names are followed by the number of awards they won and the classifications in which they won.

The ARIA Award for Best Music Festival will return for a second year, the Australian Recording Industry Association announced Monday, with entries opening the same day and closing at 5 p.m. AEST on Friday, Sept. 18.

Developed jointly with the Australian Festival Association (AFA), the award recognizes festivals that put Australian artists in front of the audiences that build their careers, along with the programmers who back local talent on their lineups.

To be eligible, a festival must feature an Australian headline act or a lineup that’s at least 50% Australian artists, and must hold AFA membership.

Laneway Festival won the inaugural award in 2025, beating out nominees Ability Fest, Beyond the Valley, Bluesfest Byron Bay and Yours and Owls Festival. The category’s debut year drew attention as one of the first ARIA honors specifically tied to festival programming decisions rather than individual artist or record achievements.

“Festivals are where Australian artists meet the audiences that change their careers,” ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said in a statement.

“Programming Australian talent is a deliberate decision and has a huge impact on the careers of local artists. It is a delight to continue celebrating those who go above and beyond to do this.” AFA chair Adelle Robinson — who also leads Australian promoter Fuzzy — added that festivals are “a key part of the music industry’s eco system,” having “platformed many Australian artists at the beginning of their career,” and called the award a recognition of “the link between Australian music, fans and a unique live experience.”

The category’s return lands amid a milestone year for the organization. The 2026 ARIA Awards will mark the ceremony’s 40th anniversary on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion — the sixth consecutive year the venue has hosted the event, and the same site where ARIA held a standalone Hall of Fame anniversary celebration earlier this year, inducting six artists into its Hall of Fame in June.

The 2026 ceremony, presented in partnership with Spotify and broadcast on Network 10 and Paramount+, will look back at four decades of Australian music while highlighting current stars. Nominations for the main ARIA Awards will be announced Thursday, Sept. 24.

Ciara is expecting her fifth child. The singer announced her pregnancy on Sunday (Sept. 6) in an Instagram post that she captioned, “One more person to love.”

Baby No. 5, whose name has yet to be revealed, will be Ciara’s fourth kid with her husband, former NFL star Russell Wilson; the couple wed in 2016. Ciara welcomed her eldest child with previous partner Future in 2014.

Ciara’s family update on Sunday included a sweet reel that shows her adding a tiny onesie on a clothesline. In the video, she grins as the camera reveals her baby bump and her hand forms the number five.

A still image then shows Ciara posing with the clothesline, which holds five shirts (including the onesie). The names of each of Ciara’s first four children — Future, Sienna, Win and Amora — each adorn a shirt, while the onesie is blank, leaving baby’s name a surprise.

Russell joins his wife in the next clip, smiling, while another slide shows an adorable member of the family playing photographer.

Ciara hit the road on Missy Elliott’s tour, which also featured Busta Rhymes and Timbaland, in 2024, and performed at several live events in 2025, when she also released her eighth studio album, CICi.

Just a few weeks ago, she was on the mid-August lineup of BitterSweet Festival in Poznań, Poland. Fan footage from her performance shows she wore biker shorts topped with an oversized, loose-fitting tunic that would’ve concealed any sign of a growing belly.

See Ciara’s pregnancy announcement on Instagram.

Gavin Brivik and Andrew Bird were giant-slayers on Sunday (Sept. 6) – night two of what were formerly known as the Creative Arts Emmys, which were held at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The songwriters beat both Lady Gaga and South Park creator Trey Parker to win outstanding original music and lyrics for a song (“Need Someone”) they wrote for the hit drama series The Pitt.

Gaga was nominated for “The Dead Dance,” which she co-wrote with Andrew Watt and Henry Walter Russell (Cirkut) for Wednesday. Parker was nominated for “Christian Woman,” which he wrote for South Park.

Widow’s Boy won in two of the seven music categories. David Fleming won outstanding music composition for a series (original dramatic score) for the Apple TV hit. It’s his second Primetime Emmy. He won two years ago for Jim Henson Idea Man, which was voted outstanding music composition for a documentary series or special (original dramatic score). Toko Nagata won outstanding music supervision for her work on the show. It’s her first Primetime Emmy.

Dave Porter won two Primetime Emmys for the Apple TV hit Pluribus. He won outstanding original main title theme music and outstanding sound mixing for a comedy or drama series (one hour) as a scoring mixer on the show. These are his first Primetime Emmys.

Sean Callery and Sara Barone won outstanding music composition for a limited or anthology series, movie or special (original dramatic score) for their work on Netflix’s The Beast in Me. This is Callery’s fifth Primetime Emmy, following three wins for 24 and one for Marvel’s Jessica Jones. This is Barone’s first win.

Two of the seven music categories were presented on Saturday (Sept. 5) – night one of the 2026 Primetime Emmys. Miguel Gandelman won outstanding music direction for The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny. Tyler Strickland won outstanding music composition for a documentary/nonfiction or reality program for John Candy: I Like Me.

Gandelman is the third person to win outstanding music direction for work on a Super Bowl Halftime Show. Adam Blackstone won four years ago for The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick Lamar and Tony Russell won last year for The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar.

Here’s a complete list of nominees in the seven music categories across the two nights of the pre-telecast primetime Emmys, with winners marked.

Outstanding Music Direction

WINNER: The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny • NBC • Roc Nation, Rimas, Jesse Collins Entertainment and DPS; Miguel Gandelman, music director

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert • “Series Finale” • CBS • CBS Studios; Louis Cato, music director

The Oscars • ABC • Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Michael Bearden, music director

Saturday Night Live • “Host: Jack Black” • NBC • SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video; Lenny Pickett, Leon Pendarvis, Eli Brueggemann and Maddie Rice, music directors

Wicked: One Wonderful Night • NBC • Fulwell Entertainment; Stephen Oremus, music director

Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary/Nonfiction or Reality Program (Original Dramatic Score)

High Horse: The Black Cowboy • “F*ck Westerns” • Peacock • Peacock Original, Universal Television Alternative Studio, Resurgent Pictures, Monkeypaw Productions; Raphael Saadiq, composer

WINNER: John Candy: I Like Me • Prime Video • Amazon MGM Studios, El Bear Productions; Tyler Strickland, composer

Kingdom • “Episode 2” • BBC America • A BBC Studios Natural History Unit production co-produced with BBC America; Segun Akinola, composer

Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! • HBO Max • HBO Documentary Films presents an Apatow Production; Jeff Morrow, composer

Ocean With David Attenborough • National Geographic • National Geographic Presents a Silverback Films & Open Planet Studios Production in association with Altitude, All3Media International and Minderoo Pictures, co-produced with Arksen & 10% For The Ocean, Don Quixote Foundation, National Geographic Society and Pristine Seas, Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Revive Our Ocean; Steven Price, composer

Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age • “The Big Freeze” • Apple TV • BBC Studios in association with Apple; Kara Talve, Anže Rozman and Hans Zimmer, composers

Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics

The Boys • “The Frenchman, The Female, and the Man Called Mother’s Milk” / Song Title: “Raise Him Up” • Prime Video • Amazon; MGM Studios, Sony Pictures Television with Kripke Enterprises, Original Film, and Point Grey Pictures; Christopher Lennertz, music & lyrics; Daveed Diggs, lyrics

Hacks • “EGOT” / Song Title: “Mis Figuritas” • HBO Max • Universal Television in association with Paulilu, First Thought Productions, Fremulon Productions, 3 Arts Entertainment; Carlos Rafael Rivera and David Stal, music & lyrics

WINNER: The Pitt • “12:00 P.M.” / Song Title: “Need Someone” • HBO Max • HBO Max in association with John Wells Productions, R. Scott Gemmill Productions, and Warner Bros. Television; Gavin Brivik, Music; Andrew Bird, music & lyrics

South Park • “The Crap Out” / Song Title: “Christian Woman” • Comedy Central • Comedy Central; Trey Parker, music & lyrics

Spider-Noir • “A Mistake I’ll Never Make Again” / Song Title: “The Devil You Know” • MGM+/Prime Video • Sony Pictures Television, Amazon MGM Studios, Marvel Studios; Warren Oak Felder, Sebastian Kole, Daniel Pemberton, music & lyrics

Wednesday • “Woe Me the Money” / Song Title: “The Dead Dance” • Netflix • A Netflix Series / An MGM Television Production; Lady Gaga, Andrew Watt, Henry Walter Russell, music & lyrics

Outstanding Music Supervision

The Boys • “Blood and Bone” • Prime Video • Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures Television with Kripke Enterprises, Original Film, and Point Grey Pictures; Michelle Johnson and Yvette Metoyer, music supervisors

Hacks • “Finale” • HBO Max • Universal Television in association with Paulilu, First Thought Productions, Fremulon Productions, 3 Arts Entertainment; Matt Biffa, music supervisor

Nobody Wants This • “When Noah Met Joanne” • Netflix • 20th Television in association with Steven Levitan Productions for Netflix; Manish Raval, Tom Wolfe, Jonathan Leahy, music supervisors

Pluribus • “We Is Us” • Apple TV • Sony Pictures Television in association with Apple; Thomas Golubić, music supervisor

Stranger Things • “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up” • Netflix • Upside Down Pictures & 21 Laps Entertainment for Netflix; Nora Felder, music supervisor

WINNER: Widow’s Bay • “Beach Reads” • Apple TV • Apple Studios / Chum Films; Toko Nagata, music supervisor

Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms • “In the Name of the Mother” • HBO Max • HBO in association with GRRM and Friendly Wolf Pictures; Dan Romer, composer

Palm Royale • “Maxine Drinks Martinis Now” • Apple TV • Apple Studios; Jeff Toyne, composer

Pluribus • “We Is Us” • Apple TV • Sony Pictures Television in association with Apple; Dave Porter, composer

Slow Horses • “Missiles” • Apple TV • See-Saw Films in association with Apple; Daniel Pemberton and Toydrum, composers

Spider-Noir • “Step Into My Office” • MGM+/Prime Video • Sony Pictures Television, Amazon MGM Studios, Marvel Studios; Kris Bowers and Michael Dean Parsons, composers

WINNER: Widow’s Bay • “Our History” • Apple TV • Apple Studios / Chum Films; David Fleming, composer

Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)

All Her Fault • “Episode 7” • Peacock • Peacock Original, Universal International Studios, Carnival Films; Jeff Beal, composer

WINNER: The Beast in Me • “The Beast and Me” • Netflix • 20th Television for Netflix; Sean Callery and Sara Barone, composers

Black Rabbit • “Isle of Joy” • Netflix • Netflix / Aggregate Films / Riff Raff Entertainment / Youngblood Pictures / Automatik; Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, composers

In the Blink of an Eye • Hulu • Mighty Engine, Searchlight Pictures; Thomas Newman, composer

Washington Black • “If You See My Mama, Whisper Her This…” • Hulu • 20th Television; Cameron Moody, composer

Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music

All Her Fault • Peacock • Peacock Original, Universal International Studios, Carnival Films; Jeff Beal, composer

The Beast in Me • Netflix • 20th Television for Netflix; Sean Callery, composer

The ‘Burbs • Peacock • Peacock Original, UCP, Imagine Entertainment, Out of the Blue Productions, Fuzzy Door; Michael Abels, composer

Murderbot • Apple TV • Paramount Television Studios in association with Apple; Amanda Jones, composer

WINNER: Pluribus • Apple TV • Sony Pictures Television in association with Apple; Dave Porter, composer

Kid Cudi‘s reunion on stage with Kanye West in Chicago — which marked the pair’s first live performance together in years — was celebrated by many hip-hop fans, but not everyone was thrilled by the enthusiasm for Ye.

Ye brought Cudi out for three songs toward the end of his three-hour set at Soldier Field on Friday (Sept. 4), the guest-filled second night of two homecoming concerts. The two rappers, whose relationship spans two decades (Yeezy signed Cudi to G.O.O.D. Music in 2008, a few years after meeting him), delivered “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1” and “Ghost Town,” plus “Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare),” in one of the show’s most unforgettable moments.

Following the show, Cudi reacted to several positive comments coming through on social, from fans reveling in the surprise appearance — which appeared to be a reconciliation between the once-frequent collaborators, who’d even released a joint album in 2019 (Kids See Ghosts).

He also responded to criticism of realigning with Ye.

It’d been a minute since anyone had seen the pair together in public, as Cudi had distanced himself from Ye in recent years amid the star’s erratic rants, antisemitic remarks and hate speech, for which West has since apologized. This wasn’t their first fallout.

Cudi quoted a post from New York radio personality Peter Rosenberg on X this weekend; Rosenberg expressed disappointment that “a lot of people I love are being openly lame about Kanye” on his feed during West’s weekend in Chicago. Rosenberg continued, “I am not saying no one deserves forgiveness or empathy but this man sang Heil Hitler ONE YEAR AGO.”

“I understand ur frustration Peter, I f—s w u, but I dont really care if ur disappointed in me,” Cudi wrote in response on X on Saturday (Sept. 5).

“That man is my brother,” Cudi said of Ye. “U dont have a relationship w him like I do. Damn near 2 decades of art and friendship. U not family. So I get it. Ive been around Ye, and I can honestly say talking to him now is how it use to be when I first signed to him, but even better. He was dealing w mental health struggles for years and now hes good. Everyone deserves some grace when they family. I was the hardest on him out of anybody. I held him accountable. He apologized and it was sincere. But like I said, u not family so I get it.”

Rosenberg replied, “well i wasnt disappointed in you @KiDCuDi (i meant fans) but if you saw me running out to support an artist a year after they made a song called “all hail the klan” you would prolly feel a way. I am ALL for forgiveness and empathy but this man is being hailed as a HERO … f that. go get real help and sit down for a few years then lets talk before im going to run to put money in ur pocket.”

In 2025, Kid Cudi spoke of his fractured relationship with Ye in an interview with CBS, noting that West had said some things that “there was no coming back from.” He added, “I’m done with you. And it breaks my heart because I loved Kanye. I really loved him. He was part of my life changing and at some point, he was a really good friend, but the man that he has become … I just don’t know that guy anymore.”

Ye, who suffers from bipolar disorder, apologized for his actions in early 2026, referencing his mental health struggle. In a full-page ad taken out in the Wall Street Journal in January, Ye wrote, “You don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting. You feel like you’re seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you’re losing your grip entirely … One of the difficult aspects of having bipolar type-1 are the disconnected moments — many of which I still cannot recall — that led to poor judgment and reckless behavior that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body-experience. I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”

Over the summer, Cudi revealed they were rebuilding their friendship.

After this weekend’s reunion with Ye on stage, he wrote on X, “Tn was just another epic night on a list with many other epic nights w my big bro,” adding, “love u Chicago.”

In another note posted after performing at Soldier Field, Cudi said, “Love u big bro. Family s—tt.”