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Anna Kendrick's Iconic 'Cups' Performance in 'Pitch Perfect' Almost Didn't Happen


One of the most iconic scenes in the first Pitch Perfect film is Anna Kendrick‘s “Cups” audition. If you’re one of the three people on Earth who’s never seen this movie and doesn’t know what I’m talking about, here’s a quick boiler plate: Kendrick’s character, Beca, decides to audition for her college’s all-female acapella group (the Barden Bellas) by randomly hitting cups on the floor and singing “When I’m Gone” with no background music. It’s quirky and weird and ultimately lands her a spot on the Bellas. But here’s the interesting part: Kendrick didn’t come up with this herself. Way before Pitch Perfect happened, she actually found people on the Internet who had performed the song acapella with cups and learned it secondhand—just for fun. She had no idea it would come in handy for the film.

“Handy” is definitely an understatement, too. When it came time to film Pitch Perfect, the producers needed to make sure Kendrick and the other Bellas could actually sing. “They were like, ‘Can you sing something for us?’ and I was like, ‘I get to do [‘Cups’].’ I had no use for it before.”

Producers were so impressed with Kendrick’s “Cups” performance that they decided to put it in the film in place of what they’d originally planned for Beca’s audition—which was “I’m a Little Teacup.”

“I don’t know how I was supposed to play [‘I’m a Little Teacup’], so thank God they changed that,” Kendrick said. “I would’ve been like, ‘I don’t know how to make this scene work, guys.'”

Watch Kendrick explain this, below.

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Seriously, can you imagine Beca singing “I’m a Little Teacup” in front of terrifying Aubrey Posen? Talk about aca-awkward.

Pitch Perfect 3 hits theaters on December 22.

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Selena Gomez Is Being Accused of Lip-Syncing Her American Music Awards 2017 Performance


To many, Selena Gomez’ first performance in over a year was a stunning rendition of her new single, “Wolves.” Others, however, are accusing her of lip-syncing the whole thing.

After taking time off to recover from a kidney transplant, Selena returned to the stage for the first time post-operation on Sunday during the 2017 American Music Awards. But while she delivered a dramatic production with energetic choreography and elaborate special effects, including a fog machine, a forest backdrop, and a literal car on stage, some viewers on Twitter believed those elements were intended to distract from the pop-star allegedly not singing at all.

“I love Selena Gomez, but she made it so obvious that she lip synced through that whole performance hence why she had her head down and hair covering her face for 99% of the performance,” wrote one user. “The girl can’t sing live, so I don’t know why she just can’t admit it instead of lip syncing.”

“Wow, that fake car hit Selena Gomez so hard she had to lip sync her song,” snarked another. “Poor girl.”

Others, though, say she wasn’t lip-syncing but may have run into some technical difficulties while singing.

“SELENA GOMEZ DIDN’T LIP SYNC SHE USED A FILTERED MIC FOR THE EFFECT LIKE SHE USED FOR THE SONG YOU GUYS I SWEAR STFU AND LET PEOPLE LIVE MY GOD DO YOU HAVE BRAIN CELLS MY GOD GET A JOB STAY AWAY FROM HER SHE’S JUST LIVING HER TRUTH SPREADING LOVE TAKE A SEAT AND LEARN SOMETHING,” wrote one enthusiastic fan.

Another viewer was wondering whether Selena’s backing track was simply too loud and overpowered her vocals.

“Wait wait wait… okay y’all not trying to bash on anyone’s performance, but was that a lip sync slip up or like some really loud back up vocals in Selena Gomez ‘s performance likeeeee…. genuinely asking,” the fan tweeted.

There’s yet another group of viewers who attribute what they characterize as a lackluster performance, lip-sync or no lip-sync, to a rumored panic attack prior to Selena’s appearance on-stage.

“The fact that Selena had a panic attack before going on stage and then actually performing is both heartbreaking but shows just how strong she really is @selenagomez I love you so much baby” wrote one person.

One user pointed out the “sad” face she made at the end of her performance as proof she was experiencing some challenges while singing, asking whether that was from her illness or mean comments online.

Prior to the performance, Selena shared an Instagram of herself rehearsing, explaining how the award show held a special place in her heart. “My first performance in over a year… the AMAs have been a place where I’ve shared some of my most intimate moments. Heart wants what it wants, after treatment and now Wolves,” she wrote in the video’s caption.

Currently, none of the rumors have been confirmed or denied, and Selena has yet to address her AMAs performance in any way. Until she does, it’s important to keep in mind that those with theories are still just speculating, and rude or abusive comments online are never OK.

Related: Selena Gomez Wore a Moto Jacket Dress to the AMAs, and We Want to Copy It ASAP





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Watch Christina Aguilera's Performance Tribute to Whitney Houston at American Music Awards 2017


Twenty-five years ago, the late Whitney Houston starred in a now-iconic movie called The Bodyguard and with it came the song that is now her trademark, “I Will Always Love You.” It’s a song that’s quintessentially Whitney: the dramatics, the opulence, the soaring high note at the end. Many view “I Will Always Love You” as Houston’s greatest vocal feat, which is impressive seeing as how she’s arguably the greatest vocalist of all time.

And tonight at the American Music Awards, another vocal powerhouse sang the song and paid tribute to both Houston and The Bodyguard: Christina Aguilera. Yes, Aguilera, clad in a black outfit and her hair slicked back, took the stage at the AMAs to give a special performance honoring the song and film that catapulted Houston into a fame stratosphere only a few celebrities reach. Aguilera whipped through several tunes from The Bodyguard, including “I Will Always Love You” and Houston’s cover of “I’m Every Woman,” which became a feminist anthem in the early 1990s.

The crowd was visibly moved by Aguilera’s performance—cameras caught several celebrities tearing up. Even Pink, who famously feuded with Aguilera in the early 2000s, couldn’t help but be moved by the performance. (If you follow celebrity news, though, then you know Pink and Aguilera put their beef to bed. “We were super young and super new at the whole thing, and I think I’m an alpha, and she’s an alpha,” Pink said about their up-and-down relationship a few weeks ago.)

Check out some clips of the performance, below:

The Twitter reactions, though, weren’t as kind. Several people took issue with the fact Aguilera, a white woman, performed the tribute.

Others simply didn’t think she was up to par with Houston.

Click here for more of our coverage of the 2017 American Music Awards.

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Watch Taylor Swift's 'SNL' Performance of 'Ready for It'


Soon after breaking the internet with her comeback single “Look What You Made Me Do,” Taylor Swift sparked a new round of online fan theories with “Ready for It.” The upbeat summer hit recounts a budding romance with her current beau Joe Alwyn, ex-BF Harry Styles, or a number of other exes, depending who you ask.

Regardless of who its lyrics refer to, the song is undeniably catchy, so we’re not surprised it was chosen for T-Swift’s recent Saturday Night Live performance. On Saturday, November 11—her first appearance on the show since 2009—she showed up onstage with a microphone shaped like a snake, keeping with the theme of her Reputation album. She and her backup dancers wore black shorts and sweatshirts reminiscent of her outfit in the song’s video. The moment marked her first live performance of the song, according to Rolling Stone, and she did not miss a beat, nailing every move as she danced to flawless vocals.

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Swift later performed an acoustic version of “Call It What You Want,” singing along to her own guitar, a cellist, and backup vocalists. She wore another black sweatshirt—this one with a pink snake on it. On Friday, she played a similar rendition of the song on SiriusXM, where she explained that the end of Reputation, where “Call It What You Want” appears, is about “where I am now in my life.” It looks like that’s a good place to be.

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Camila Cabello Dedicated Her 'Havana' Performance on 'Today' to 'the Dreamers'


Camila Cabello has an impressive catalog of solo songs out right now. The Sia-penned “Crying in the Club” is a glittery dance-pop smash; “Havana” is a delicious, mid-tempo ode to Cuba; and “Bad Things,” featuring Machine Gun Kelly, goes harder than any pop song on top 40 radio. Of course, Cabello has more tracks than these, but she chose this trifecta to highlight during her electric performance on the Today show Friday (September 29).

The former Fifth Harmony member didn’t miss a beat during her live set, effortlessly delivering stellar vocals and precision dance steps at the same time—not an easy feat. This shouldn’t surprise people who’re fans of Cabello, though. She’s always been a dynamic performer with incredible stage presence.

What might surprise them, however, is the powerful message she gave toward the end of her performance. Right before closing “Havana,” Cabello delivered a quick monologue dedicating the song to “the dreamers” of America.

“This is America—the America we love, where no matter your race, your color, your beliefs, or where you came from if you have a dream, you can make it possible,” she said.

Watch Cabello’s performance for yourself, below:

This sentiment rings especially true to Cabello, who immigrated from Cuba to the United States with essentially nothing. “I can just imagine all the little girls who have dreams of coming here and feel unwanted. It inspires me in my music to do my best to give [them] the light that I have,” she told Glamour in April. “I want to be what people think of when they think of America—a person who, no matter what her first language was or what her religion is, can see her dreams come to life if she works hard enough.”

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Fifth Harmony Called Out Camila Cabello During Their 2017 VMAs Performance


PHOTO: John Shearer/GEtty Images

Fifth Harmony just shocked everyone watching the 2017 VMAs with their most direct attack on former member Camila Cabello to date.

The audience may have gotten excited for a minute when they saw five figures standing on stage in metallic puffy jackets at the top of their performance. But right before the music kicked in, the fifth figure (presumably meant to represent Camila) was literally thrown off the stage, doing a backwards dive right off the platform. Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane, and Lauren Jauregui did not miss a beat, immediately thereafter busting into an epic performance that included everything from broken glass to rain and a beautiful split by Normani.

The blatant jab at Camila is somewhat surprising, especially considering Fifth Harmony has consistently shut down interviewers who ask about the former member of their group. They even side stepped conversation of their former member earlier in the night during the MTV VMA 2017 red carpet. The four members of the girl band artfully avoided an awkward question from Charlamagne Tha God, who asked if they would give their award to “a member who’s no longer in the group” if they were to win, and the girls went silent for just a beat too long. Thankfully, Normani broke the silence. “Well if we win for best choreography we’ll give it to our choreographer,” she said.

So while it may have seemed like the 5H girls would remain silent on Camila’s departure from here on out, they were clearly just saving their diss for later in the show—no words necessary. We’ll be watching to see if or how Camila responds.

In the meantime, who can I give an award for this epic shade?

Related: Camila Cabello Talks Life After Fifth Harmony and Her Experience as a Solo Star



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