Aretha Franklin's 15-Year-Old Granddaughter Just Auditioned for American Idol

Will Smith has apologised for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. The actor shocked the live audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, 27 March, when he strode on stage and hit Rock across the face with an open hand during the ceremony.

LIVE – Updated at 13:21This year’s Oscars featured shocks, sighs and surprises – but all anyone will care about is a slap. The Academy Awards took place on Sunday night, with films including The Power of the Dog, West Side Story, Licorice Pizza and Coda battling it out in the big categories. The biggest story of the night had almost nothing to do with the awards: a shocking altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock sparked by a joke about Smith’s wife Jada.

If half the world wasn’t talking about Will Smith’s forceful slapping of comedian Chris Rock, the story of the Oscars would certainly have been about the winner in the best picture category, Coda. A low-budget, independent film, it tells the story of a hearing daughter in a deaf family who must balance helping them with her dreams of becoming a singer.

Bridgeton’s Simone Ashley hilariously revealed that she took tattoo tips from a prison inmates’ YouTube channel and, to be fair, the result isn’t too shabby. The 26-year-old actress provided a personal insight into how she kept herself occupied during the pandemic. And after attempting the regular stuff like ‘making banana bread’ and learning how to ‘tie-dye’, the star turned her attention elsewhere.

body positive influencer took to her Instagram page to share a snap with with her 183,000 followers.This saw the Aussie Instagram star posing in a thong as she laid her body bare.Bella said she was sharing the lingerie snap to show fans 'her normal' along with some of the things she's learned over the past year.Captioning the post, she wrote: "Today is a special day so because of that, I wanted to share some photo’s with you showing my normal along with some things I've learnt over the last year that I hope you’ll find helpful."Razor bumps, hip dips, stretch marks, softness, pubic hair and spider veins aren’t flaws. They are normal."Follow people who celebrate their bodies!"You don’t owe anything thinness. Not your partner, not your friends, family, society.

READ MORE: Photos show Prince William struggling to take his eyes off Kate Middleton during their Caribbean tour Prince George and Princess Charlotte joined Prince William and Catherine at the memorial service for their great-grandfather this morning at Westminster Abbey (March 29). The pair looked shy as they arrived hand-in-hand with their parents but soon started to smile as they ventured into the Abbey. While the service was underway, many royal fans couldn't help but point out the adorable moment Princess Charlotte was scanning the rows behind her and saw her father's cousin, Princess Beatrice.

BBC One prepares to air the last ever episode of Holby City having been on telly screens since 1999.The actress appeared as Pre-Registration House Nurse Victoria Merrick in the first episode way back in 1999, before becoming a surgeon and later left in series three, episode 30 back in 2001.Her character struggled to cope with the high pressure of being in surgery and also struggled to live up to her dad's expectations as he was a well-known surgeon.Despite meeting some of her closest friends on the show and having the time of her life, she requested that her character had a "gruesome death", a decision she says she later regrets.Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star from the Ideal Home Show, she said: "I can't believe they've stopped it, I'm really sad."I met my two best friends on it, we were there on the first day of filming and what an amazing, amazing job it was, it was just so fantastic."To be there at the beginning and to meet my two best mates, I have very fond memories of Holby City and I'm very sad it's over."She went on to add: "I think I was doing it 20 something years ago or something, it's really scary, it was a completely different thing back then, I think it was a real household for years."There's just been so many great people."The mum-of-one continued: "I did the first three series of it, so it was very different – when we first started, we had huge viewing figures, everyone loved it, we were very lucky with the people we worked with."We didn't know it was ever going to last for over 20 years but it's been a lovely show to be a part of."I worked with George Irving who played my dad and he's such a fantastic actor and then Siobhan Redmond, she became my boss when they opened the children's unit."We used

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor“Clive Davis: Most Iconic Performances,” a four-art series featuring concert clips chosen by and interviews conducted by the legendary music executive, will premiere exclusively on Paramount Plus in the U.S. and internationally beginning Wednesday, March 23.In this special miniseries, culled from his virtual 2021 pre-Grammy Gala events, sees Davis taking viewers through some of his favorite musical performances from the last few decades.

Aretha Franklin’s young granddaughter has been rejected from American Idol after auditioning for the long-running talent show last month.15-year-old Grace Franklin didn’t advance from her audition on February 27. Speaking before her audition, she said: “I feel like people expect me to sing exactly like her, but I am my own artist and I have my own voice.”Performing a version of Roberta Flack’s ‘Killing Me Softly’ in the style of the Fugees‘ iconic cover, Franklin was told by judge Luke Bryan that the performance “was all just a little sleepy and subdued to me,” while fellow judge Katy Perry called it “soft”.Another performance, this time of her grandmother’s track ‘Ain’t No Way’, followed, but Franklin was unsuccessful in her attempts to reach the next round of the competition.Watch both performances below.Aretha Franklin died in August 2018 in Detroit at the age of 76.

Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, but this aspiring singer did it.On Sunday's , the judges are left speechless when they meet contestant Kenedi Anderson. In ET's exclusive sneak peek from Part 2 of the auditions, at first Perry, Richie and Bryan think nothing of her audition.

Angelique Jackson Sherri Shepherd wasn’t a nominee at the 13th AAFCA Awards on Wednesday night, but she certainly had the look of a winner.Shepherd was on hand at the annual awards show — which celebrates the best in film each year — to present the best actress award to her “Chi-town sister” Jennifer Hudson, who the organization’s near-100 members honored for playing Aretha Franklin in “Respect.”“I’m so in awe of her, that she has reinvented herself but she’s still singing those soulful gospel songs, then she’s pop, then she can get in there and act her butt off and did an amazing job in ‘Respect,’” Shepherd told Variety about Hudson on the red carpet outside the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. “Now the girl’s got her own talk show — welcome to the block, sis! — so, it’s very, very exciting to support her in this manner.” Of course, Hudson isn’t the only one with a new show.

Aretha Franklin’s legacy will live on forever, and now, we’re getting another reminder of how far her influence has extended.Over the weekend, fans got to see the legend’s 15-year-old granddaughter, Grace, audition for Season 20 of American Idol, proving that singing runs in the family.“I was really close to my grandma,” the teenager said during the episode on Sunday, February 27. “I got to see her all the time.

In what might be one of the biggest audition shockers in American Idol history, fifteen-year-old hopeful Grace Franklin walked out before the judges and revealed that she is the granddaughter of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.

Continuing the Franklin family legacy! Aretha Franklin’s 15-year-old granddaughter, Grace, auditioned for season 20 of American Idol.

on Sunday's season 20 premiere. The late Aretha Franklin's granddaughter, Grace Franklin, the 15-year-old daughter of Aretha's son, Kecalf Cunningham, tested her own musical chops in front of judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. Grace shared her lineage with the judges right off the bat, and opened up about her relationship with the late R&B legend in an aside package. «I was really close with my grandma.

Jennifer Hudson looked pretty in pink at the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday evening.The 40-year-old performer stood out while sporting a blush dress that featured floral accents on the shoulder and hip. Ready for the evening:Jennifer Hudson made quite the appearance at the 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on Sunday eveningThe former American Idol contestant also rocked several shining rings that added a bit of sparkle to her look for the ceremony.

American Idol is back!

SAG Award nomination for her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in the third season of the anthology series Genius.  And Cynthia Erivo, slipped into a bright red PVC gown as she stepped on to the red carpet at The 28th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. The 35-year-old actress showcased her incredible figure in the form fitting Louis Vuitton number that she paired with a structured fur cape.

Cynthia Erivo is looking so fierce on the red carpet!

Jennifer Hudson was the night's big winner at the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards, which were held in Los Angeles on Saturday.The Academy Award winner, 40, was notably honored with the covetedEntertainer Of The Year gong, beating out the likes ofRegina King, Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion and Tiffany Haddish in the category.Hudson also received theOutstanding Actress In A Motion Picture award for her powerful portrayal of the late Aretha Franklin in Respect, which hit theaters in August 2021. Winner!Jennifer Hudson was the night's big winner at the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards, which were held in Los Angeles on SaturdayShe was up against actresses Andra Day, Halle Berry, Tessa Thompson, and Zendaya.'I did not see this coming by any means, but Lord knows I’m grateful,' said the star as she took to the stage to accept the Entertainer Of The Year award.

Kris Bowers “Black excellence” is one of those phrases that might be difficult to explain, but you know it when you see it. It almost instantly pops into my mind — often in hashtag form — when I see images of classic Black icons or beautiful Black bodies dressed to the nines and stunningly captured in photographs; everybody Black at award shows; the Obamas; or anything Beyoncé and Jay-Z do.Black excellence is a feeling.