Entertainment
New Music Friday December 20: SZA, Katy Perry, Alessia Cara, Burna Boy and More
Happy New Music Friday! The weekend is here, which means more streaming, new playlists and the best that music has to offer — and ET has you covered for everything in between.
Jonas Brothers have been added as performers at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025. The brothers will kick off their 20th anniversary celebrations with a career-spanning medley performance from New York’s iconic Times Square, airing just after midnight. They join previously announced performers Carrie Underwood, Lenny Kravitz, Alanis Morissette, Blake Shelton, Laufey, Luis Fonsi, Natasha Bedingfield, T-Pain and more.
Alicia Keys will be celebrated at the fourth annual Recording Academy Honors Presented by the Black Music Collective taking place on January 30, 2025. Alicia will receive the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award which celebrates musical excellence, entrepreneurial achievements, philanthropic efforts and a profound impact on a global scale.
The Recording Academy also announced the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award recipients for their Special Merit Awards Ceremony on February 1. Frankie Beverly, The Clash, Dr. Bobby Jones, Taj Mahal, Prince, Roxanne Shante and Frankie Vallie are the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award honorees; Erroll Garner, Glyn Johns and Tania Leon are the Trustees Award recipients; and Dr. Leo Beranek is the Technical GRAMMY Award honoree.
Last night, Usher wrapped the North American leg of USHER: Past, Present, Future in Miami, FL. Usher had the crowd on their feet and had surprise guests Uncle Luke, DJ Khaled and JT Money joining him on stage. The North American leg has sold over 800,000 tickets, featuring 62 sold out shows. Usher will head to Europe next year, making stops in Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and London.
Earlier this week, Big Time Rush hosted a special one-night only experience for fans at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, CT to celebrate the holidays. BIG TIME RUSH ON ICE featured a sold-out concert and skating spectacle. One of the biggest surprises was when Carlos was presented with his infamous black hockey helmet — a nod to their Nickelodeon show, this was the first time that the helmet made an appearance at a Big Time Rush concert.
Also this week, Spotify hosted Billions Club Live with The Weeknd in Los Angeles to celebrate his status as the artist with the most tracks to reach 1 billion+ streams on Spotify. He performed his hits for an audience of nearly 2,000 of his top Spotify Fans. Lionsgate has announced The Weeknd’s first feature film, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” will be out May 16, 2025, aligned with the debut of his album and concert tour of the same name. The film is directed by Trey Edward Shults and stars The Weeknd, Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.
Billie Eilish has partnered with Support+Feed and American Express to provide vital support for families and individuals across several cities on the HIT ME HARD AND SOFT: THE TOUR. This partnership will enable small businesses to provide over 30,000 delicious and nourishing meals to community members in need across these cities.
SZA has released her long-awaited album, SOS Deluxe: Lana, the expanded edition of her critically acclaimed album SOS. She released a music video for “Drive” which stars Ben Stiller. The album also features Kendrick Lamar, who she will be going on tour with in 2025. SZA will also be starring in the upcoming film “One of Them Days” with Keke Palmer out January 17, 2025.
Katy Perry released 1432, the deluxe edition of her album that features four additional tracks, including the never-before released “OK.” Katy will kick off The Lifetimes Tour on April 23, 2025 with the first shows in Mexico City.
SOS Deluxe: Lana – SZA
1432 – Katy Perry
Holiday Stuff (Extended) – Alessia Cara
“Run Rudolph Run” – The Philly Specials & Jon Bon Jovi
Wicked: The Soundtrack Sing-Along
A Complete Unknown (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
“Bundle By Bundle” – Burna Boy
“Got Damn” – Gunna
“Don’t Walk Away” – NLE Choppa feat Carey Washington
Lost Pages – Tink
“See Through” – Amelia Moore feat Coco Jones, Samara Cyn & Absolutely
“Touch” – THE DRIVER ERA
“O Come All Ye Faithful” from Sweet Magnolias – Heather Headley
“fancy” – Artemas
“Superman” – Verdine White
Entertainment
Access all your AI tools in one spot with this Chrome extension, now $75 for life
TL;DR: See answers from multiple AI models in one convenient spot thanks to ChatPlayground AI, now $74.97 for a lifetime subscription (reg. $619) through May 10.
Credit: ChatPlayground AI
Every AI model has its strengths and weaknesses. ChatPlayground AI lets you see results from all the major models side by side — from ChatGPT and DeepSeek to Llama and Perplexity.
You can save yourself time and get the best possible results all at once with a lifetime subscription to this handy tool — on sale now for just $74.97 through May 10.
Mashable Deals
Hopping between different AI models really slows down your workflow. If you’d like to streamline how you use these tools, ChatPlayground AI saves you time, letting you see responses from over 20 AI models in a convenient spot.
This Chrome extension lets you enter prompts and see answers from Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, Llama, and more in one window. Easily see the best answer for your prompt, while avoiding paying all the different subscription fees.
Whether you need help generating code or images, or you just need to ask a simple question, ChatPlayground AI provides an answer for everything. It can even help you build better prompts with prompt engineering tools.
Image and PDF chat features let you get context-aware answers even faster, as they save you from typing things out. You can also reference past conversations when you need to — ChatPlayground AI saves them all.
Your Unlimited Plan includes unlimited monthly messages, priority customer service, and priority access to any new features and future models.
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Get a lifetime subscription to ChatPlayground AI’s Unlimited Plan, now for just $74.97 through May 10.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
Entertainment
This $10 upgrade transforms your PC — but it’s only on sale until midnight
TL;DR: Upgrade a PC affordably with this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro license, on sale for just $9.97 (reg. $199) through tonight at midnight.
Want to get the feeling of a new computer without having to shell out all the money for one? A new operating system gives your device a whole new feel, and if you’ve got a PC lying around, it could probably use this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro upgrade. If you act fast, you can get it for only $9.97 through tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Windows 11 Pro breathes new life into an old computer, extending its lifespan for less than the cost of your lunch. Unlike older operating systems, this one was made with the modern professional in mind.
Mashable Deals
Rest easy knowing Windows 11 Pro is filled with features that can improve your workflow — from an easy-to-use interface that enhances usability to snap layouts, seamless redocking, a more powerful search experience, and improved voice typing.
Take advantage of unique professional tools like Azure AD, Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, and BitLocker device encryption. Then take a break and check out the impressive gaming experience offered by DirectX 12 Ultimate graphics.
Windows 11 Pro includes Copilot, Microsoft’s very own AI-powered assistant, which can assist you with a wide range of tasks. Get some help kickstarting your writing process, summarizing web pages, changing your settings, or even opening your apps.
You can also enjoy improved cybersecurity with Windows 11 Pro, as it adds biometric logins, encrypted authentication, and enhanced antivirus protection.
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Get your PC a Microsoft Windows 11 Pro license for only $9.97 tonight through midnight.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
3 AdultFriendFinder red flags — how to avoid scams on AFF
Depending on who you ask, AdultFriendFinder is either the Wild West of hookup sites, an “anything goes” paradise for adult fun, or a total scam replete with bots, fake profiles, and inactive accounts.
After months of personal testing, I can confidently say which AFF you experience ultimately boils down to how you use the site. If you approach it naively, without a strategy, you’re probably going to have some frustrating experiences. On the other hand, if you exercise a modicum of caution and common sense, you’ll discover a huge, fun, and kink-friendly community.
Here are three red flags to look out for as you use AFF, to help you spot potential scammers and separate the authentic users from the fake profiles.
Hookup apps for everyone
AdultFriendFinder
—
readers’ pick for casual connections
Tinder
—
top pick for finding hookups
Hinge
—
popular choice for regular meetups
Credit: AdultFriendFinder
Unverified accounts
AdultFriendFinder already offers a fantastic first step in combatting fake profiles that they call ConfirmID. Once you’ve created an account, you can, at any time, upload a clear scan of a government-issued ID card and then, using a webcam, undergo a quick face verification scan to confirm that you are indeed the person identified in the government document.
This step strikes the perfect balance between not being onerous enough to annoy the average user but still requiring enough effort to deter scammers, who notoriously go after the low-hanging fruit.
Mashable Trend Report
Once you’ve completed the ConfirmID sequence, you’ll be rewarded with a verification badge on your profile, and we strongly recommend that you limit your one-on-one interactions on the site to other verified users.
Perfect profile photos
Alright, admittedly this one requires some personal judgment, as everyone should strive to upload good, high-quality photos of themselves to dating websites. But if every photo looks like it belongs in a magazine, or if the person in the photo looks a little too good to be true, you should exercise caution.
In the age of generative AI and filters, it’s trivially easy to create a fake photo or series of photos, so you should also be on the lookout for what isn’t in the photos. Are there recognizable local landmarks (clubs, restaurants, well-known parks, or street corners) in the photos, or are they all equally generic?
Over-eager chatters
Ever since chat bots became a thing, dating sites have become plagued with them, and as AI improves more and more, it’s not always easy to know, right away, if the “person” you’re talking to is really human. One dead giveaway, though, is how much they chat and how quickly they reply.
Real people go off on tangents, employ non sequiturs, and sometimes stumble with awkward questions or comments. Chat bots, on the other hand, are typically always chipper and extremely fast-talking, so much so that a paragraph-long answer can come back to you in seconds.
They also almost always have an agenda, too, whether that’s directing you to click on a link (“Follow my Instagram profile”) or getting you to divulge some potentially compromising bit of personal information about yourself.
