“worst sex scenes in history.”“Continue to push the vision no matter how bumpy the journey,” Tesfaye, 33, told his fans in an Instagram post, seemingly referring to the show’s poor reception. Upon premiering at Cannes, “The Idol,” which Tesfaye created with Sam Levinson of “Euphoria” fame, was widely derided for its nudity, sex and directionless plot. “‘The Idol,’ or 50 SHADES OF TESFAYE: A Pornhub-homepage odyssey starring Lily-Rose Depp’s areolas and The Weeknd’s greasy rat tail,” a critic for the Gray Lady sneered after a viewing.“The show heavily exploits Lily … I hope she’s okay with it all because it comes off very exploitative,” another critic worried. The plot followed troubled pop princess Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp, 24, daughter of Johnny Depp) as she became involved in a weird and sex-filled relationship with self-help guru, club owner and cult leader Tedros (Tesfaye). The show regularly scandalized audiences, who cringed at its “nasty” sex scenes.Levinson doubled down after “The Idol” was criticized, defending his work as “revolutionary,” while others noted that the show is actually a lot tamer than earlier efforts, such as “True Blood.” “I think we live in a very sexualized world,” Levinson said.Depp also defended the show, telling Vogue Australia, “We know that we’re making something provocative and we are not shying away from that. That’s something I knew I was setting out to do from the beginning.
‘The Idol’ Makeup Artist on How Jocelyn’s ‘Femme Fatale’ Look Was Inspired by Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera
21.06.2023 - 20:23 / variety.com
McKinley Franklin editor Kirsten Coleman spearheaded a wave of makeup fads in 2019 with HBO’s “Euphoria.” Now, she’s trying capture that magic for a second time with her work on “The Idol.” “I wanted this story to be a more progressed version of ‘Euphoria,’” she says. “Sam Levinson was like, ‘Even though we’re combining the worlds, I want there to be a new experience here.’” The show zeroes in on pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), who is at a crossroads after the death of her mother. Vulnerable, Jocelyn is swiftly influenced by sex-cult sleaze Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye), a relationship that changes the trajectory of her career for good. The Levinson-directed series took the media by storm after its polarizing premiere at Cannes, following a Rolling Stone report that detailed allegations of a toxic work environment.
While Levinson (who also hails from “Euphoria”), co-creator the Weeknd and Depp said at a Cannes press conference that Jocelyn wasn’t modeled after Spears, Coleman reveals she took inspiration from the princess of pop to create Jocelyn’s look, in addition to another 2000s star. “I’d say Christina Aguilera and Britney [Spears], were really the stars we pulled from,” Coleman says. “When she’s performing as a pop star onstage as Jocelyn, it’s solely those two.” Sporting shambolic blonde hair, sweaty skin and sleek, defined eyeliner, Coleman reveals that Aguilera’s “Dirrty” music video was the reference point for Jocelyn’s music video shoot look in Episode 2. “Her vibe is very steamy, sweaty, messy; it’s very sexy. ‘Dirrty’ was a very light reference,” Coleman says. “I think the music video was supposed to be a culmination of all the crazy things we saw in music videos back [in the 2000s],
Hear Troye Sivan’s cover of George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’ from ‘The Idol’ finale
Troye Sivan has released a cover of George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’, made for The Idol. Check it out below.The track is taken from the final episode of the HBO series, which stars Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd in the lead roles.
The Weeknd Celebrates ‘The Idol’ Season Finale: ‘No Matter How Bumpy the Journey’
The Idol wrapped up its controversial first season on Sunday night, and The Weeknd took to social media to celebrate the bow of the HBO drama, which he starred in, co-created and produced with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson.
The Weeknd Celebrates 'The Idol' Season Finale: 'No Matter How Bumpy the Journey'
wrapped up its controversial first season on Sunday night, and The Weeknd took to social media to celebrate the bow of the HBO drama, which he starred in, co-created and produced with creator Sam Levinson.«The finale. grateful to share this moment with you all as the season comes to an end,» The Weeknd, known by his real name, Abel Tesfaye, in his acting work, captioned the slideshow of behind-the-scenes pics from the series.
‘The Idol’ Star Lily-Rose Depp Says Jocelyn ‘Got What She Needed’ Out of Tedros at the End
“The Idol’s” creator and star, Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) about-face was part of the plan well before Sunday night’s finale. “Jocelyn is a very strategic and calculated person. She knows exactly what she wants, and she’s going to stop at nothing to get it,” Depp said in an HBO video breaking down Episode 5.
The Weeknd teases The Idol finale with Lil Baby collaboration “False Idols”
The Weeknd has shared two new songs from The Idol ahead of this Sunday's season one finale. "Like A God" and Lil Baby collaboration "False Idols" are streaming below.
‘The Idol’ Star Da’Vine Joy Randolph Says ‘Everyone’s Intention Is To Have A Second Season’ & There Were ‘No Red Flags’ On Set
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who stars as Destiny in “The Idol” — Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) manager — opens up on why co-creator Sam Levinson took over the much-discussed series and the likelihood of a second season.
Lily-Rose Depp defends raunchy sex scenes in ‘The Idol’: ‘We live in a highly sexualized world’
controversial sex scenes and nudity — and Lily-Rose Depp is defending the “nasty” scenes after viewers branded it as “torture porn.”The HBO series — created by Sam Levinson (“Euphoria”), Reza Fahim and Abel Tesfaye (a k a The Weeknd) — follows pop star Jocelyn (Depp, 24, daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis) and her strange and raunchy relationship with nightclub owner and cult leader Tedros (Tesfaye, 33).It has been slammed for its graphic sex scenes and has garnered controversy for behind-the-scenes mess. In March, Rolling Stone reported that sources on the production described a chaotic filming environment, and called it “torture porn” and “rape fantasy.”But Depp is shutting down the criticism, saying the sex scenes in the show are “important” and “intentional.”“We know that we’re making something provocative and we are not shying away from that.
The Idol, originally ordered for six episodes, will end after just five
The Idol will end its first season this Sunday, July 2. The news has come as a surprise to some, with The Weeknd and Sam Levinson's HBO series first described as featuring six episodes when it was ordered to series in November 2021.
Listen to The Weeknd’s cover of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ for ‘The Idol’
The Weeknd has shared a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ that’s been used in HBO’s new show The Idol.Ahead of the show’s fourth episode, The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, shared a version of Lennon’s classic song that appears in the show. The Idol is made by Euphoria-creator Sam Levinson and follows the plot of a pop star (Lily-Rose Depp) who develops a controversial relationship with self-help guru and cult leader Tedros (Abel Tesfaye).The cover was first teased back in April and the musician performed it in Norway earlier this week.You can check out the song here:Last week, The Weeknd and BLACKPINK‘s Jennie shared a new song that appears in The Idol – listen to ‘One Of The Girls’ below.Depp also appeared on two new The Weeknd songs ‘World Class Sinner/I’m A Freak’ and ‘The Lure’ from the show’s soundtrack, which were released earlier this month.The first single taken from the HBO drama was titled ‘Double Fantasy’, and hears The Weeknd (now going by his birth name Abel Tesfaye) team up with Future.
The Weeknd and BLACKPINK’s Jennie share new song from ‘The Idol’
The Weeknd and BLACKPINK‘s Jennie have shared a new song that appears in The Idol – listen to ‘One Of The Girls’ below.The Idol is made by Euphoria-creator Sam Levinson and follows the plot of a pop star (Lily-Rose Depp) who develops a controversial relationship with self-help guru and cult leader Tedros (Abel Tesfaye).Depp also appeared on two new The Weeknd songs ‘World Class Sinner/I’m A Freak’ and ‘The Lure’ from the show’s soundtrack, which were released earlier this month.Now, Tesfaye has teamed up with Jennie, who also appears in The Idol as one of Depp’s backup dancers, Dyanne, for a new track.Listen to ‘One Of The Girls’ below.The first single taken from the HBO drama was titled ‘Double Fantasy’, and hears The Weeknd (now going by his birth name Abel Tesfaye) team up with Future. Like ‘The Lure’, the collaborative single featured production from The Weeknd and Mike Dean, and arrived accompanied by a music video that featured clips from the show.More recently the singer-songwriter and actor released the single ‘Popular’, which saw him join forces with Playboy Carti and queen of pop, Madonna.
Dan + Shay Join ‘The Voice’ Season 25 as Show’s First Coaching Duo
Country singers Dan + Shay have joined “The Voice” for Season 25 as the singing competition show’s first coaching duo.The three-time Grammy Award winners served as Blake Shelton’s “battle advisers” in Season 20. But they will coach this next season, which airs in 2024, alongside Reba McEntire and John Legend, who will return for back-to-back seasons.Three-time Grammy winner Chance the Rapper will round out the red chairs following his debut on the show in Season 23.Dan + Shay has been performing for 10 years, setting a record for winning the Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance three times in 2021.
Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye Reacts to Backlash Over His 'The Idol' Sex Scenes
The Weeknd is responding to backlash surrounding his sex scenes in the latest episode of .The singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, opened up about the controversial moment in the second episode of the series in a new interview with . While the scene sees his character, Tedros and Lily-Rose Depp's Jocelyn get intimate on screen, Tesfaye said there's nothing «sexy» about it.«There's nothing sexy about it. When we use as a reference, we're using Verhoeven.
The Idol Won’t Return For Season 2 Amid The Weeknd’s ‘Egomaniacal’ On Set Behavior
Well, fans of The Idol, it’s looking like this is going to be your only season.
The Weeknd defends ‘The Idol’ sex scene — says he’s playing ‘a loser’
Save your criticism for another day. The Weeknd has claimed that his “nasty” sex scene with Lily-Rose Depp in the second episode of HBO’s “The Idol” is more pathetic than sensual. “There’s nothing sexy about it,” the “Blinding Lights” megastar, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, told GQ in an interview published Tuesday.
Everything ‘The Idol’ Cast Has Said About the Show’s Backlash, Controversial Sex Scenes: It’s ‘Not for Everyone’
In defense of Jocelyn. Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd have been sharing their thoughts about the backlash to The Idol, which premiered on HBO in June 2023.
'The Idol' Actor Hank Azaria Defends Show's Controversial Nudity: 'Every Care Was Taken'
Hank Azaria is defending his new HBO drama, , following controversy over the show's nude scenes.Appearing on the third hour of the show Tuesday, Azaria said «every care was taken,» a sentiment the show's star, Lily-Rose Depp has echoed in her defense of the series.«I was mercifully left out of the nude shenanigans personally, but I can tell you that I know Lily-Rose [Depp], who was the center of all that mainly, has said publicly and privately how protected and taken care of and collaborated with and listened to and safe she felt,» Azaria said. «I know every care was taken, not just with those kind of scenes, but there are many kinds of sensitive scenes in this show, and I certainly felt safe that way and collaborated with.» stars Depp as Jocelyn, an up-and-coming pop singer who is pressured and influenced by Tedros (The Weeknd), a charismatic cult leader/self-help guru who promises Jocelyn everything and will stop at nothing to make her famous.Azaria also referenced a expose which claimed that production of the series had «gone wildly, disgustingly off the rails,» calling the outlet's report «ridiculous.»«It seemed to be in that piece connected to what they called the 'chaotic nature of the set,' and how it was really haphazard, and that I can tell you is ridiculous… I understand how certain people could feel that way.
‘The Idol’ fans cringe at ‘nasty’ sex scene: ‘Will never see The Weeknd the same’
creepin‘” out several viewers during the already controversial show’s second episode on Sunday.Fans of musician The Weeknd — born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye — claimed they will never be able to look at the superstar again after a “nasty” sex scene featuring the pop singer aired on the new HBO drama.The eye-popping scene saw the singer, who plays club owner and cult leader Tedros, and Jocelyn (played by Lily-Rose Depp) getting intimate with each other — in a way that rubbed viewers wrong.One Twitter user, who recorded and posted the scene online, claimed that she would “never see The Weeknd the same after this.” At one point during the steamy scene, a deadpanned Tesfaye, 33, says that he wants to “f–kin stretch that tiny, little p—y” while 24-year-old Depp’s character pleasures herself. Several other social media users also agreed with the sentiment.
‘The Idol’ Star Lily-Rose Depp Compares Her Childhood With Johnny Depp to Sam Levinson Drama
“The Idol” may present growing up in the trappings of fame as an inescapable nightmare, that’s not its star’s experience with Hollywood. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly published Thursday, Lily-Rose Depp spoke about her “normal” childhood with father Johnny Depp in comparison to the Sam Levinson series. The daughter of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor and French singer and model Vanessa Paradis, Depp has been connected to the industry since birth.
The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp share two new tracks from ‘The Idol’
The Weeknd has released two new songs, ‘World Class Sinner/I’m A Freak’ and ‘The Lure’ – featuring Lily-Rose Depp. Check them out below.Both tracks are taken from his highly-anticipated new series The Idol, which aired on HBO last Sunday (June 4) with the opening episode Pop Tarts & Rat Tails.For those who have already watched the first instalment of the series, the first of the new singles, ‘World Class Sinner/I’m A Freak’, will already be familiar.