Pop Shots – Here, There, Everywhere

Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from Rihanna being honored in Barbados, to Adele’s Las Vegas residency, to police raiding the home of Marilyn Manson, and since this is Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.

* Barbados has declared Rihanna a national hero, making her only the 11th person, and just the second woman, to receive the honor. That’s pretty damned impressive. Personally, I just hope to one day get a sandwich named after me. (that’s a “hero” joke, people!)

* Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes announced they are no longer a couple. At 24, and 23 years old respectively, there’s probably no chance they’ll ever find love again.

* The year-end streaming numbers are in, and Bad Bunny took the title as the most-streamed artist globally on Spotify this year. He was followed by Taylor Swift, BTS, Drake, and Justin Bieber. The most-streamed song was Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license,” with Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” coming in second. Remember when streaming was supposed to be an alternative to the radio? Yeah, now it’s just the radio.

* Adele announced a Las Vegas residency that will be a 24-show run at the Colosseum of Las Vegas at Caesars Palace. The residency will kick off on January 21st, and run through April 16th. It currently ranks as the worst idea for a bachelor party in all of Vegas.

* A federal judge cleared the way for a California hospital to turn over STD tests conducted on Cardi B for Cardi’s defamation lawsuit against a vlogger. Cardi has accused the vlogger of spreading false rumors, including claiming the rapper has herpes. I understand wanting justice, but I feel like a diss track would be better than having to prove you don’t have herpes.

* Ciara, Billy Porter, and Liza Koshy will all be returning to co-host Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest this year. I had no idea it took so many people to count backwards from ten.

* Kanye West has scrubbed his Instagram clean, deleting every post. If only scrubbing our memories clean of the majority of Kanye’s exploits could be so easy!

* Marilyn Manson’s home was raided by police as part of the abuse investigation against the shock rocker. I just hope a sufficient amount of therapy is going to be provided to the officers who had to see what was in the depths of Marilyn Manson’s home.

* In a letter posted to social media, Hayley Williams teased a possible Paramore reunion for 2022. In a related story, rock fans teased being interested in Hayley Williams’ music again.

* Seminal soft rock band Chicago, and Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson, will be hitting the road together in 2022 for a 25-city U.S. tour. Every senior citizen dating site has ranked this as the #1 tour to attend if you’re looking to get some.

That’s all for this edition of Pop Shots, but come back next Monday for more shots on all things pop.