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Usher Eyes EGOT, Talks Vegas Residency and Super Bowl Debate

Usher performs at Power 105.1's Powerhouse 2016 at Barclays Center in New York on Oct. 27, 2016. (AP)
Usher performs at Power 105.1's Powerhouse 2016 at Barclays Center in New York on Oct. 27, 2016. (AP)
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Usher Eyes EGOT, Talks Vegas Residency and Super Bowl Debate

Usher performs at Power 105.1's Powerhouse 2016 at Barclays Center in New York on Oct. 27, 2016. (AP)
Usher performs at Power 105.1's Powerhouse 2016 at Barclays Center in New York on Oct. 27, 2016. (AP)

Nearly two decades after his iconic “Confessions” album, Usher is revealing more of his inner thoughts — but this time, it’s about future aspirations.

“That EGOT is definitely on the list,” said the music megastar. While artists often downplay their desire to win awards, Usher has always sought to be intentional.

“That’s a goal in life. I’ve acted on Broadway. I’ve acted in movies. I’m now producing,” said the multi-hyphenate performer, referring to the rare entertainer who’s won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. Part two of his confessions? Accepting a Grammy during the televised portion of the show, something that surprisingly hasn’t happened.

“I’ve never actually received a Grammy on stage in front of an audience. That is a goal of mine,” said the eight-time winner. “I want that moment.”

The R&B singer spoke while promoting “Usher: My Way The Vegas Residency,” which just added new June and October dates going on sale Saturday. In addition to showcasing hits from his massive catalog, Usher’s residency celebrates the 25th anniversary of his 1997 sophomore album “My Way” which catapulted him into stardom. The 15 additional dates at the 5,200-seat Dolby Live at Park MGM theater were added due to high demand — which doesn’t surprise Usher.

“I think that there’s an audience that needs to be served with what I offer as an artist and what I think historically needs to be seen in this city. Back in 1955, when performers came to the city and they did performances, they could not walk through those casinos. They could not even set foot in the same spaces as the people that they were performing for,” he said, referring to a racially segregated America.

“We’re on the other side of that history, but yet and still, there isn’t the same celebration of our culture in that way … So that history is part of the reason that I say, no, I wasn’t surprised.”

A respecter of the past, Usher believes he’s helping move Black entertainment forward in the same way legendary performers before him helped make this residency possible.

“I’m carrying a torch that’s far bigger than just me, man. It’s Lena Horne. It’s Sammy Davis Jr. It’s Luther Vandross … there’s a bigger thing that’s behind what I’m doing, and it’s not just about what we’re looking at right now,” said the 44-year-old who released his debut album at just 15.

“I’m a pop-R&B artist who makes hip-hop influenced cultural things, but I do come from the soul and the entertainment of R&B. That was underserved and (the residency) was needed in this time.”

Identifying himself as a pop-R&B hybrid is significant as his Super Bowl-worthy cache was recently debated among fans and social media users. After Rihanna’s celebrated performance earlier this month, some online users questioned if Usher, whose catalog includes classic R&B songs like “Confessions, Pt. II,”“Yeah!” and “Nice & Slow,” along with pop smashes like “OMG” and “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love,” could headline a solo halftime show. (He made an appearance in the 2011 Super Bowl show headlined by the Black Eyed Peas.)

Many found it preposterous that an artist who danced on stage with Michael Jackson, sang at Kobe Bryant’s memorial service and is considered one of the greatest of his generation would even be questioned — and it seems Usher might share that sentiment.

“What I am thankful for is the fact that there’s even any conversation about me — period. I feel humbled that at this age and this juncture of my life, people still have to ask the question, (even) after all of the No. 1s that I’ve had and all the diamond (selling songs), that I have enough records to perform 15 minutes,” he said with a laugh. “If I were ever asked to perform at the Super Bowl, of course I would definitely be into it.”

Despite demand for his Las Vegas show, could some be unaware or forgetful of his catalog?

“My concern is to make certain that they don’t have a reason to. So I continue to make these kind offers that are music, and also to perform and entertain because that’s just what I love to do. What people would maybe feel about me is not my concern. What I feel about me is my concern,” Usher explained. “What I do for you is my concern. And I’m happy and I’m in a great place.”

On Valentine’s Day, Usher released a video teaser starring socialite Lori Harvey for his upcoming song “GLU.” Usher is prepping his ninth studio album that he says will be released “sooner than later.” It will be his first album since 2016’s “Hard II Love.”

Usher is enjoying the consistency his residency provides, especially as an involved father. Tour life can be hectic and exhausting, so stability is currently a non-negotiable. He’s even began looking into headlining residencies internationally.

“I like the idea of what I’ve found in Las Vegas. It gives me an opportunity to settle. I have children now. I got a life, so (I like) being able to have a few days in certain places and being able to celebrate those places and enjoy them,” he said. “At this age, you try to hold on to the moments.”

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Entertainment

‘Family Under Pressure’ at Berlin Film Festival

Of more than 200 films shown during the Berlin Film Festival, 22 will compete for the coveted Golden Bear. (AFP)
Of more than 200 films shown during the Berlin Film Festival, 22 will compete for the coveted Golden Bear. (AFP)
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‘Family Under Pressure’ at Berlin Film Festival

Of more than 200 films shown during the Berlin Film Festival, 22 will compete for the coveted Golden Bear. (AFP)
Of more than 200 films shown during the Berlin Film Festival, 22 will compete for the coveted Golden Bear. (AFP)

The 76th edition of the Berlin Film Festival opens on Thursday, featuring productions from over 80 countries and with German film legend Wim Wenders presiding over this year's jury.

AFP sat down with festival director Tricia Tuttle, who is in her second year at the helm, for a look-ahead at Europe's first big cinema festival of the year.

Here are five things to expect from this year's festival, which runs until February 22.

- 'Reflecting international cinema' -

Of more than 200 films shown during the10-day festival, 22 will compete for the coveted Golden Bear, which was won last year by the drama "Dreams" from Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud.

In assembling this year's diverse program, Tuttle said that "the guiding principle was to reflect where international cinema is right now".

She said that she had noticed "family and intimacy under pressure, questions of care, power, belonging, and the experience of living between worlds" as themes running through this year's selection.

"Many of the films look at how private lives are shaped by larger political and social forces."

The festival will also honor Malaysian actor Michelle Yeoh -- who won the best actress Oscar in 2023 for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" -- with a lifetime achievement award.

- Spotlight on women directors -

As in 2025, women directed most of the films being screened at the festival.

Among those in the official competition, nine out of 22 were directed by women, a higher proportion than at the Cannes or Venice festivals.

"One thing that is encouraging for me is the number of second and third time female film-makers who have made strong work," Tuttle said.

The opening film, "No Good Men", is itself the third feature-length film from Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat.

"It's about Afghan women's experience, which you wouldn't see if it wasn't for Shahrbanoo's work," Tuttle said.

Sadat fled her home country following the Taliban takeover in 2021 and now lives in Hamburg.

- American films remain elusive -

In contrast to Cannes or Venice, which regularly attract Oscar contenders, Berlin does not feature as many large-scale US productions and the sprinkle of stardust that often accompanies them.

"Some of the biggest authored films of the year, those sort of commercial-arthouse crossover films, haven't launched out of festivals this year," Tuttle noted, perhaps in a nod to titles such as "One Battle After Another", "Sinners" and "Marty Supreme".

For such films, which can easily cost more than $100 million to make, producers and distributors are increasingly keen on controlling all aspects of a film's release.

"Festivals can be busy, noisy places where you might not get the cut-through that you want," according to Tuttle -- not to mention running the risk of negative reviews from critics.

- The era of co-productions -

This year's festival will notably feature European co-productions with financing from several countries.

According to Tuttle, "there's an opportunity right now for Europe, for European producers to work together" as the industry more broadly continues to fracture.

She cites the example of Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value", nominated for nine Oscars, which is a co-production between Norway, Denmark, France and Germany.

"Sentimental Value is a film that is made by many countries in terms of investment, but it's very much the work of an author and a really important filmmaker," said Tuttle.

- Streaming platforms almost absent -

Unlike in Venice, where three Netflix-produced films entered the official competition, the giants of the streaming world are relatively marginal in Berlin.

"There's real value to be had in theatrical exhibition, not just because there's money to be made there ... but also, for us as movie fans, it's the best way to see a film," said Tuttle.

The only Netflix film at this year's Berlinale will feature in the "Special Presentation" section -- outside of the official competition.

"Un hijo proprio" ("A Child of My Own") is a documentary-length feature telling the story of a Mexican woman who invents a pregnancy in an attempt to escape pressure from her family to have a child.

Entertainment

Movie Review: Stephen Curry's Animated Basketball Movie 'GOAT' Is a Disappointing Air Ball

Stephen Curry attends a premiere for the film "GOAT", in Los Angeles, California, US, February 6, 2026. (Reuters)
Stephen Curry attends a premiere for the film "GOAT", in Los Angeles, California, US, February 6, 2026. (Reuters)
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Movie Review: Stephen Curry's Animated Basketball Movie 'GOAT' Is a Disappointing Air Ball

Stephen Curry attends a premiere for the film "GOAT", in Los Angeles, California, US, February 6, 2026. (Reuters)
Stephen Curry attends a premiere for the film "GOAT", in Los Angeles, California, US, February 6, 2026. (Reuters)

You'd expect an animated basketball movie with four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry in the producer's chair to be an easy lay-up. So why is “GOAT” such a brick?

Despite a wondrously textured, kinetic world and some interesting oddball characters, the movie is undone by a predictable, saccharine script. It’s as easy to see the steps coming as a Curry three-pointer arching into the net.

The movie has the kind of lazy, thin writing that feels like it all could have derived from a Hollywood happy hour gettogether: “Bro, bro. Wait. What if the GOAT was an actual goat?”

It centers on Will Harris, a goat with dreams of becoming a great baller, voiced by “Stranger Things” star Caleb McLaughlin. Undersized and an orphan — again with the orphans, guys? — Will is a delivery driver for a diner and late on his rent. He's a great outside shooter but a liability in the paint, unless he learns, that is.

He lives in Vineland — a hectic urban landscape with graffiti and living vines that choke the playgrounds — and is a rabid supporter of the local franchise, the Thorns. His idol is veteran Jett Fillmore, a leopard who's the league's all-time leading scorer, nicely voiced by Gabrielle Union. The Thorns are a bit of a mess, despite Jett's brilliance.

The game here is called roarball, a high-intensity, co-ed, multi-animal, full-contact sport derived from basketball with a hollow ball that has small holes. It's a “Mad Max” sport — ultraviolent, unofficiated and the dangers lurk not just from the beefy opponents but from the arena itself. The championship award is called the Claw.

The best part of the movie may be the environments for the other arenas — lava in one, a swamp with stalagmites and stalactites in another, plus an ice-bound one and another with desert sandstorms and rocks. Homefield advantage is a big thing in this league.

There seem to be only two kinds of points scored here — blazing windmills, cutting tomahawks and spectacular alley-oop dunks or slow-mo threes from so far downtown they might as well be in a different zip code. No mid-range jumpers, bro.

This universe is divided into “bigs” and “smalls” — rhinos, bears and giraffes on one side, gerbils and capybara on the other — and Will is deemed a small. “Smalls can’t ball,” he is told, condescendingly.

But Will — thanks to a viral video — improbably gets signed to the Thorns by the team's owner (a cynical warthog voiced wonderfully by Jenifer Lewis). It's seen as a shameless publicity stunt that no one wants, especially Jett, who needs a winning season after being taunted by “All stats, no Claw.”

Now, predictably, in Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley script, comes the bulk of the movie, giving a steady “The Karate Kid” or “Air Bud” vibe as it charts Will's steady rise to honored teammate and franchise future, despite Jett insisting she's not ready to go: “I’m the GOAT. I’m not passing the torch.”

The lessons are good — the importance of teamwork and believing in yourself — but the testosterone-fueled violence on the courts is WWE extreme. There are unnecessary plugs for Mercedes and Under Armor, and hollow slogans like “Dream big” and “Roots run deep.”

Some of the most interesting characters end up on the Thorns, a fragile, somewhat broken team that includes a rhino (voiced by David Harbour), a delicate ostrich (Nicola Coughlan), a gonzo Komodo dragon (Nick Kroll) and a desultory giraffe (Curry).

The Komodo dragon, named Modo, is the best of the bunch, an insane, unpredictable creature full of electricity. “If Modo was any more of a snack, he’d eat himself,” he declares. Could he get his own movie?

Directed by “Bob’s Burgers” veteran Tyree Dillihay and Adam Rosette, “GOAT” is targeted to Gen Alpha, leveraging cellphone screens and online likes, virality and diss tracks. It's not as funny as it thinks it is and tiresome in its overly familiar redemption arc.

Another potential basketball GOAT — Michael Jordan — gave us a clunker of a live-action- animated basketball movie in “Space Jam” exactly 30 years ago and “GOAT,” while not as bad as that mess, is an air ball none the same.

Entertainment

Music World Mourns Ghana's Ebo Taylor, Founding Father of Highlife

Ebo Taylor, who kept performing into his 80s, was instrumental in introducing Ghanaian highlife to international listeners. Nipah Dennis / AFP
Ebo Taylor, who kept performing into his 80s, was instrumental in introducing Ghanaian highlife to international listeners. Nipah Dennis / AFP
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Music World Mourns Ghana's Ebo Taylor, Founding Father of Highlife

Ebo Taylor, who kept performing into his 80s, was instrumental in introducing Ghanaian highlife to international listeners. Nipah Dennis / AFP
Ebo Taylor, who kept performing into his 80s, was instrumental in introducing Ghanaian highlife to international listeners. Nipah Dennis / AFP

Tributes have been pouring in from across Ghana and the world since the death of Ghanaian highlife legend Ebo Taylor.

A guitarist, composer and bandleader who died on Saturday, Taylor's six-decade career played a key role in shaping modern popular music in West Africa, said AFP.

Often described as one of the founding fathers of contemporary highlife, Taylor died a day after the launch of a music festival bearing his name in the capital, Accra, and just a month after celebrating his 90th birthday.

Highlife, a genre blending traditional African rhythms with jazz and Caribbean influences, was recently added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

"The world has lost a giant. A colossus of African music," a statement shared on his official page said. "Your light will never fade."

The Los Angeles-based collective Jazz Is Dead called him a pioneer of highlife and Afrobeat, while Ghanaian dancehall star Stonebwoy and American producer Adrian Younge, who his worked with Jay Z and Kendrick Lamar, also paid tribute to his legacy.

Nigerian writer and poet Dami Ajayi described him as a "highlife maestro" and a "fantastic guitarist".

- 'Uncle Ebo' -

Taylor's influence extended far beyond Ghana, with elements of his music appearing in the soul, jazz, hip-hop and Afrobeat genres that dominate the African and global charts today.

Born Deroy Taylor in Cape Coast in 1936, he began performing in the 1950s, as highlife was establishing itself as the dominant sound in Ghana in the years following independence.

Known for intricate guitar lines and rich horn arrangements, he played with leading bands including the Stargazers and the Broadway Dance Band.

In the early 1960s, he travelled to London to study music, where he worked alongside other African musicians, including Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.

The exchange of ideas between the two would later be seen as formative to the development of Afrobeat, a political cocktail blending highlife with funk, jazz and soul.

Back in Ghana, Taylor became one of the country's most sought-after arrangers and producers, working with stars such as Pat Thomas and CK Mann while leading his own bands.

His compositions -- including "Love & Death", "Heaven", "Odofo Nyi Akyiri Biara" and "Appia Kwa Bridge" -- gained renewed international attention decades later as DJs, collectors and record labels reissued his music. His grooves were sampled by hip-hop and R&B artists and helped introduce new global audiences to Ghanaian highlife.

Taylor continued touring into his 70s and 80s, performing across Europe and the United States as part of a late-career renaissance that cemented his status as a cult figure among younger musicians.

Many fans affectionately referred to him as "Uncle Ebo", reflecting both his longevity and mentorship of younger artists.

For many, he remained a symbol of highlife's golden era and of a generation that carried Ghanaian music onto the world stage.