Ariana Grande Goes Full Theater Purist in 'Wicked' Production Drama
Max Sterling, 2/6/2025From booed anthems to Vegas throwdowns to Broadway purists, this week's entertainment circus serves up a deliciously bizarre trio of tales proving one eternal truth: whether you're singing the national anthem or protecting musical theater from trap beats, showbiz is always a high-wire act between art and commerce.
In a week where entertainment news runs the gamut from hockey rinks to adult film awards to Broadway adaptations, we're reminded that show business — in all its varied forms — remains a delicate dance between artistic vision and commercial reality.
Take the curious case of Agasha Mutesasira, the 26-year-old anthem singer who found herself in the crossfire of international trade politics at Vancouver's Rogers Arena. As she delivered "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the Canucks-Detroit game, the crowd's boos cascaded down — not for her performance, but as a protest against Trump's Canadian tariffs. "I knew it wasn't personal," Mutesasira told TMZ Sports, displaying the kind of professional composure that would make even seasoned performers take notes.
Meanwhile, in Las Vegas — where entertainment takes on a decidedly different flavor — the Adult Video News Awards became the stage for some unscripted drama that would make any reality TV producer envious. The altercation between content producer Jay PlayHard and "Stayready" — husband of adult film star Kendra Kox — erupted over alleged content theft, a thoroughly modern dispute in an industry grappling with digital rights issues. "I thought I established a friendship through our business," Stayready explained to TMZ, before adding — in what might be the most Vegas quote of the year — "I feel I must protect that."
But perhaps the most intriguing entertainment story comes from Ariana Grande, who's currently navigating the treacherous waters of adapting a beloved Broadway musical for the screen. During an FYC event at the DGA Theater, Grande revealed herself as something of a musical theater purist — particularly when it came to protecting the integrity of the song "Popular" from Wicked.
"I felt like a protective nerd, like the gatekeeping fan girl in the room," Grande admitted, before sharing an anecdote about refusing to allow hip-hop drums in a new arrangement of the classic tune. "How different would life be today if 'Popular' had trapped drums in it?" she mused, adding with delicious theatrical timing, "Everybody, there's a time and place, and it's not with Glinda because she claps on one and three, and that's OK."
These three disparate stories — spanning sports, adult entertainment, and musical theater — share a common thread: the constant negotiation between artistic integrity and commercial pressures. Whether it's an anthem singer maintaining composure during political protest, content creators fighting over digital rights, or a pop superstar defending the purity of a Broadway classic, the entertainment industry continues to be a fascinating crucible where art meets commerce, often with explosive results.
In Grande's protective stance over Wicked's musical arrangements, we see the same fundamental concern for authenticity that drove Mutesasira to return to the ice despite the controversy, and that — albeit in a more confrontational way — motivated the AVN Awards dispute. It's a reminder that in entertainment, whether high-brow or low, the push and pull between artistic vision and commercial reality remains constant.
