Music

When Dave Grohl described the new Foo Fighters album as “our ‘Let’s Dance’,” referencing David Bowie’s hit-heavy 1983 smash, fans of the rock band known for its raw, crusty assault of guitar riffs and fist-pounding rhythms may have found themselves somewhat flummoxed. The Foos have always been a big-sounding band with a bigger-sounding bang, and

Ozzy Osbourne is finally in a good place. The 72-year-old rock legend, whose battle with alcoholism and drug addiction began in the 1970s, has been sober for about seven years. “I thought I’d be drinking to the day I die,” says Osbourne, who took the first of his many trips to rehab back in 1984.

The crux of Regina King’s critically acclaimed new film “One Night in Miami” is the friendship between civil-rights activist Malcolm X and legendary crooner Sam Cooke, and that friendship is tested by a series of explosive – and fictional – verbal throwdowns. Adapted from a play that was loosely based on their real-life friendship (which

Universal Music Group has promoted veteran music attorney Michael Seltzer to executive VP of business & legal affairs and head of commercial transactions. According to the announcement, Seltzer oversees a team of 15 attorneys helping shape and negotiate the company’s agreements including recording contracts, label ventures, label distribution, merchandise, vendors, trademark entities, brand partners, film,

The pandemic ensures that the Weeknd’s halftime performance at the Super Bowl will be like none before. And in a brief interview for the NFL Network posted Thursday, he revealed another break with tradition: There will be no special guest. Asked by sportscaster Kay Adams, he laughs and shakes his head before saying: “I’ve been

Morgan Wallen has been dropped by his booking agency WME, a rep for the company confirmed to Variety, after video footage surfaced of him using a racial slur. The country star has had his contract with label Big Loud “suspended” and found himself a pariah from the airwaves after video circulated on Tuesday of him

Berlin film sales agent M-Appeal has struck deals with leading German distributors for rock music drama “The Night of the Beast” and family adventure film “Sisters: The Summer We Found Our Superpowers.” Alamode, the distributor of specialty titles such as “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and “Les Misérables,” has acquired “The Night of the

The first track from the forthcoming “Coming 2 America” soundtrack is “I’m A King,” an original song by Grammy-nominated rappers Bobby Sessions and Megan Thee Stallion. It premieres tomorrow (Feb. 5). “From watching Coming to America as a kid in Pleasant Grove to being apart of the #Coming2America trailer!! Manifestation is REAL,” Sessions wrote in

“I’m not a perfect person / There’s many things I wish I didn’t do.” These are the opening lyrics to Hoobastank’s 2004 hit “The Reason” — and, somewhat surprisingly, the basis for a new viral trend on TikTok. Perhaps due to the song’s wide range of lyrical relatability and its nostalgia factor, TikTok users have

It was the beginning of last year, and radio personality and former MTV VJ Matt Pinfield was still on the mend from a major car accident. Crossing the street in Hollywood, he had been hit by a car going 40 miles an hour and immobilized for months. He also had suffered a torn retina. Then

Most composers spend a few weeks, sometimes even a few months, on a film score. Ludwig Göransson spent a year and a half on Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet.” The time-shifting spy thriller, last year’s cerebral challenge from the maker of “Inception” and “Interstellar” (currently being promoted for multiple craft awards, including Göransson for original score) forced

The Weeknd shared some details about his headlining halftime performance at Super Bowl LV during a press conference on Thursday. The show takes place on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla., and will be broadcast on CBS. It will also feature a pregame show by Miley Cyrus, the National Anthem sung by

Over the years, fans of singer and actor Brandy have learned to “never say never” or believe that something’s “impossible” — and their patience and perseverance has been rewarded. “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” the 1997 TV movie that stars Brandy and Whitney Houston, is officially coming to Disney Plus. Disney announced Thursday that the beloved

Warner Records has announced the launch of a strategic partnership with BPG Music, founded by veteran execs Gee Roberson and longtime business partner Jean Nelson. According to the announcement, BPG Music/Warner Records’ approach focuses on providing a gateway for young black artists and entrepreneurs who are looking for the global reach of a major label

It was one Saturday morning making pancakes with her family that Nandi Bushell first became transfixed by the drums. Her father, John, had put on a YouTube clip of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” and while her younger brother Thomas and mum Lungile carried on cooking, Nandi was mesmerized by the drummer at the back, thumping

Korean pop music is becoming available in ever more formats. The latest is a mobile game “Rhythm Hive” which launched Thursday and features BTS and other K-pop acts from the Big Hit Entertainment stable. The game is produced by developer, Superb Corp., which BHE describes as an independent corporation that leads Big Hit Entertainment’s game

Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan has revealed that he contracted COVID-19 a second time. During George Stroumboulopoulos’ Apple Music Hits show on Tuesday, Keenan said that he contracted COVID-19 in mid-November and had to go to the ER in December. “I don’t know if I said anything online, but I had it twice,” Keenan said.

“The Masked Dancer” staged an “American Idol” reunion on Wednesday night, as “Idol” Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks was the next celebrity to be revealed on the show. And correctly guessing her? Former “Idol” judge and current “Masked Dancer” panelist Paula Abdul. Sparks was revealed to be the person under the Exotic Bird costume on

With Morgan Wallen’s name being anathema for the moment in the country music industry, it’s not surprising that the biggest star of the moment would be dropped from any performance slot that might have been scheduled for April’s Academy of Country Music Awards telecast. But the ACMs are going beyond that — the scandal-plagued star

A legal complaint by Atlanta rap trio Migos against their longtime attorney Damien Granderson was dismissed with prejudice Wednesday, according to documents viewed by Variety. The group filed the complaint in July of last year, claiming that Granderson “abused his position of trust as Migos’ fiduciary from the moment he was retained as Migos’ lawyer”

Darcus Beese, president and CEO of Island Records since David Massey’s departure in 2018, will exit the company, a rep for parent company Universal Music Group has confirmed to Variety. “Darcus informed us of his decision to return to the U.K. for personal reasons and to pursue new career opportunities there,” the statement reads. “We fully support

Following up their “Goodbye Donnie” political parody video of late month, Bette Midler, who is clearly no fan of former President Trump and the Republican party, has again joined forces with Meidas Touch, this time focusing their sights on insurrection-enabling Republican senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley. The withering video is soundtracked by Midler singing

In an interview with Time magazine, T.J. Osborne, half of the duo Brothers Osborne, has publicly revealed for the first time that he is gay. If that may seem unremarkable in some ways amid the larger culture, it is unquestionably a landmark in country music, as Osborne becomes the first man to come out in

Country star Morgan Wallen, who found himself a pariah from the airwaves overnight after video circulated on Tuesday of him using a racial slur, has had his contract “suspended indefinitely” by his label, Big Loud Records, the company announced Wednesday. “In the wake of recent events, Big Loud Records has made the decision to suspend

iHeartRadio, the biggest radio chain in the nation, has joined the ranks of the media companies pulling the plug for now on the music of Morgan Wallen, in the wake of a fast-brewing scandal over the country star being captured on tape using the N-word. “In light of Morgan Wallen’s recent actions involving the use

“Game of Thrones” star Iwan Rheon, Jack Wolfe (“The Witcher”), Asha Banks and Amir Wilson (“His Dark Materials”) have joined Roland Emmerich’s production of “The Magic Flute,” a modern retelling of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s popular opera. The pic is set to begin principal photography on Feb. 8 at Bavaria Studios in Munich. Starring alongside the

The awards season for musical achievement became a little clearer this morning with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globe announcements for song and score. Films about major African-American personalities dominated the song category, with new tunes from “One Night in Miami,” “Judas and the Black Messiah” and “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” accounting

In the weeks leading up to the Weeknd’s performance at the Super Bowl LV Halftime Show this Sunday, many people have commented on the full-face bandages he’s worn in recent photos and during his performance on the American Music Awards. Variety caught up with the Weeknd this week during a break from Super Bowl rehearsals

The hottest star in music so far in 2021, Morgan Wallen, has suddenly gone very cold. His music was yanked from Cumulus Media, the second biggest radio chain in the nation, as of midnight CT after a storm broke out over his being captured on video using a racial slur. Cumulus, which is especially powerful

Mariah Carey has been sued by her sister, Alison A. Carey, in New York court over the contents of the singer’s recent memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” which describes a contentious and deeply estranged relationship between the superstar and her eight-years-older sibling. Alison Carey’s suit, filed Monday with the New York County Supreme Court,