Music

HBO urged an appeals court on Thursday to throw out a lawsuit brought by the Michael Jackson estate over the “Leaving Neverland” documentary. The estate sued HBO for $100 million, arguing that the network broke a 27-year-old promise not to disparage the late pop star by accusing him of child sexual abuse. The estate has

Turkish director Nisan Dag, who is a Columbia Film School Graduate, made a splash at Slamdance and other fests in 2015 with debut feature “Across the Sea,” a relationship drama that she co-directed. Her followup “When I’m Done Dying,” directed solo this time, delves into the world of hip-hop subculture in Istanbul’s slums where the

Singer-rapper Jeremih is “still in ICU in critical condition,” his agent told Variety after news broke on Saturday that he had been hospitalized for COVID-19. “J was just pulled off the ventilator,” his agent said in a statement to Variety. “He’s still in ICU in critical condition. Please keep him in your prayers.” Jeremih, born

Variety is pleased to announce that Mary J. Blige and Marcus Mumford will be keynote speakers at its Music for Screens Week, airing Nov. 30-Dec. 3. Expanded for the first time over four days in this all-digital installment, Variety’s Music for Screens Summit 2020 will celebrate excellence in musical artistry and storytelling for film, TV,

Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile has completed a memoir, “Broken Horses,” which Random House’s Crown imprint will release April 6, 2021, the publisher announced Thursday. Along with the print and digital versions of the book, Carlile is recording an audio version, to be released simultaneously by Penguin Random House Audio. Although this marked the first formal announcement

Sia has announced her eighth studio album “Music – Songs From And Inspired By The Motion Picture,” and dropped “Hey Boy,” the first song and video from the project, which is her feature film directorial debut. The film, about a young girl named Music who sees the world in a unique way, stars Kate Hudson (“Almost Famous”),

Sultry R&B singer Sabrina Claudio, who released one of last year’s top albums of the genre with “Truth Is,” has dropped a Christmas-themed song and video called “Warm December.” While the lyrics have a straight-up holiday theme, the music is closer to her brand of R&B, with an even more intimate and torchy vibe. “Warm

Veteran music publishing executive Martin Bandier has made a substantial gift to establish a scholarship program at the music-industry program that bears his name at Syracuse University. The scholarship will provide financial support for students from underrepresented populations who are enrolled in the Bandier Program in Recording and Entertainment Industries in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Bandier founded the program in

Sony Music Masterworks, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, has acquired a 50% stake in Seaview, the production company behind such Tony nominated shows as “Slave Play” and “Sea Wall/ A Life.” Seaview is headed by producer and entrepreneur Greg Nobile. As part of the deal, Masterworks will help Seaview develop a range of new

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 4, Episode 8 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired Nov. 18 on Fox. “The Masked Singer” went with a double elimination on Wednesday night, unmasking two contestants in the process: Basketball star Lonzo Ball, who had been disguised as the “Whatchamacalit,” and viral

Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan “Birdman” Williams has officially flown the coop, finally ridding himself of a luxurious mansion on Miami Beach’s Palm Island that had become a decadent albatross around the hip-hop mogul’s tattooed neck. For the last three years, the palatial pad had been subject to foreclosure proceedings, complications which forced Williams to

Travis Scott announced the launch of his Cactus Jack Foundation to provide educational and creative resources for young adults in his home city of Houston. The foundation’s first initiative is the launch of the HBCU Waymon Webster scholarship program, which will cover tuition fees for college students who are experiencing financial challenges during the pandemic.

In today’s TV news roundup, Disney Plus unveiled a trailer for “High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special,” and Amazon Prime Video announced a release date for “The Wilds.” CASTING Cybill Shepherd has joined the cast of Showtime’s comedy pilot for “I Love This For You,” which will star Vanessa Bayer, who also co-created

The California Labor Commissioner has upheld the contract between talent agency ICM Partners and former client Celine Dion following a dispute over unpaid commission after ICM and the singer parted ways last year. Dion signed a multi-year touring and performing contract in 2017 that was reportedly worth $500 million, but was dropped by ICM and

The annual ceremony for the Founders Award at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) — founded in 2000 by the late Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen and formerly called the Experience Music Project — is normally an exclusive, expensive charity event with unique tribute performances. But this year, due to the pandemic, the celebration  will be

The CW’s “Silent Night — A Song for the World,” a musical documentary about the creation of the famed Christmas song, will feature Hugh Bonneville, Kelly Clarkson, David Foster, Katharine McPhee, Josh Groban, John Rhys-Davies, Joss Stone, Randy Jackson and Gavin Rossdale, among others. The film will premiere on the network Dec. 10, with an

The American Music Awards show set for Sunday has completed its dance card. Newly announced collaborations include The Weeknd being joined by Kenny G and the teaming of Doja Cat with Bebe Rexha, along with new additions Lewis Capaldi, Dan + Shay and Machine Gun Kelly. In addition to performing “Save Your Tears,” he’s due

Atlantic Records and Mike Caren’s Artist Partner Group, which has spawned such top artists as YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Kehlani, Kevin Gates and more, have announced an evolution of their partnership that sees APG gaining greater independence while Atlantic acquires the artists that have been developed under the joint venture since it launched in 2012.

The U.K. music industry enjoyed a robust 2019, but 2020 has understandably been severely impacted due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report commissioned by industry body U.K. Music. The report, titled “Music By Numbers 2020,” monitors the impact of COVID-19 during 2020, and concludes that up to 85% of live

The holiday season just got a lot more festive, dahlings! Mariah Carey’s upcoming Christmas special on Apple TV Plus has been given a Dec. 4 premiere date, along with a companion soundtrack album and new music video for her holiday single “Oh Santa!” The special, entitled “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special,” centers on a crisis

Jesy Nelson, 29, of popular British music group Little Mix, is taking some time off for medical reasons. “Jesy is having extended time off from Little Mix for private medical reasons,” a statement from the group’s PR Simon Jones said. “We will not be issuing any further comment currently and ask media to please respect

Bruce Swedien, a five-time Grammy-winning audio engineer best known for his work on several Michael Jackson albums, died on Monday night. He was 86. Swedien’s daughter, musician Roberta Swedien, shared the news via Facebook, writing: “My dad, Bruce Swedien, passed away peacefully last night, November 16th. He was 86. A legend in the music industry

Internet Money’s “LEMONADE” may very well be the jam of the fall, having recently dethroned Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” from the top spot on the Rolling Stone chart. Featuring an all-star crew of rappers, including Don Toliver, Gunna, and Nav — and with a remix headlined by Roddy Ricch — “LEMONADE” counts

On the heels of his historic partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment to launch 1868 Studios, Latin music superstar Rene “Residente” Perez Joglar is unsurprisingly setting down real estate roots in Los Angeles. The four-time Grammy and 25-time Latin Grammy award winner has paid $5.8 million for a decidedly sophisticated estate in prime Encino, the leafy

Rapper Lil Wayne has been charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition by the U.S. District Attorney in the Southern District of Florida, according to court documents obtained by Variety on Tuesday. If convicted, Wayne (real name: Dwayne Michael Carter) could face up to 10 years in prison because he is a convicted felon.

After many years of disconcerting and racist-leaning statements by Morrissey, BMG, his label for the past three albums, has parted company with the singer. In a statement shared on his website, Morrissey cited the label’s “new plans for ‘diversity’” as being the cause of the split. A rep for BMG confirmed to Variety that Morrissey’s deal

Fear not Nick Jonas fans, the singer isn’t done with “The Voice” just yet. NBC has announced that Jonas will return to the singing competition series as one of the four coaches for season 20, which is being set for spring 2021. He will be joined by John Legend, Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson, all

In the latest move in the increasingly high-priced music-publishing marketplace, the Killers’ catalog is the first such acquisition for Eldridge, a holding company with a network of businesses across entertainment, finance, technology, and real estate. The deal covers the group’s catalog before 2020, including five albums and such hits as “Mr. Brightside,” “Somebody Told Me,”

Island Records will relaunch its 4th & Broadway label with LaTrice Burnette as president, Island president/CEO Darcus Beese announced on Tuesday (Nov. 17). Burnette will additionally continue her role as executive vice president of Island and will remain based in New York. According to the announcement, the label and its newly appointed staff will have

Ariana Grande took the top “Positions” on the charts this week with both the album and single of that name. The long-player was lodged in the No. 1 spot for the second straight week, while the “Positions” song was at the top of its chart for a third week. It was a slow week for