The controversy over HBO’s “Leaving Neverland” is part of a bigger debate that goes back a good century. Film scholars have been arguing about the reality, truth and objectivity of the documentary film since at least Robert Flaherty’s pioneering 1922 epic “Nanook of the North,” and probably all the way back to Thomas Edison’s “Sneeze”
Music
Kevin French, the agent for musicians like the National and Tame Impala, has moved to CAA to work in the New York office’s music touring department. French was previously at the Paradigm Talent Agency. Other clients he brings with him to CAA include the Decemberists, Sharon Van Etten, Julien Baker and Hamilton Leithauser. He’d been at
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the fifth season of “Black Mirror,” streaming now on Netflix. The fifth season of Netflix’s “Black Mirror” features three new tales of modern life affected by the future technology — but the worlds depicted aren’t as bleak as in past seasons. “We sometimes get frustrated
Tanya Tucker, the country star known for her streak of hits in the 1970s and ’80s, has released the first single and video from “While I’m Livin’,” her first album of new material in 17 years, now set for release Aug. 17. Like much of the rest of the album, “The Wheels of Laredo” was
June 5, 2019 7:27AM PT The Rolling Stones have unveiled a list of all the opening acts for their rescheduled American tour, which opens June 21 in Chicago and runs through August 31 in Miami. The list of 17 dates includes different support acts at 15 of those shows, with only Lukas Nelson & Promise
Even in the current golden age of innovative television, the popular British crime drama “Peaky Blinders” has set a daring standard for its use of music, with original songs by Nick Cave, Laura Marling, Johnny Cash, the White Stripes and many more. Composer, music director, producer and artist Antony Genn, whose sprawling career has included
The Dave Matthews Band has been chosen as a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations Environment Programme for their environmental advocacy and fan engagement to take care of the planet. Since 2005, the rock band has partnered with the nonprofit organization Reverb on the BamaGreen Project, an ambitious set of environmental efforts taken on the
While money, fame and power are the methods that have enabled R. Kelly to allegedly abuse dozens of women over nearly 30 years, there’s little question that his music has provided the strongest protection of all. Most of the women accusing him of sexual impropriety were either attracted by his talent and fame or had
UPDATED: “Jussie [Smollett] will NOT be returning to ‘Empire,’” series co-creator Lee Daniels said Tuesday. Daniels was responding to a Variety report in which multiple production sources said that “Empire’s” writing staff was breaking ideas for the show’s sixth and final season with the expectation that Smollett would appear in the back half of the 18-episode
June 4, 2019 2:04PM PT Latin newcomer Rosalía has signed a worldwide co-publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group. Over the course of two albums, Rosalia has placed the revered, centuries-old genre of flamenco — in which she received a degree from Barcelona’s Catalonia College of Music — into challenging contemporary contexts that fuse alternative,
June 4, 2019 9:00AM PT Mark McGrath has signed with APA for all areas. His band Sugar Ray will also be repped by the agency for touring worldwide. Sugar Ray formed in Southern California in 1988 and exploded after signing to Atlantic Records in the mid-90s and releasing the hit song “Fly” in 1997. That
Rostrum Records, the independent label that launched the careers of rappers Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller, has promoted Nicole Plantin to senior vice president of A&R and Ryan Hobbs to vice president of marketing, the company announced today. Both will continue to report to Benjy Grinberg, founder and president of Rostrum, and Jonathan Partch, the label’s
iHeartMedia has announced the lineup for its 2019 iHeartRadio Music Festival, to be held Sept. 20 and 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The two-day concert will feature performances by Alicia Keys, Cage The Elephant, Camila Cabello, Chance The Rapper, Def Leppard, French Montana, Halsey, Heart, H.E.R., Miley Cyrus, Mumford & Sons, Tim McGraw,
Could David Arnold return as composer to the James Bond series? It was the obvious question to pose while he was talking about Amazon’s new “Good Omens” miniseries, for which he has composed the elaborate score. “It’s a no-news situation,” Arnold told Variety about 007. “I’ve heard nothing. But my pencil is always sharpened for
June 3, 2019 11:55AM PT The thunderstorms that cut short the nearby Governors Ball festival caused an hour delay at Hot 97’s annual Summer Jam in New Jersey — but that didn’t stop Cardi B from delivering a blockbuster set that included a surprise cameo from Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus performing — what
“Ladies, ladies, ladies,” Young M.A said with the voice of a seasoned lothario. Contrary to the mellifluous tone and the responding screams from the crowd that sounded like the calls of fangirls to a boy band, the Brooklyn rapper was talking down a minor scuffle in the crowd early in her show at The New
There’s something very non-New York about music festivals. From the combo-platter concept (which is sort of like having a mall in the middle of a city brimming with retailers) to the largely suburban fans to the location (which usually ends up being Randall’s Island, an uninhabited way-station in the middle of the East River), music
June 3, 2019 6:38AM PT Jay-Z is the first hip-hop artist to become a billionaire, according to the new cover story in Forbes. The article opens by recalling a 2010 meeting between the rapper and billionaire Warren Buffet, from which the octogenarian came away impressed. “Jay is teaching in a lot bigger classroom than I’ll
June 3, 2019 2:41AM PT “Killing Michael Jackson,” a one-off documentary that explores the circumstances around the death of the global pop icon, has been picked up by Discovery for its channels in international territories including the U.K. and Germany. Discovery Networks will also run the one-hour documentary on its channels in Italy and the
Richard Griffiths and Harry Magee, co-founders of Modest! Management, will be honored at the 2019 Music Industry Trusts Award gala scheduled to be held in London on November 4. The two industry veterans represent the Spice Girls, Niall Horan, 5 Seconds of Summer, Little Mix, Allison Moyet and Olly Murs, among other acts. The prestigious
The final day of the Governors Ball festival on New York’s Randall’s Island was evacuated due to thunderstorms on Sunday night, causing the cancellation of several acts. The festival had started approximately seven hours late, at 6:30 p.m., due to approaching storms, but proceeded with an abbreviated lineup. However, after 11 artists — including co-headliner
The late Gary Stewart drew a crowd in death, as he did at the parties he threw in life, attracting more than 1,000 mourners to a standing-room-only Herscher Hall on the grounds of Skirball Cultural Center Saturday. The assembled crowd ranged from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to Rock and Roll Hall of Famers John
At a press conference before BTS took to the stage at London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday, rapper Suga mentioned their goals when deciding on the set list for their “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself” tour. “We wanted to make it more like a festival than a concert,” he said. And judging by the party atmosphere in
Taylor Swift was taking the kickoff of Pride Month pretty seriously — and the title of the Rolling Stones’ “She’s a Rainbow” pretty literally — during the climax to Saturday night’s annual iHeartRadio Wango Tango concert in Los Angeles. For anyone who’d read up on her newsmaking Instagram post from the night before, there wasn’t
June 2, 2019 9:43AM PT The final day of the 2019 Governors Ball at New York’s Randall’s Island has been delayed due to weather concerns, the festival announced on Sunday morning. Local weather forecasts warn of “spot showers and thunderstorms.” The Strokes, Nas, SZA (pictured) and some 24 other acts are scheduled to perform on
Prancing and screeching across the stage in a neon green suit and his new blond, bowl-cut wig, Tyler, the Creator stole the show on Gov Ball 2019’s inaugural night. Without special guests or a backing band, the ever-eccentric rapper captivated the crowd with songs from his just-released new album, “IGOR,” as well as fan favorites
Spanish music festival Primavera Sound is California-bound. The popular Barcelona-based event, which has been taking place annually in the Catalan capital of culture for nearly two decades, spreads out to more international destinations next year, including a Los Angeles festival taking place September 19 and 20, 2020, at Los Angeles State Historic Park. “We have
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx changed her explanation on Friday for her recusal from the Jussie Smollett case, as her office released more than 2,000 pages of documents on the case. Foxx said she was advised to withdraw from the case based on unfounded rumors that she was related to the “Empire” actor, who
Is the original recording of the Beastie Boys’ “License to Ill” lost forever? On Sunday night’s episode of his Beats 1 show “Echo Chamber,” Beastie Boys member Mike D revealed to Q-Tip that no one can find the masters to the hip-hop group’s debut album. “No, ‘License to Ill,’ we don’t have. ‘License to Ill,’
What’s the cutoff for putting in a bid for the song of the summer? Apparently, the date is officially May 31, judging from how seemingly every notable diva decided this was the day to reenter the marketplace. Miley Cyrus, Cardi B and Katy Perry simultaneously released their first solo singles of the year, with Bebe