February 26, 2019 12:46PM PT Following an appearance on the Lifetime documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly,” John Legend is continuing to speak out about the disgraced R&B singer and calls his recent arrest for sexual abuse against minors “a long time coming.” In an interview on NBC News’ “Today,” Legend told hosts Hota Kotb, Savannah
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A second Michael Jackson documentary is coming to British TV after the BBC ordered “Michael Jackson: The Rise and Fall” from journalist and Jackson expert Jacques Peretti, who has already made several films about the late singer. The announcement of the project comes just days before rival U.K. pubcaster Channel 4 airs “Leaving Neverland” over
Capitol Christian Music Group (CCMG) has promoted Brad O’Donnell and Hudson Plachy to co-presidents, reporting to chairman and CEO Peter York. O’Donnell, who’s spent 18 years at CCMG, was previously chief creative officer; 17-year CCMG veteran Plachy was chief marketing officer. Both are based out of Nashville. In their new positions, O’Donnell and Plachy will
Janet Jackson will launch her first Las Vegas residency in May. The “Metamorphosis” show will take begin on May 17 at place at Park Theater at Park MGM resort, with an initial run of 14 additional shows across May, July and August. Members of Jackson’s fan club will receive access to an exclusive presale beginning Wednesday, Feb. 27 at
Mark Hollis, frontman of the ‘80s-era British group Talk Talk, has died, his former manager confirmed to the BBC. He was 64. While news of his passing was widely reported on Monday, Hollis had retired from the music business after releasing a solo album in 1998 and it was some hours before his death was
Former One Direction singer Liam Payne has chopped the asking price of a sprawling compound tucked into the rugged mountains between Calabasas and Malibu, Calif., by an eye catching $1 million, bringing the price down from i$14 million to just a hair under $13 million. Previously involved with singer and former “X Factor” judge Cheryl
After spending the weekend in jail on sexual-abuse charges, R. Kelly has posted $100,000 in bail and was released late this afternoon. According to Cook County jail records cited by the New York Times, a woman who described herself as a friend from the Chicago area paid $100,000, the standard 10 percent bail fee, to
February 25, 2019 1:15PM PT Another commercial starring Cardi B is on TV — and this time, it’s for Reebok. Harkening back to the original Reebok classic — which first appeared in 1983 and maintained popularity throughout the ’90s — the Grammy-winning rapper’s ’90s knowledge is put to the test with a series of nostalgic
English pop megastar Louis Tomlinson is not only trying to keep songs from his unreleased debut solo album from being leaked online — fans shut down a Twitter account last week that attempted to leak a single — he’s getting serious about selling a sprawling compound tucked into the rugged mountains between Calabasas and Malibu, Calif.,
February 25, 2019 11:55AM PT Evan Greene, chief marketing officer at the Recording Academy since 2003, will be stepping down from his post to “partner on the launch of a new boutique marketing consultancy focusing on the intersection of music, sports and entertainment,” according to an announcement, which says details about his new venture will
R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all 10 counts of criminal sexual abuse leveled against him at hearing in Chicago Monday morning. Judge Lawrence Flood kept the singer’s bail at $1 million, with $100,000 required for him to bond out, according to the Associated Press. Steven Greenberg, the singer’s attorney, said over the weekend
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told “Good Morning America” on Monday that there is “a lot more evidence” to support the police case against Jussie Smollett for allegedly staging a hate crime attack last month. “There’s a lot more evidence that hasn’t been presented yet, and does not support the version he gave,” Johnson told
As R. Kelly remains in jail in the wake of his indictment Friday on four separate charges of sexual abuse, a woman involved with his 2008 child-pornography trial — of which he was ultimately acquitted — has written an op-ed in the New York Times in which she recounts her experience and concludes, “This will not
Lady Gaga’s “Shallow” won best original song at Sunday’s Academy Awards telecast, in a culmination of what may have been the least suspenseful race of this year’s Oscars. Gaga had performed the tune from “A Star Is Born” as a duet with Bradley Cooper a short time earlier, in a riveting performance that earned a
February 24, 2019 7:30PM PT Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper were the only musical act at the Oscars this year who got to sing their song at full length, at three and a half minutes, instead of condensed down to two. Given how captivating their performance of “Shallow” was, the Academy might have wished it
When Peter Frampton put out a press release Thursday announcing his “farewell tour,” there was cause for cynicism, given the rash of rockers putting that tag on their outings to goose ticket sales for what may or may not turn out to be their last go-round. But although the initial alert didn’t mention it, the
February 23, 2019 11:25AM PT A judge has set R&B singer R. Kelly’s bond at $1 million, or $250,000 for each of his four victims of criminal sexual abuse, according to CNN and the Associated Press. The incidents — in which three of the alleged victims were minors — took place between 1998 and 2010.
With his quavering vocals and math-wiz electronic melodies, James Blake is a pretty unlikely candidate for a hip-hop go-to singer: His high, icy baritone is about as far from rap as one can get. But there he is, collaborating as a singer and co-composer on Jay-Z’s “4:44,” Jay Rock’s “Redemption,” Frank Ocean’s “Blonde,” Beyoncé’s “Lemonade”
The Kinks’ classic 1968 album “The Village Green Preservation Society” has always needed some fervent champions to keep its reputation alive, or even to keep it in print, in the 50 years since it first came out and proved to be a massive flop. You could give a name to the fervent cult that’s made
R. Kelly, who was indicted Friday afternoon on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four victims, turned himself in to a Chicago police station on Friday night. He is set to appear for a bond hearing on Saturday. The incidents — in which three of the alleged victims were minors — took place
Not that many years ago, people were talking about Gary Clark Jr. in terms of his ability to revive a fairly commercially moribund genre: the blues. But his third full-length studio album, “This Land,” makes good on his potential to make a record that fits quite nicely within the larger realm of mainstream rock ‘n’
When R. Kelly was arrested on child-pornography charges in 2002, after a videotape emerged that purported to show him having sex with an underage girl, he managed to have the case dismissed through a combination of skillful lawyering, repeated delays (the verdict did not come down for six years), and the fact that the girl
Pop country music queen Carrie Underwood has listed her lavishly appointed mansion in a guard-gated golf course development in the affluent suburban community of Brentwood, Tenn., about 20 miles south of downtown Nashville, for $1.45 million. The seven-time Grammy winning fourth season “American Idol” winner isn’t seeking much profit on the property she bought for
For eight years, PledgeMusic was a success story: A direct-to-fan platform where artists worked directly with their audiences to fund their albums, tours and all stripes of merchandise, with fans able to purchase everything from custom guitar picks to private concerts. Yet last June, Variety broke the news that the company is struggling to pay
UPDATED: The Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced criminal charges against R. Kelly at a press conference this afternoon. The singer has been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four victims — three of whom were minors — in incidents that took place between 1998 and 2010; he will have
On the cover of “Harverd Dropout,” the sophomore album from Miami rapper Lil Pump, the young MC is tossing homework papers in the air and looking rakish with his graduation cap askew, while wearing a robe emblazoned with the misspelled university name from his new full-length’s title. If this is meant to signal some sort
Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor has chosen Nickelback’s successor as the most reviled band on earth: Imagine Dragons. During an interview on Tuesday, February 19, conducted by Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones for his radio show, “Jonesy’s Jukebox,” on Los Angeles’ KLOS, Jones made a comment about Nickelback being the “scapegoat of rock
The third time was a charm for super-producer duo Silk City, the first collaboration between longtime friends Diplo (A.K.A. Thomas Wesley Pentz, Jr.) and Mark Ronson, who between them have worked with everyone from M.I.A. and Madonna and Beyonce (Diplo) to Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse and Bruno Mars (Ronson). After releasing the pair of
Ariana Grande is at the top of her game. Between dropping a controversial music video and telling Grammy producers off, shes truly mastered the art of being a part of the conversation. We dive into how Ariana has taken a page out of the playbook from masters like Beyoncé and Madonna.
February 21, 2019 6:10PM PT Jussie Smollett’s legal team issued a defiant statement on Thursday night, saying the “Empire” actor feels betrayed by the justice system and hinting at a political motive for his prosecution. Smollett was arrested early Thursday on a felony charge of filing a false police report. He was released after a