Several high-profile projects set up at Live Nation Productions are moving forward following the ouster of top executive Heather Parry — including a David Bowie IMAX experience and a TV series about the moms who raised rock stars. In her capacity as filmed content head, Parry was the music giant’s ambassador to Hollywood. She secured Live
Music
From the scorched earth rock and anti-racist (and anti-Trump-ian) howl of its title tune to the pounding country-blues of “The Governor,” with its cynical take on social justice issues, Gary Clark Jr.’s third studio effort, “This Land,” does what none of the 35-year-old singer-guitarist’s albums have in the past: it puts his mouth where his
February 21, 2019 2:09PM PT Mononymically known indie music iconoclast Beck, who took home his sixth and seventh Grammys earlier this year for his 13th studio album (“Colors”), has put one of the three homes he and wife Marisa Ribisi own along the same, gated street in a coveted neighborhood of L.A.’s Los Feliz area
I don’t want to jump to conclusions … again. That’s what got so many of us into trouble after you became trending news on Jan. 29. Although things are looking rather bleak for you, Jussie, this is still America, where you are innocent until proven guilty. It’s also the era of #MeToo, which has taught
Fred Foster, a Country Music Hall of Fame member who was a key figure in the discovery and development of Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison and Kris Kristofferson, died Wednesday at age 87. Foster was best known in Nashville for founding the Monument label and a publishing company, Combine Music, both of which were associated with
February 21, 2019 1:47PM PT One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson has signed with Arista, sources tell Variety. While the singer was formerly linked with Epic Records in 2017, he is signed directly to Simon Cowell’s Syco label and will move within the Sony Music family to Arista. Tomlinson teased a new single on Feb. 2, posting
UPDATED: A Chicago judge set a $100,000 bond for Jussie Smollett on Thursday, as the “Empire” actor made his first court appearance. Smollett faces one felony count of filing a false police report. Police allege that Smollett staged a Jan. 29 attack, telling detectives that he was accosted by two men who used racial and
Two women accused R. Kelly of sexual misconduct at a press conference held by attorney Gloria Allred in New York on Thursday. The two women, Latresa Scaff, 40, and Rochelle Washington, 39, have not previously gone public with their claims. They say the incident happened in 1995 when they were 16 and 15 years old,
Ludwig Göransson is fairly new to the music-for-screens game, but it surprised no one when his score for the billion-dollar “Black Panther” — a deft swirl of blockbuster orchestra, hip-hop and authentic Africana — prompted his first Oscar nomination (and three Grammys on Feb. 10). The Swedish composer spoke to Variety in the midst of
On the back of a history-making debut by Ariana Grande, who claims the top three songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week (tying the Beatles), Scooter Braun has appointed his longtime deputy Allison Kaye to partner at Ithaca Holdings LLC, which houses SB Projects. She was previously president of music at the 12-year-old
February 21, 2019 9:51AM PT About 10.7 million players showed up for the Marshmello concert in “Fortnite” on Feb. 2, breaking the game’s concurrent player count by about 2.5 million players, Epic Games tells Variety. The previous record of 8.3 million people playing at once was set during “Fortnite’s” in-game butterfly event in November. The
Peter Tork, the guitarist and wise-cracking character in the 1960s teen-pop sensation the Monkees, died today at the age of 77, a rep for the group confirmed to Variety. Speaking with the Washington Post, Tork’s sister Anne Thorkelson did not specify a cause of death, although the guitarist had been diagnosed with a rare form
February 21, 2019 7:48AM PT Chicago police released the mugshot of Jussie Smollett Thursday after the actor was arrested and taken into custody of detectives. Smollett is facing criminal charges for allegedly filing a false police report and disorderly conduct. During a press conference Thursday morning after his arrest, Chicago police officials said that Smollett
New York’s classic venue Webster Hall, which will reopen this spring after a months-long renovation, has announced the first run of shows after its relaunch: Patti Smith and Her Band, Broken Social Scene, MGMT, Empire of the Sun, Old Dominion, Sharon Van Etten, Built to Spill, Real Estate, Chromeo and Big Thief are among the
In a scathing rebuke, Chicago Police officials asserted Thursday that actor Jussie Smollett set up a hate crime hoax on Jan. 29 because he was “dissatisfied with his salary” on the Fox series “Empire.” Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson presided over a press conference on Thursday morning after Smollett turned himself in to police to
The wait for new music from Adam Lambert is over. Variety has confirmed that Lambert will drop a brand new song, “Feel Something,” tonight (Feb. 21). Written by Benedict Cork, Josh Cumbee and Lambert, and produced by Cumbee and Afishin Salman, it will be released through the independent label and distributor EMPIRE. “Feel Something” is the
February 20, 2019 3:04PM PT CBS 2 in Chicago has obtained surveillance footage of the two brothers who allegedly attacked “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett buying clothing that Smollett said they wore in the attack. Two men who appear to be Ola and Abel Osundairo are seen in the video with several items, including a red
Chicago police have named “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett as a suspect in a criminal investigation, three weeks after he reported he was the victim of a hate crime. Detectives are presenting evidence to a grand jury, which is expected to determine whether to indict Smollett on a charge of filing a false police report. “Jussie
Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris and the 1975 were big winners at Wednesday night’s Brit Awards, taking home the Best British Single (for Harris and Lipa’s “One Kiss”), Album of the Year (for The 1975’s “Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships”) as well as Best British Group (the 1975). While the show, livestreamed from London’s O2 Arena,
There was a moment on the night of Feb. 10 when manager Jason Owen allowed his mind to “go there.” Could his client, Kacey Musgraves, who by 4 p.m. had already picked up two Grammy Awards — for “Space Cowboy” and “Butterflies,” for best country song and best country solo performance, respectively — in Owen’s
The Filipino boy band TNT Boys gained an extra member Tuesday night when pop-star Ariana Grande made a surprise appearance during the group’s performance on “The Late Late Show With James Corden.” After winning Filipino competition show “Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids,” band members Keifer Sanchez, Mackie Empuerto, and Francis Concepcion have continued to solidify
February 20, 2019 10:15AM PT Veteran advertising executive Christine Kauffman has been named senior VP of brand partnerships at Island Records, the company announced today. She will be based in New York and report to Island COO Eric Wong. In making the announcement, Island President Darcus Beese said, “The fast-paced and competitive field of strategic
Interscope Geffen A&M announced today that veteran executive, producer and songwriter Nir Seroussi will join the company as executive vice president. The announcement was made by Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman and CEO John Janick, to whom Serioussi will report. (Seroussi, center, is pictured above with Janick, left, and Interscope EVP Joie Manda.) According to the
In a sun-lit conference room in Capitol Records in Hollywood, Israeli singer Liraz Russo, known by the stage name “Static” (a moniker he earned as a fiery teen), dances around to the Reggaeton-flavored beat of the hit song “Tudo Bom.” The bouncy track, recorded by Static and co-vocalist Ben El Tavor, a pop duo known
February 20, 2019 8:59AM PT Fox continued their support of embattled “Empire” star Jussie Smollett in a new statement issued Wednesday. “Jussie Smollett continues to be a consummate professional on set and as we have previously stated, he is not being written out of the show,” 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment said. The
February 20, 2019 7:15AM PT Pink released her new single “Walk Me Home” today. The new track was written by Nate Reuss (lead singer of Fun.), Scott Harris and Pink, and produced by Peter Thomas and Kyle Moorman. The singer teased “Walk Me Home” two weeks ago when she appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,”
Chris Stapleton and Dan +Shay emerged as the top nominees as the contenders for the 2019 Academy of Country Music Awards were announced Wednesday, with six nods each. Kacey Musgraves followed closely behind with five, and Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha all claimed four nominations apiece. The ACMs telecast takes
February 19, 2019 2:05PM PT Arista Records and Smokepurpp/ Lil Mosey manager Josh Marshall today announced the launch of Mogul Vision Music, a new joint venture label focused on “breaking extraordinary talent and building artist careers through innovative A&R, branding and marketing strategy,” according to the announcement. Based in New York with Marshall (pictured above left, with
“Alexa, make the radio and streaming worlds play nice together.” That may be a tall order, but at the 50th annual Country Radio Seminar in Nashville this past week, breaking down the barriers of suspicion that separate traditional radio from digital services was the hottest topic. Garth “No Fences” Brooks made sure that was at the
Jussie Smollett is facing prison time and the implosion of his career if it turns out he lied about being the target of a hate crime, legal and public relations experts say. “The best thing that Jussie can do is pray and pray a lot,” said Ronn Torossian, founder of 5W Public Relations. “If he