Dear Chester, Our hearts are broken. The shockwaves of grief and denial are still sweeping through our family as we come to grips with what has happened. You touched so many lives, maybe even more than you realized. In the past few days, we’ve seen an outpouring of love and support, both public and private, from around the world. Talinda and the family appreciate...
“Despacito” has become the most streamed track of all time with more than 4.6 billion plays across streaming platforms. Universal Music Latin Entertainment announced Tuesday the song by Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee and the accompanying remix featuring pop star Justin Bieber had surpassed the previous record holder — Bieber's...
Some people may think that Rihanna is a bit too bold for her own good, following her notorious comments about other stars on social media. Well, her boldness is not without it benefits it seems. A New York- based school thinks that Rihanna is deserving of an award. Nope, it’s not because she graduated in their Interior Design course and came up with an amazing...
U2 will play the entirety of its classic 1987 album, “The Joshua Tree,” at each stop during a summer stadium tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its release. Powered by singles “With or Without You,” ”Where The Streets Have No Name” and “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For,” ”The Joshua Tree”...
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom are getting in the holiday spirit for a very good cause. The couple paid a visit to Children's Hospital Los Angeles this week, dressing festively in matching Mr. and Mrs. Claus outfits to help ring in an early Christmas for a few deserving young fans. In a series of Instagram posts, both the “Rise” singer and her beau are seen posing with patients, including one infant in a Batman onesie displaying an apparent (and adorable) fascination with Orlando's smiling face. Another snap shows the actor...
MS MR performing for Chicago Airbnb host and contest winner Chad Gordon and his guests at a private, in-home concert hosted by Airbnb. Alt-pop duo MS MR is returning to the Lollapalooza stage on Friday, two years after performing for the first time at Chicago's famous music fest. With the recent release of their second album, How Does It Feel, singer Lizzy Plapinger and producer Max Hershenow are thrilled to be getting back on stage at Grant Park. “We're really excited, we had a really fun set two years ago but I think we've...
6:14 AM PDT 4/11/2016 by Keith Caulfield, Billboard None of ‘Pablo’s' tracks were available for individual purchase, so the album debuts on the strength of only streams and traditional album sales. Kanye West scores his seventh No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as his latest release, The Life of Pablo, arrives atop the list. The set earning 94,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 7, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 28,000 were in pure album sales — the rest were in streaming equivalent...
12:13 AM PDT 4/11/2016 by The Associated Press The singer says he can't “in good conscience” perform in a state where “certain people are being denied their civil rights due to their sexual orientation.” Canadian rocker Bryan Adams is canceling a performance this week in Mississippi, citing the state's new law that allows religious groups and some private businesses to refuse service to gay couples. Adams said in a statement Sunday night that he was canceling a show Thursday at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum...
” ‘American Idol' will be right back … after the break.” “American Idol will be right back, after the break.” Ryan Seacrest has uttered that sentence hundreds of times over the last 15 years. But now those words are taking on a new meaning. As the series ends its run on Fox, creator Simon Fuller tells The Hollywood Reporter that he is thinking, “How does Idol live for the next 15 years?” Says the 55-year-old CEO of XIX Entertainment, who came up with the concept for Idol back in 2002: “There...
The pop star hires THR “Power Lawyer” Daniel Petrocelli. In her ongoing battle to extradite herself from a contract, Kesha Rose Sebert has added a legal heavyweight to her team. As the pop star prepares to take a judge's denial of an injunction up on appeal, she's tapped Daniel Petrocelli at O'Melveny & Myers to represent her. Kesha is facing claims from songwriter-producer Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald) of breaching contracts. In New York Supreme Court, Kesha has asserted counterclaims accusing Dr. Luke...
Fresh off the announcement of their $400,000 McArthur Award and celebrating their 20th year together, Chicago chamber music ensemble Eighth Blackbird took the stage confidently Friday evening at the Big Ears music festival's premier venue, the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville. They might be “8th what?” at another fest, but in this genre-mixed setting they were hardly upstaged by their more famous guests, Bryce Dessner of The National and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, aka Will Oldham. The group offered a quick, pixelated...
6:18 PM PDT 4/3/2016 by Etan Vlessing The Weeknd nabbed trophies in five categories, including best single of the year for ‘Can't Feel My Face,' while Bieber picked up the Juno Fan Choice Award. Canadian R&B hitmaker The Weeknd on Sunday night dominated the 2016 Juno Awards, the country's music awards. Also known as Abel Tesfaye, The Weeknd won for best single of the year for “Can't Feel My Face,” and capped off the night by nabbing album of the year honors for Beauty Behind the Madness. “Make some noise, Canada,...
2:31 PM PDT 4/3/2016 by Mitchell Peters, Billboard and Shirley Halperin Kesha has shared a disturbing message on social media about an alleged offer she received if she was willing to rescind her allegations against the producer. Less than two weeks after appealing a judge's decision not to release her from Dr. Luke's purview, Kesha has shared a disturbing message on social media about an alleged offer she received if she was willing to rescind her allegations against the producer. “So. I got offered my freedom...
6:00 AM PDT 3/29/2016 by Natalie Jarvey SoundCloud Go offers an expanded music catalog for $9.99 a month. SoundCloud is following Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music and YouTube Music with a jump into the crowded music subscription waters. The eight-year-old free music streaming company on Tuesday announced its first paid offering, a $9.99 a month SoundCloud Go subscription that will feature an expanded, ad-free music catalog of 125 million tracks from 12 million artists. The service, which is available in the U.S. and will roll out...
The Knockout Round kicked off on season 10 of The Voice tonight, with the remaining artists choosing their own songs to perform in front of coaches Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Pharrell and Adam Levine. Miley Cyrus joined The Voice as season 10’s key adviser, helping the artists make creative choices so they could set themselves apart in their Knockouts. The coaches each have one steal during this round, and the artists who advance will sing in the Live Playoffs. The first pairing was a Team Blake face-off between Angie Keilhauer...
Lil Wayne claims he's owed tens of millions of dollars for discovering and nurturing successful recording artists Drake, Nicki Minaj and Tyga. Universal Music Group is paying itself instead of shelling out royalties it owes Lil Wayne, according to a federal lawsuit filed by the rapper-producer's attorneys Monday in California. Dwayne Carter Jr., known as Lil Wayne, is suing UMG and SoundExchange, claiming he's been shorted millions from his work discovering and nurturing artists like Drake, Nicki Minaj and Tyga. Carter claims Universal...
12:15 PM PDT 3/28/2016 by Rebecca Sun The Aerosmith frontman will release his debut solo album later this year. Steven Tyler has signed with WME in all areas, The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard have exclusively learned. He was previously at CAA, while Paradigm continues to represent Aerosmith for touring. Tyler's lead vocals have helped make Aerosmith the best-selling American rock band of all time, with more than 150 million records sold worldwide, and qualified him for a spot at the American Idol judges' table for seasons 10 and...
Former N.W.A. manager Jerry Heller's lawsuit is troubled, says California federal judge. At a hearing on Monday, U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald nearly ran a lawsuit brought by former N.W.A. manager Jerry Heller straight outta his courtroom. Heller is suing almost everyone involved in Straight Outta Compton — the biopic of the rap act consisting of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy E and others — thanks to Paul Giamatti's unflattering portrayal of him. The plaintiff contends that he was defamed in the...
7:18 AM PDT 3/28/2016 by Gil Kaufman, Billboard The company has reportedly been exploring a potential sale. Pandora co-founder Tim Westergren has been named CEO of the pioneering music site amid an executive shake-up at the top of the Oakland, Calif.-based Internet radio service. With the announcement, former CEO Brian McAndrews will be leaving the company, which has reportedly been exploring a potential sale. “I am incredibly excited about the future of Pandora. We're on the cusp of realizing an extraordinary vision: fundamentally...
6:40 AM PDT 3/28/2016 by the Associated Press The mogul says creating the school is “a dream come true.” He's been a rapper, actor, singer, entrepreneur, record producer and clothing designer. Now Sean “Diddy” Combs has taken on a new job as the founder of a charter school in New York City's Harlem neighborhood. Combs announced Monday that the Capital Preparatory Harlem Charter School will open in the fall. The school will be overseen by Capital Prep leader Steve Perry, who founded Capital Prep Magnet School...
In a big copyright trial, a federal judge confronts a privacy dilemma. When it comes to entrusting personal data to digital services, one can choose to see the tech companies that have benefited from the rise of devices and apps in different lights. These companies are perhaps guardians. Witness the way that Apple is fighting the FBI's attempt to unlock an iPhone. These companies are also potentially perpetrators, willing to pierce user privacy in the event it serves their own self interests. On Friday, in a clash of two tech...
Annette O'Toole plays the dying patriarch of a transgender family in this musical adaptation of the 2001 documentary, a Grand Jury Prize winner at Sundance. The musical Southern Comfort, about a makeshift family composed largely of transgender people, has been in the works for more than a decade. Adapted from Kate Davis' award-winning 2001 documentary, it was first seen in New York in 2011. Now it's returned in a revamped version presented by the Public Theater, and the increasing focus on trans rights in intervening years has only made...
Steven Pasquale and Ahna O'Reilly hit the Natchez Trace in Alex Timbers' high-energy staging of this backwoods bluegrass musical based on the Eudora Welty novella. Even without his name on the program, it would be a cinch to pick The Robber Bridegroom as the work of Alex Timbers. Combining the hyperkinetic rowdiness and spirited self-mockery of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson with the larkish low-tech Story Theater tricks of Peter and the Starcatcher, the production imposes the director's signature wink-wink style on the material to a suffocating...
The filmmaker and rock poet laureate, joined by special guests, find both the comedy and tragedy in the late singer's work. “It’s not a brief show. I can’t even edit down a tribute show,” said Judd Apatow, cracking wise about his envelope-pushing running-time reputation, as he introduced a tribute to singer/songwriter Warren Zevon that no blogger could gripe went on 15 minutes too long. A certain girth was especially called for at Friday night’s Largo salute in Los Angeles with the unadvertised (if strongly...
2:26 PM PST 3/12/2016 by Mitchell Peters, Billboard “I'm going Mad Max.” Kanye West will be spending much of his time in the recording studio in the years to come, according to a new tweet from the eccentric rapper. On Saturday morning, ‘Ye tweeted his ambitious plan to release three albums per year. “No more fashion calendar… I'm going Mad Max… 6 collections a year…3 albums a year,” he wrote. The hip-hop superstar has been wildly active on Twitter following the release of his latest...
6:46 PM PST 3/11/2016 by Billboard Staff Grande offered support for her fellow performer Friday. Ariana Grande is lending her support to Kesha. When asked by Carson Daly during a 97.1 Amp Radio interview on Friday what she thought of Kesha's unfolding legal situation, Grande replied, “I love Kesha. I worked with her when I was a lot younger. We’ve been friends. I support her, regardless of what’s going on. I didn’t know about a lot of this. At the time, I was really young. We didn’t discuss any of this. “The incredible...
3:04 PM PST 3/11/2016 by The Associated Press The group of roughly 35 people also delivered petitions with more than 411,000 signatures demanding Sony release Kesha from her contract and drop the producer accused of raping her. Fans of the pop star Kesha on Friday called on Sony to cut ties with the producer she has accused of raping her. About 35 Kesha fans gathered outside Sony's Manhattan headquarters to deliver petitions with more than 411,000 signatures demanding that the label release Kesha from her Sony recording contract and...
1:29 PM PST 3/11/2016 by Natalie Stone The superstar said “yes” to her football beau on a candlelit beach. Russell Wilson just scored the ultimate touchdown. On Friday, the 27-year-old Seattle Seahawks quarterback, who has a 2013 Super Bowl championship under his belt, announced that he and superstar singer-girlfriend Ciara got engaged. “She said yes. Yeah! Making this thing happen,” said Wilson in an Instagram video, in which the couple could be seen sitting on a candlelit beach. “Yay, I'm so excited!...
12:57 PM PST 3/11/2016 by Joe Lynch, Billboard “We regret to announce that Keith Emerson died last night at his home in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, aged 71,” a post on the band's official Facebook page reads. “We ask that the family’s privacy and grief be respected.” Keith Emerson, one of the most legendary keyboardists in rock history, thanks to his work in Emerson, Lake & Palmer and The Nice, died on March 10, according ELP's official Facebook page. He was 71. “We regret to announce that Keith Emerson...
4:27 PM PST 3/11/2016 by Saffana Hijaz It's set to be held over three days at the Staples Center from July 29-31. One of the largest conventions dedicated to K-Pop is going global. KCON Los Angeles will be held over three days at the Staples Center from July 29-31, while the New York metro area event will be held June 24-25 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Launched in 2012, the convention, which is produced by Seoul-based conglomerate CJ E&M, has grown since it first drew 10,000 fans to Orange County. Last summer more than...
10:31 AM PST 3/7/2016 by The Associated Press The shooting is being treated as accidental after a preliminary police investigation. Los Angeles authorities say the wife of former Eagles band member Randy Meisner was killed when a rifle she was handling accidentally discharged and shot her in the head. A police news release says officers found 63-year-old Lana Rae Meisner dead on Sunday from a single gunshot wound at the couple's home in the San Fernando Valley. Investigators say Lana Rae Meisner lifted the rifle from a storage case...
10:07 AM PST 3/7/2016 by Jessie Katz, Billboard The ‘American Idol' champ collaborated on two songs with the producer Kesha has accused of drugging and raping her. If Dr. Luke is looking for more artists to come to his defense in the court of public opinion, he can count Kelly Clarkson out. The former American Idol star, who collaborated with Dr. Luke on her career breakout “Since You've Been Gone” and the more recent “My Life Would Suck Without You,” told Australia's KIIS 1065 that she only...
9:39 AM PST 3/7/2016 by Lars Brandle, Billboard “I’m not really a weather person, I’m a rapper.” Flavor Flav: rapper, reality TV star, party animal and… weather guy? The Public Enemy co-founder dropped in on Fox 13’s Good Day Utah to present the weather forecast for Salt Lake City and capital’s surrounding areas. The artist, whose real name is William Jonathan Drayton Jr., was in the area to visit his brother, an athletic director at a local school. Flav started fine in his TV news stint —...
8:35 AM PST 2/15/2016 by Billboard Staff Barry Manilow performs onstage during Clive Davis' 2016 pre-Grammy gala. The singer performs days after being hospitalized following emergency oral surgery. Barry Manilow made a surprise return to the stage for Clive Davis’ pre-Grammys party in L.A. Sunday night (Feb. 14) just days after being hospitalized. The veteran singer’s One Last Time – One Last Tour shows in Kentucky and Nashville were postponed last week due to “complications from emergency oral surgery that...
6:55 AM PST 2/15/2016 by Ashley Lee Written and directed by Robert Budreau, the film follows the musician late in his life, after years of fame and drug abuse have taken their toll. “You're gonna kill yourself because you can't play trumpet anymore?” IFC Films released a trailer on Monday for Born to Be Blue, which stars Ethan Hawke as legendary jazz trumpeter Chet Baker. Written and directed by Robert Budreau, the film follows the musician late in his life, after years of fame and drug abuse have taken their...
2:00 AM PST 2/15/2016 by Etan Vlessing Director X's ‘Across the Line' focuses on a pro hockey prospect facing racial rife in high school. Indie distributor A71 Entertainment has picked up the Canadian rights to Director X's Across the Line and two other Canadian indie films in Berlin. A71 acquired the feature directorial debut of Director X, a music video...
4:31 PM PST 2/14/2016 by Ashley Iasimone, Billboard West told his fans to subscribe to Tidal if they want hear his new album, as he “decided to not sell my album for another week.” Aside from promoting his SNL performance and the release of new album The Life of Pablo on Twitter this weekend, Kanye West also said that he is $53 million in debt. The rapper tweeted about his personal finances just before taking the SNL stage on Saturday (Feb. 13), asking his followers to “pray we overcome.” He then performed “Ultra...
2:57 PM PST 2/14/2016 by Mitchell Peters, Billboard The artist will perform a tribute to Bowie at this year's Grammys. Ahead of her tribute to David Bowie on Monday’s (Feb. 15) Grammy Awards, Lady Gaga solidified her love of the legendary artist with a Ziggy Stardust tattoo on the side of her body. Gaga was inked in Los Angeles by famous tattoo artist Mark Mahoney on Saturday,TMZ reports. The experience was caught on camera by onlookers and shared on social media. Check out the short clip below of Gaga...
10:54 AM PST 2/14/2016 by Colin Stutz, Billboard His latest album was released on Tidal and kanyewest.com. After years of waiting (and a day that felt like it could have been years more), Kanye West has released his highly anticipated new album, The Life of Pablo. The album dropped late Saturday night following his Saturday Night Live performance. It's available on Tidal and kanyewest.com. On Friday morning, West told his 18 million Twitter followers the album was being mastered and promised it would be out that day. He also posted...
We never saw these collaborations coming, but we’ll watch them again and again. The Grammys have a long history of bringing together artists that wouldn’t normally share a cab, let alone a stage. Over the years, plenty of odd couples have delivered performances on Music’s Biggest Night that were greater than the sums of their seemingly ill-fitting parts. What follows are 10 of our favorites from the last 15 years. We never saw these collaborations coming, but we’ll watch them again and again. Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar...
6:48 AM PST 2/14/2016 by Rebecca Ford Osgood Perkins wrote and will be directing the Netflix project. Debbie Harry is joining The Affair's Ruth Wilson in Osgood Perkins’ I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. Bob Balaban and Lucy Boynton also will star in the thriller, which Netflix will release. Perkins wrote and will be directing the film, which...
3:50 PM PST 2/13/2016 by THR Staff The singer and host Graham Norton took unsuspecting fans by surprise when they crashed a staged photo op in a clip released from Adele's BBC special. It's no secret that Adele has a knack for pranking. Last year, the chart-topping singer fooled Adele impersonators by disguising herself with prosthetics for her BBC special Adele at the BBC, and now, she's at it again. In a clip released from her upcoming concert special Adele: Live in London, the artist and host Graham Norton photobomb fans who think...
Craig T. Mathew/ Mathew Imaging Performers range from Steely Dan to Bloc Party. The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles has announced its 2016 summer season lineup, and it spans from Steely Dan in June to Bloc Party in September. The list covers early June to late September and a wide array of performances, ranging from rock to jazz, Americana, classical and plenty more. From Chicago to “Weird Al” Yankovic to the Mega Nova supergroup with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Carlos Santana and more, here is the Hollywood Bowl's summer...
THR’s at-a-glance look at the week in representation. Who got signed, promoted, hired or fired? The Hollywood Reporter’s Rep Sheet rounds up the week in representation news. To submit announcements for consideration, contact [email protected] Under new management Kristin Chenoweth has left Untitled and is now solely managed by Micone Entertainment Group’s Ed Micone, a live-entertainment veteran who was a former executive at Radio City Entertainment and also worked at Paradigm and ICM. Chenoweth, whose recent activities...
4:14 PM PST 2/9/2016 by Andy Gensler, Billboard Performances by Garbage, Jesus & Mary Chain and Tove Lo are on tap for the first three episodes of “Live At 9:30 Hosted by Squarespace.” Washington, D.C.'s iconic 9:30 Club is launching a music variety show this April on PBS television. Garbage, Jesus and Mary Chain, Tove Lo, Ibeyi and Jess Glynne are among the initial slate of artists set to perform on the first three episodes of Live At 9:30 Hosted by Squarespace. The hour-long public television program will also feature...
3:50 PM PST 2/9/2016 by Colin Stutz, Billboard The hip-hop icon posted a comment to Twitter on Tuesday, looking to claim the famed comedic actor's innocence. Can we add Kanye West to the list of Bill Cosby defenders? The hip-hop icon posted a comment to Twitter on Tuesday, looking to claim the famed comedic actor's innocence. With public opinion widely against him, West received an onslaught of responses expressing shock, disappointment and disgust. BILL COSBY INNOCENT !!!!!!!!!! — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) February 9, 2016 In...
Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool doesn't pull any punches — in fight scenes or delivering raunchy jokes. But the latest big-screen version of Wade Wilson saves some of his sharpest barbs for superhero movies and the studios that produce them, like Deadpool distributor 20th Century Fox. While co-writer Paul Wernick admitted that he was apprehensive about including such comments in the film, he said he was relieved that the folks at Fox had a good sense of humor. “You're always nervous when you make fun of the people who write the checks,”...
Drawings of Raekwon, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Inspecta Deck were allegedly reproduced in what landed in the hands of Martin Shkreli. Once upon a time a supposedly “great artist” named Jason Koza sued pharma bro Martin Shkreli over a Wu-Tang Clan album. In the lawsuit, Koza claimed copyright infringement, and although there wasn't too much copying, there was enough, and the allegations involved something bought for $2 million and a man who inspires quite a bit of schadenfreude these days. Shkreli, of course,...
