News

Lauryn Hill has penned a tribute to the late Roberta Flack, whose rendition of “Killing Me Softly With His Song” inspired the hit version recorded decades later by the Fugees.

“Whitney Houston once said to me that Roberta Flack’s voice was one of the purest voices she’d ever heard,” Hill wrote on Instagram Tuesday, a day after Flack’s death at the age of 88.

“I grew up scouring the records my Parents collected. Mrs. Flack was one of their favorites and quite instantly became one of mine as...

The family of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Roy Orbison — known for hits like “Oh, Pretty Woman,” “Crying,” “Only the Lonely” and “In Dreams” — has partnered with the independent production and financing company Compelling Pictures to develop both a theatrical feature film and long-form documentary based on singer-songwriter’s life and career.

Tentatively titled “You Got It,” after Orbison’s 1988 hit single, the film will be “a romance more than a traditional biopic,” according to the announcement, focusing on Orbison’s relationship with his wife Barbara, who became his manager and played a key role in his comeback, which took place in the years just before his death at the age of just 52 December of 1988. Barbara Orbison died in 2011.

Denis O’Sullivan (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) and Jeff Kalligheri (“I Wanna Dance With Somebody”) will produce for Compelling Pictures. Alex Orbison, Roy Orbison Jr., and Wesley Orbison will executive-produce via their production company Roy’s Boys,...

Sixty-six years ago today, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper died when their plane crashed following a show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. It’s a seminal moment in Boomer mythology that Don McLean coined “The Day the Music Died” in his 1971 hit “American Pie,” which basically invented the entire concept of Sixties nostalgia prior to Grease, Happy Days, and American Graffiti. The tragedy was also documented in countless books and articles, including this stellar Rolling Stone piece by Jonathan Cott in 2009, and dramatized in...

Warning! Spoilers about Virgin River season 6, episode 10 ahead.

The soundtrack of Virgin River season 6 includes iconic songs and less prominent ones that fully capture the themes and atmosphere of the emotional drama romance. Taking off months after the two-part Christmas special that comprised the last two episodes of season 5, Virgin River season 6 kicked off in the midst of the planning for Mel and Jack’s wedding. The major event guaranteed small and bigger bumps in the road related to its organization and the bigger problems the joyful town of Virgin River’s characters found themselves facing, including illnesses, daring saves, problems with the law and budding relationships.

With Virgin River season 5 introducing the surprise of Mel’s biological father hailing from Virgin River, a major storyline in season 6 involved the two getting to know each other, and music played an important part because of Everett’s hobby and his unfinished song for Sarah,...

“Virgin River” is all about the ambiance. The cozy romance transports viewers to a tight-knit community tucked away in the scenic town of Virgin River, but the sounds are just as important as the sights in setting that scene. Especially in Season 6!

Netflix’s “Virgin River” always sets its scenes to a soundtrack full of folksy melodies and gentle acoustics, but Season 6 puts music front and center in the love story between Mel’s biological parents, which transports viewers back to Virgin River in the ’70s when her father was an aspiring musician. It even prominently features an original song by The Lumineers’ Wesley Schultz titled “This Heart of Mine.”

It’s a jam-packed soundtrack as usual, so if you’re trying to keep track of the needle drops, here’s a handy guide to all the songs in “Virgin River” Season 6.

‘Virgin River’ Season 6 Soundtrack “Lavender Girl” by Caamp...

About 70 years ago, Art Garfunkel formed his first musical duo when he noticed he blended voices nicely with an elementary school friend named Paul. He formed his second one several decades later when he discovered a similar chemistry with his eldest son, Art Garfunkel Jr. After years of performing together on concert stages all across the globe, they released their debut LP last week Father and Son. They’ve dubbed themselves “Garfunkel and Garfunkel.”

Right now, Garfunkel and Garfunkel are sitting in a conference room at New York City’s Pierre Hotel,...

The 1987 musical biopic La Bamba chronicled the life and career of Mexican-American rock pioneer Ritchie Valens. Now, according to Variety, a remake of the film is in the works.

Lou Diamond Phillips starred as Valens in the original, which was nominated for a Golden Globe and earned Los Lobos a 1987 chart-topper for their version of Valens’ 1958 single “La Bamba,” which was based on a Mexican folk song. Valens was also known for the ballad “Donna” and the rave-up “Come On, Let’s Go,” two late-Fifties radio hits.

Valens died in a plane crash on Feb.

Music is a powerful force that connects members of a generation, and when an icon of that generation passes away, the loss is felt among the masses; it is especially shocking when that larger-than-life celebrity dies suddenly and at a young age. Sadly, we have lost several musical artists much too soon, often due to the pressure, exposure or commitments that come with fame. Tour our photo gallery remembering 30 music legends and the details around their tragic deaths.

I was only nine years old when John Lennon died, and over 40 years later, I remember sitting at the kitchen table hearing the report on the radio that crazed fan Mark David Chapman had shot the legendary singer to death. This was one of the most shocking events in rock and roll history; fans were devastated, with a least three committing suicide. Chapman pleaded guilty and remains incarcerated. Just 15 years later, promising...

Only a few rare songs ever turn into pop classics. But this one turned into a classic twice. “Killing Me Softly with His Song” has one of the longest, weirdest stories in pop history. In the 1970s, it hit Number One as a lush soft-soul hit for the smoothed-out R&b star Roberta Flack. In the 1990s, it became a hip-hop banger for the Fugees, showcasing Lauryn Hill’s vocals. Some fans prefer the gentle, mellow Flack hit; some prefer the reggae-inflected Fugees remake. But both versions became permanent classics...

The Boys season 2 uses music to enhance emotional scenes and establish tone, with iconic tracks and original songs by the cast. Billy Joel's music is a key element in season 2, reflecting Hughie's emotional journey and backstory in pivotal moments. French hip-hop, rock hits, and obscure tracks are also featured in the soundtrack, adding depth and atmosphere to the show.

The second season of The Boys features a carefully-curated soundtrack, and every episode uses songs to great effect either to acknowledge a character's emotional state, to establish the tone of the scene, or to make a sly metafictional wink to the audience. The dark satirical superhero series set the bar high for itself in this regard, since The Boys season 1 soundtrack added thematic and emotional depth to the show's events. The Boys is one of the slickest Amazon Prime Original shows on the platform, and features an equally slick soundtrack to match.

Jerry Fuller, the songwriter and producer whose stellar career included such hits as “Travelin’ Man” for Ricky Nelson, “Young Girl” for Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, “Show and Tell” for Al Wilson and “Little Green Apples” for O.C. Smith, has died. He was 85.

Fuller died Thursday at his home in Sherman Oaks of complications from lung cancer, publicist Bobbi Marcus told The Hollywood Reporter.

Fuller’s first production for Puckett was the million-selling “Woman, Woman,” which was released in 1967 and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. He then wrote and produced the band’s next three multimillion sellers, “Young Girl,” “Lady Willpower” and “Over You” — all top 10 songs, too — as the band outsold The Beatles in 1968.

“What can I say about a guy whose vision defined my musical identity and destiny,” Puckett wrote in a statement. “What can Anyone say about a man who gave So much to...

To celebrate the Fourth of July, Classic Vinyl (Ch. 26) is counting down the mega-titles from the First Generation of Classic Rock — according to you, our listeners!

Classic Vinyl4th of July 400 CountdownListen on the App

Listen on the App

Your votes have been tallied, and now it’s time to listen to the results. Stream the full countdown on the SiriusXM app, or hear it on-air throughout the long Fourth of July weekend.

Directions: Since freedom to cast your vote is an integral part of Independence Day, that’s what we need! Select your 25 favorite songs from the list below. It’s a randomized list so every voter will see it differently. You may vote once between now and June 30 at 11:59pm Et.

Can’t see the poll? Click here to vote.

Biggest and best titles from the First Generation of Classic Rock

These are the possible song choices...

Updated: Sean Penn, LeVar Burton and Wilmer Valderrama are among the entertainment figures on the guest list for tonight’s state dinner at the White House for Kenya.

President Joe Biden welcomed Kenyan President William Ruto to the White House in an arrival ceremony earlier in the day.

Also on the list, per a pool report: Hunter Biden, Roger Goodell, Michaela Cole, Don McLean, Sheryl Sandberg, Barbara Kingsolver and Huma Abedin. Brad Paisley will perform.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also were there, having attended the last state dinner as well. Not on the list, but arriving to the event as well was former President Barack Obama.

Journalists on the guest list include NBC News’ Lester Holt, CNN’s Bianna Golodryga, MSNBC’s Symone Sanders-Townsend and The Grio’s April Ryan.

Other industry invitees include Paramount Global’s DeDe Lea, UTA Darnell Strom and Silver Eagle Acquisition Corp.

David Sanborn, the multi-genre saxophonist who performed with David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Carly Simon, James Taylor, and many more, has died. He was 78 years old.

Sanborn’s passing was confirmed on Monday via a post on his social media. “It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, six-time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn,” the post read. “Mr. Sanborn passed Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications.”

Born in 1945, Sanbron was introduced to the saxophone during his childhood as a means of recovering from polio. By the time he was 14, he had the opportunity to perform with blues legends like Albert King and Little Milton, the first of his many, many collaborations.

In 1967, he joined The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, whom he played with at Woodstock two years later. In the early ‘70s, he began performing with more artists,...

Other than making records, what do Green Day, the Notorious B.I.G., classic crooners Perry Como and Johnny Mathis, Latin music giant Héctor Lavoe, and the late Bill Withers have in common? Not much, until today: Works by all those musicians, and over a dozen more, were announced as the latest additions to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

Signed off on by then-president Bill Clinton in 2000, the Registry has aimed to collect recordings —musical performances, speeches, and other audio — deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically important.” The first...

After the news of Toby Keith’s death broke overnight, reactions from the stars of the country music world and beyond followed, as some legendary figures and admirers of the late Nashville star began to share tributes online.

Keith “passed peacefully last night on Feb. 5, surrounded by his family,” read his official website’s announcement of his death; he was 62. The news came two years after the singer posted about his stomach cancer diagnosis on his official Instagram page.

His Instagram page is where many are directing their reactions and condolences following the news. “God Bless you and Family,” singer Randy Houser commented. “Hard to imagine an America without Toby Keith in it.”

Actor Stephen Baldwin commented, “Wow this announcement has totally taken my breath away. I’ve been praying for Toby and it is truly wonderful to know he is finally home praise Jesus” and Georgia-based singer-songwriter Channing Wilson wrote,...

Though it took far too many years to get a solo film for the titular character, Marvel's "Black Widow" finally arrived in 2021. Despite the fact that Natasha Romanov (Scarlett Johansson) had already died in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by that point, at least we got a proper send-off for the character and the introduction of Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, the clear Mvp of the film.

We also got a really fun performance from David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, aka Red Guardian, who, along with Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), acted as sleeper Russian agents living in Ohio with the young Yelena (Violet McGraw) and Natasha (Ever Anderson). At the beginning of the film, these four are living as a family undercover, but when they're made, they have to take off in a rush for a flight to Cuba, in fear for their lives. Harbour made a suggestion for that sequence...

Exclusive: More than a hit song, “Stand by Me,” by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller and Ben E. King, has transcended the notion of a “standard” — it’s been recorded more than 1,000 times and has made more appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 chart than any other song.

Music and media producer Spencer Proffer and his music-anchored production company Meteor 17 have been selected to produce the authorized feature-length documentary about the iconic song and its significant global impact for over six decades. Emmy and Grammy nominated director J. Kevin Swain — who has directed music videos and other projects for and with Mary J. Blige, Wynton Marsalis, Queen Latifah — has been selected by Proffer to bring the story of the song to the screen.

As part of the film, Emmy- and Grammy-winning producer, composer, musical director and musician Steve Jordan will produce a new version of “Stand by Me.” Jordan has worked with artists including Keith Richards,...

Universal Music Publishing Group, Concord, and Abkco have sued an Amazon-backed artificial intelligence company over alleged copyright infringement of the three publishers’ songs, according to a lawsuit reviewed by Rolling Stone.

The companies have filed a suit against Anthropic, an AI startup company founded by four former OpenAI employees in 2021 that had just last month secured an investment from Amazon worth up to $4 billion.

According to the suit, filed on Wednesday in Tennessee, Anthropic and its AI assistant service Claude — reminiscent of chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT — allegedly infringed on...

Earlier this week, President Joe Biden surprised absolutely no one when he announced on Wednesday that he’ll be running for reelection next year. Of course a big looming “if” hanging over this is the fact Biden is the oldest-ever president and he turns 82 in 2024. So of course on Thursday’s episode of NBC’s “The Tonight Show,” Jimmy Fallon had plenty of jokes about Biden, and his age.

But Fallon defended Biden, joking that Potus is “the same age as Lincoln… if he were still alive today.” The joke being that Biden was born in 1809.

First though, Fallon kicked things off with a look at this week’s state visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and the impressive impromptu performance of “American Pie” by Don McLean he gave at the White House. “There’s always that one friend at karaoke who knows they’re good, you know?...

Angelina Jolie brought 21-year-old son Maddox Jolie-Pitt as her date to the White House state dinner in Washington DC on April 26. The pair arrived arm in arm to the soirée, which President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Jolie looked ethereal in a breezy white gown, matching blazer, and gold accessories, while Maddox looked sharp in a black suit and tie. The outing was a rare public appearance for Jolie and her eldest child, who studied at Yonsei University in Seoul and worked on the crew for Jolie's upcoming movie "Without Blood."

Several other notable stars were in attendance at the state dinner, including Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim and "Fixer Upper" duo Chip and Joanna Gaines. During the event, President Yoon surprised guests by singing one of his favorite songs, "American Pie," before Biden presented him with a guitar signed by Don McLean.

Update: The biggest surprise at the State Dinner was not any unexpected guest, but South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol singing a rendition of American Pie.

Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol sings “American Pie” by Don McLean during entertainment portion of State Dinner with President Biden. pic.twitter.com/M91Tj4WrHa

— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) April 27, 2023

Previously: Angelina Jolie, Reginald Hudlin and Chip and Joanna Gaines are among the boldfaced names on the guest list for tonight’s White House State Dinner for South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The dinner follows President Joe Biden’s meeting with Yoon and subsequent press conference. The U.S. and South Korea announced an agreement designed to deter North Korea.

Jolie is scheduled to attend the dinner with son Maddox Jolie-Pitt. She has visited the Biden White House on reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

Hudlin is attending with his wife,...

The MTV Movies & TV Awards nominations have been announced.

The big event is set to air Sunday, May 7th, at 8 p.m. Et.

Leading the pack with six nominations apiece is Top Gun: Maverick, Stranger Things, and The Last of Us.

The White Lotus and Wednesday each scored four nods.

Check out the full list of nominations below.

Best Movie

Avatar: The Way of Water

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Elvis

Nope

Scream VI

Smile

Top Gun: Maverick

Best Show

Stranger Things

The Last of Us

The White Lotus

Wednesday

Wolf Pack

Yellowstone

Yellowjackets

Best Performance In A Movie

Austin Butler — Elvis

Florence Pugh — Don’t Worry Darling

KeKe Palmer — Nope

Michael B. Jordan — Creed III

Tom Cruise — Top Gun: Maverick

Best Performance In A Show

Aubrey Plaza — The White Lotus

Christina Ricci — Yellowjackets

Jenna Ortega — Wednesday

Riley Keough — Daisy Jones & The Six

Sadie Sink — Stranger Things

Selena Gomez — Only Murders in the Building...

The 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards will air live from Barker Hangar on Sunday, May 7, hosted by Drew Barrymore in celebration of some of the biggest films and series of the past year. This year’s nominations are led by fan-favorites Top Gun: Maverick, Stranger Things, The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Wednesday, Jersey Shore Family Vacation, RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and Vanderpump Rules.

Big-screen giants such as Avatar: The Way of Water, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Scream VI scored nominations in the Best Movie category,...

In anticipation of the kick-off of the first round of Oscars voting on December 12, the academy released the titles of the features that were deemed eligible to compete in three categories: animated, documentary and international.

This voting only runs for four days, with the shortlists in 10 categories released on Dec. 21. The nominations in these, and the other 13 categories, will be revealed on Jan. 24, 2023. The 95th Academy Awards are March 12, 2023.

Animated Feature (27 entries)

Voting on this award is restricted to academy members from any branch who volunteer to be on the screening committee and attest to having watched their assigned entries. Members rank their top five choices and a multi-step system of counting winnows the various contenders down to the final five nominees.

“Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood”

“The Bad Guys”

“The Bob’s Burgers Movie”

“Charlotte”

“DC League of Super-Pets”

“Drifting Home”

“Eternal Spring”

“Goodbye, Don Glees!”

“Guillermo del Toro...

A total of 144 feature documentaries are being made available to voters in the Documentary Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, according to emails send to branch members by the Academy.

Almost all of the films have been put on the members-only streaming platform devoted to the category, with five final films listed as “coming shortly.” While the Academy’s official list of qualifying films in the category will likely not be released until December, a recent email to doc-branch members said that the 27 films added in November and the five due to be added shortly would be the “final release” of eligible documentaries.

If all 144 films meet the requirements, the field will be six films larger than last year’s 138 qualifying films. The record was set in 2020, when the Covid- era relaxation of eligibility requirements led to 238 films qualifying in the doc-feature category.

Also Read:

‘Good Night Oppy...

How Weird Al Yankovic approaches parody is markedly different than how many other artists use pre-existing material for comedy. Rarely is his aim to mock the song he is reinventing, which is how most people approach parody. Sure, occasionally the two are linked, such as making fun of Kurt Cobain's mumbly vocals with "Smells Like Nirvana," but the lyrical content of his songs almost never has anything to do with the original pieces of music. The links between "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" and Don McLean's "American Pie" or "The Brady Bunch" and Men Without Hats' "Safety Dance" basically don't exist. What Weird Al is really parodying is the self-seriousness of music.

Yankovic takes the formal structure of these popular songs and changes the lyrics to make them about something silly, like food, television, or menial tasks. The musicianship displayed is still top notch, as...

When Taylor Swift released "Red (Taylor's Version)" in November 2021, the second of her rerecorded albums, she also directed "All Too Well: The Short Film." The almost-15-minute video stars Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien as a couple who fall in love and break up, all to the tune of "All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)." In addition to serving as the short's director, Swift appears at the end as the older and wiser version of Sink's character, complete with red hair. On Aug. 12, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the film is eligible for an Oscar at the 2023 ceremony, competing in the best live-action short category.

At first glance, the short's chance at a statue might be confusing for movie-lovers. The eligibility period for feature-length films - the ones that compete for best picture and best documentary - is Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. But the eligibility window for shorts is Oct.

‘McEnroe’, ‘Explorer’ also out as holdovers dominate.

UK family feature The Railway Children Return headlines the new titles at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, releasing in 626 locations through Studiocanal.

Directed by Morgan Matthews, The Railway Children Return is a sequel to Lionel Jeffries’ 1970 feature The Railway Children. That film was based on E. Nesbit’s 1906 novel of the same name, about a family who move from London to beside a rural railway station, after the father is imprisoned on false accusations of spying.

The sequel is set during the Second World War, about a group of child evacuees from...

"No one's ever really written anything like it since." Paramount is releasing this music history documentary The Day The Music Died: American Pie streaming on Paramount+ next week. We're just catching up with this trailer and considering it looks like a good doc it's worth featuring. Fifty years ago, Don McLean's "American Pie" entered music history. It was a tumultuous time for the country, with political upheaval, civil unrest, a generational divide, and social turmoil. A half-century may have gone by, some things never change... including the enduring popularity of "American Pie." It's an extraordinary, wide-ranging look at the creation of the song -- but also its inspiration: the tragic plane crash that killed Buddy Holly. It examines the social upheaval & political unrest of the late 60s, including interviews with Garth Brooks, Brian Wilson, Jade Bird and "Weird Al" Yankovic, it's a kaleidoscopic journey through the evolution and legacy...

Disney’s “Thor: Love And Thunder,” starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale and Tessa Thompson, debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with a mighty £12.2 million (14.6 million), according to numbers released by Comscore.

Last week’s topper, Universal’s “Minions: The Rise Of Gru,” placed second in its second weekend with £4.3 million for a total of £18.4 million. In its third weekend, Warner Bros.’ “Elvis” was in third position with £1.3 million and now has a total of £13.8 million.

Tom Cruise vehicle, Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” the leading grosser of 2022 in the territory so far, continued soaring with £1 million in fourth place and has a hefty £70.6 million total after seven weekends.

Rounding off the top five was Universal’s “Jurassic World: Dominion” with £560,166 and a total of £31.7 million after five weekends.

There were three debuts in the top 10 this past weekend. Rse’s Pakistani film “London Nahi Jaunga,...

Click here to read the full article.

Don Graham, the music promotion pioneer who worked at Warner Bros. Records, A&m Records and Blue Thumb Records with the likes of Edd “Kookie” Byrnes and Connie Stevens, The Everly Brothers and Ike & Tina Turner, has died. He was 87.

Graham died Thursday in Los Angeles of stomach cancer, his family announced.

In 1958, Graham learned that Warner Bros. was about to start a record label and soon became head of its San Francisco operations. Under his leadership, Warner Bros. Records signed actors Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, Connie Stevens and Tab Hunter, plus The Everly Brothers and Peter, Paul & Mary.

One of Warner Bros.’ first records to be successful was “Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb” by Kookie and Stevens, based on Byrnes’ popular character on the ABC show 77 Sunset Strip. When top San Francisco radio station Kya would not add the song to its playlist,...

The nation’s fourth-largest cinema chain is testing a new subscription program called MovieFlex+ that includes a curated set of small and mid-sized films each week for no extra charge.

“We can’t live off just blockbusters,” chairman and CEO Greg Marcus tells Deadline. “We cannot just live off dinner. We need breakfast and lunch too.”

The launch of the 14.99 monthly service comes as the box office renaissance for wide-release studio franchises is clear, but whether that’s trickling down to smaller films less so. At issue is the long-term health of a theatrical ecosystem with breadth and depth of product.

Marcus began testing MovieFlex+ in two markets in January along with a general subscription plan, also new, called MovieFlex for 9.99 a month that offers one free film of choice. Both programs have deals on concessions and other perks. At two Columbus theaters, Crossroads and Pickering, where both programs are available,...

Paramount+ announced that The Day The Music Died: The Story Of Don McLean’S “American Pie” will premiere exclusively on the service Tuesday, July 19, both in the U.S. and internationally where the service is available. Additionally, the documentary will have a special Academy qualifying run in New York City and Los Angeles starting on July […]

The post Paramount+ Releases Trailer For New Music Documentary ‘The Day The Music Died: American Pie’ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Paramount+ has announced that it will exclusively stream The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s “American Pie” beginning Tuesday, July 19. The documentary explores the narrative that runs deeper than the catchy tune behind McLean’s famous song which has become a musical phenomenon woven into the history of American culture for the past 50 years. For the first time ever, McLean is revealing the secrets behind the iconic song as the documentary highlights cultural moments in the country’s history. The film tells the stories of people who are part of this moment from the beginning and shows the point of view of a new generation of artists who are motivated by the same values and ideas that inspired “American Pie.” (Credit: Courtesy of Paramount+) “This documentary is something that will make people think, especially since so many throughout the years have asked me what certain lyrics...

Exclusive: Paramount+ announced today that its documentary The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s “American Pie” will premiere exclusively on the streamer on July 19th, both in the U.S. and internationally, where the service is available. The film will also get an Academy-qualifying run in Los Angeles and New York City starting on July 8th, screening in Showcase Cinemas and associated theaters globally on July 14th and 17th.

With a narrative running deeper than a catchy tune and cryptic verses, “American Pie” is a musical phenomenon woven deep into the history of American culture, which has entertained audiences around the world for over 50 years. The documentary watches as McLean, for the first time, reveals the secrets behind his iconic song. It will also highlight cultural moments in America’s history that are as relevant now as they were when the song was released in 1971.

McLean is a Grammy Award honoree,...

Music is a powerful force that connects members of a generation, and when an icon of that generation passes away, the loss is felt among the masses; it is especially shocking when that larger-than-life celebrity dies suddenly and at a young age. Sadly, we have lost several musical artists much too soon, often due to the pressure, exposure or commitments that come with fame. Tour our photo gallery remembering 30 music legends and the details around their tragic deaths.

I was only nine years old when John Lennon died, and over 40 years later, I remember sitting at the kitchen table hearing the report on the radio that crazed fan Mark David Chapman had shot the legendary singer to death. This was one of the most shocking events in rock and roll history; fans were devastated, with a least three committing suicide. Chapman pleaded guilty and remains incarcerated. Just 15 years later, promising...

After a string of performers pulled out of this weekend’s planned NRA “Grand Ol’ Night of Freedom” concert in Houston, the musical event apparently has been canceled.

The concert was to have taken place during the organization’s annual conference. “American Pie” singer Don McLean, Larry Gatlin, Larry Stewart, Lee Greenwood, T. Graham Brown and Danielle Peck all canceled in the past few days, and this morning the only remaining act, country singer Jacob Bryant, posted on Twitter, “The show has been cancelled since yesterday.”

The show has been cancelled since yesterday.

— Jacob Bryant Music (@Jacobbryant1) May 27, 2022

While there doesn’t seem to have been any official announcement from the NRA, the page on its website once devoted to the event — billed as “A Saturday night concert like no other” — reads simply, “We’re sorry. We can’t find that page.”

The concert’s cancellation comes, of course, in...

A country music concert slated for this weekend’s NRA Convention in Houston just lost another performer. Larry Gatlin, a member of the country trio the Gatlin Brothers, has dropped out of the lineup. The 74-year-old vocalist and songwriter behind Gatlin Brothers hits like “All the Gold in California” and “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You)” says in a statement that he “cannot, in good conscience, perform at the NRA convention in Houston” following Tuesday’s massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 students and two teachers dead.

“American Idol” continues on March 13 for its fifth season on ABC and 20th overall. As always, Ryan Seacrest hosts the reality TV competition series while country superstar Luke Bryan, pop princess Katy Perry and Oscar-winning singer/songwriter Lionel Richie make up the judging panel.

This season the judges embark on yet another nationwide search for America’s next singing sensation. Auditions were held in Nashville, Tennessee, Austin, Texas and Los Angeles, California. If given a golden ticket, hopeful idols will advance to the Hollywood round. In a new twist this season, three contestants will be given a Platinum Ticket, which allows them to skip the first phase of Hollywood week. Huntergirl and Kenedi Anderson received the first two. Will the final Platinum Ticket be handed out tonight?

See Everything to know about ‘American Idol’ Season 20

Below, follow along with all the action on Night 3 of Season 20 of “American Idol.”

8:00 p.

Meeting Lionel Richie proved to be a religious experience for men and women of all ages on Sunday’s American Idol, elevating him to “Bell-Bottom Jesus” status.

The first to weep at the sight of Richie’s iconic ‘stache was Tristen Gressett, an Alabama teen whose peace necklace, feather earring and love of James Brown screamed old soul. So it came as no surprise when the 17-year-old said, “I want to bring back something that never should have left — soul.” The natural showman came in hot with a big performance of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” playing well to the...

New Kids on the Block released a video for their new song “Bring Back the Time” last week that’s perhaps the most potent expression of nostalgia we’ve ever seen. It’s the past in its purest, most uncut form, like it was created in Walter White’s secret basement laboratory and injected directly into the veins of their fans.

The video, which doubles as a commercial for the group’s upcoming Mixtape Tour, features Rick Astley, Salt-n-Pepa, and En Vogue (who are all on the tour) re-creating classic...

Ralph Emery, the country music disc jockey and television host who came to prominence on Nashville’s Wsm, died on Saturday of natural causes, while surrounded by family at Nashville’s Tristar Centennial Medical Center, his son Michael told AP. He was 88.

Among those paying tribute to Emery today was “American Pie” singer-songwriter Don McLean. “Ralph Emery was my friend. I did his show many times and he was kind enough to send me a Christmas card every year. He had that special country music knowledge and that voice,” McLean said in a statement provided by his publicist. “Ralph was to country music what Mel Allen was to the Yankees.”

Born on March 10, 1933 in McEwen, Tennessee, Emery was an inductee of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the National Radio Hall of Fame who served as Wsm’s all-night disc jockey from 1957 to 1972, there hosting live performances by,...

On June 29, 2014, at 8:02 p.m. Et, a user named NooYawkCity made the first of what would come to be many posts to a popular martial-arts forum on reddit.com. It was titled “58 year old white belt”:

I’ve been training about a year, and only recently gotten solidly hooked. From once every few weeks, to once a week to nearly every day. Now it’s an obsession. I’m in shit shape, gas early, and of course, hurt like hell after training. Given the limits of any reasonable expectations,...

Taylor Swift’s 10-minute version of “All Too Well” is now the longest Number One hit of all time, replacing Don McLean’s “American Pie” on Monday — a.k.a. the day the music died.

According to Billboard, the extended version of Swift’s greatest song, released earlier this month on Red (Taylor’s Version), assumes Number One at 10 minutes and 13 seconds. “American Pie” held that rank for nearly 50 years since it first landed on the charts in Jan. 1972.

“You guys sent a 10-minute song to Number One for the first time in history,...

Don McLean revealed the real meaning behind his iconic song “American Pie” for the hit song’s 50th anniversary in his new uInterview. McLean said he was “a nobody” when he put out his first album. “I had put out an album called Tapestry, and the album was very successful in the sense that it probably ended […]

The post Video Exclusive: Don McLean Reveals The Meaning Behind Iconic Song “American Pie” appeared first on uInterview.

The long-running VH1 series Behind the Music is making a return to the airwaves (or at least the Internet) with a new reboot airing exclusively on Paramount+.

Per the streaming service, the new 2021 Behind the Music will feature episodes with both new and legacy artists, who sit down for intimate conversations and interviews to reveal, “The moments they’ll never forget, the stories they’ve never told [and] the secrets they’ve never revealed.”

The first season of the Behind the Music reboot features Duran Duran, New Kids on the Block,...

This article contains Black Widow spoilers.

Black Widow is the first Marvel Studios release to have an opening credits sequence since 2010’s Iron Man 2. Which by itself is kind of nice. After all, both movies bookend Scarlett Johansson’s tenure in the role of Natasha Romanoff. Yet when watching the opening moments of Marvel’s latest adventure, the decision to include an ominous montage of young Nat’s childhood after the movie’s brutal cold open is about more than creating symmetry with the past; it fills in the most mysterious Avenger’s blindspots… and reveals the red in her ledger is also our own.

Scored to a haunting cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Black Widow’s opening titles dovetail out from one of the movie’s best moments. With a stripped down prologue devoid of space gods and magic rocks, Black Widow’s first 10 minutes...

This article contains Black Widow spoilers. We have a spoiler-free review here.

The MCU is finally back on the big screen! Marvel’s Black Widow was supposed to be the official kickoff of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but then the pandemic happened, it got bounced around the release calendar, and Disney managed to release three MCU TV shows before Natasha got to take her curtain call on the big screen.

But that’s thankfully behind us, and Black Widow delivers terrific blockbuster action in the mighty Marvel manner. And you know what that means! Let’s try and spot all the cool MCU references and Marvel Comics Easter eggs in Black Widow.

The Prologue Setting this prologue in 1995 gives us the approximate age of Natasha. If she’s supposed to be about 11 or 12 here, that conveniently makes the character the same age as Scarlett Johannsson, who was born...

This article contains Black Widow spoilers.

Black Widow has one of the best openings of any MCU movie yet, and I will fight you on that.

The story begins in Ohio, circa 1995, where a young Natasha Romanov is living with her Soviet spy family in quasi-but-not-totally-fake family bliss. The domestic dream ends once Alexei has completed his mission, forcing the family to make a dangerous getaway from the suburbs that ends in a tarmac shootout in which Melina gets shot and pre-teen Natasha has to pilot a plane on her own in order to save her family. Once the family lands safely in Cuba, everything falls apart for Natasha and little sister Yelena. They are drugged and integrated back into the Red Room program, which trains (read: brainwashes) young girls into becoming super spies.

We see that process in the film’s opening credit montage, which is set to a familiar song…...