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Four Emmys. Three Oscars. Two Grammys. One-half of a legendary songwriting team who made an enduring impact on the soundtrack of Hollywood.

Alan Bergman — whose collaboration with wife Marilyn resulted in dozens of indelible songs performed from everyone from Frank Sinatra to Barbra Streisand to Michael Jackson, and soundtracked everything from In the Heat of the Night to Severance — died Thursday at the age of 99. (Marilyn died in 2002.)

The Bergmans formed a formidable lyric-writing duo, teaming with several of the greatest composers of the 20th century, including Quincy Jones, John Williams, Ennio Morricone, Henry Mancini, and Marvin Hamlisch.

They received the Trustees Award from the Grammys in 2013 and were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980; the couple also received the organization’s highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, in 1997.

Here are 10 must-hear classics from their award-worthy songbook.

“Nice ‘n’ Easy” (1960)

Cowritten with Lew Spence, the swinging lead single...

Jessica Simpson graced the stage of American Idol on Sunday, marking her first TV performance in 15 years.

Wearing a shimmering slit gown, Simpson tore through her sizzling track “Blame Me,” from her new EP Nashville Canyon: Part I. She then enlisted former Idol contestant Josh King for her cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin.”

Simpson recently performed the Sinatra cover last spring at SXSW, alongside her rendition of Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man” and the Nashville Canyon cuts “Breadcrumbs,” “Leave,” “Blame Me,...

While the Joel side of the Coen Brothers directorial coin mounted a prestige cinematic treatment of The Tragedy Of Macbeth for his first solo outing, brother Ethan's first feature Coen Brother joint, Drive-Away Dolls, was an altogether wilder affair — a Margaret Qualley led lesbian road movie filled with dildos and double-crosses galore. And if the first trailer for EC's sophomore solo feature Honey Don't! is anything to go by, then a similarly riotous caper awaits. Once again starring Margaret Qualley, this time as a lesbian private investigator on the trail of a cultist played by former Captain America Chris Evans, Ethan Coen's latest, co-written alongside longtime collaborator and wife Tricia Cooke, looks to be a dark comedy through and through, firmly of a piece with Drive-Away Dolls. Check out the trailer below;

Mysterious cop Aubrey Plaza? Check! Evans doing his Arthur Ransome shit-eating grin as a crooked pastor called Reverend Drew?...

Roy Thomas Baker, the prolific producer who worked with the likes of Queen, The Cars, David Bowie, Devo, Journey and The Smashing Pumpkins, has died according to The New York Times. He was 78.

Baker is best known for his work on one of rock’s greatest and most enduring anthems: Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The sprawling operatic song proved a challenge to record, especially given the technology of the time. Baker and the band had to transfer the tune’s many overlapping tracks across eight generations of 24-track tape, which required close to 200 tracks for overdubs.

“We had to record it in three separate units,” Baker later recalled. “We did the whole beginning bit, then the whole middle bit and then the whole end. It was complete madness. The middle part started off being just a couple of seconds, but Freddie kept coming in with more ‘Galileos’ and we kept...

Roy Thomas Baker, the journeyman rock producer who was behind the boards on hits like the Cars’ “Just What I Needed” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” has died. He was 78.

Baker died earlier this month, April 12, at his home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, though his family only just revealed the news. A cause of death has not yet been established.

Baker worked with some of the biggest rock acts of the past 50 years, including Queen, Lindsey Buckingham, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Smashing Pumpkins, Guns N’ Roses, Foreigner, Alice Cooper,...

Terry Manning, a noted music producer and recording engineer who worked at Memphis’ Stax Records during a transformative time in pop and R&b, died on March 25 due to a heart aneurysm. He was 77.

Famously affiliated with the Memphis studio, where many hits were recorded by the likes of Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, Booker T. & The Mg’s, Al Green and Sam & Dave, in addition to other influential acts of the 1960s and 1970s, Manning played a key role in the production team for The Staple Singers, working on such classics as “Respect Yourself” and “I’ll Take You There” while at Stax. The melding of the Memphis soul sound with rock and pop was a trademark of his production work, which also marked early and significant commercial collaborations between white and Black musicians.

He went on to work at another iconic studio in the city, Ardent, where Big Star...

Jessica Simpson is sitting on a thrifted green banquette in her Nashville music room, wondering if Sister Rosetta Tharpe is trying to send us a message. We’d been talking about the late godmother of rock & roll, who Simpson just described as “the most badass” of all potential badasses, when the silver resonator guitar behind her rung out a dissonant note entirely on its own. Was it contact from the great musical beyond, or just Simpson bumping the neck against the window? Who even cares either way? Simpson, after more...

“Everybody’s just in the best mood and it gets better and better throughout the day,” I overheard a fan say Thursday afternoon at the 2025 Luck Reunion. His observation was spot-on. For its 13th year, the boutique festival held on Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch in Spicewood, Texas — just outside of Austin, as the song goes — proved to be unlike any music fest on earth.

With stages set up in and around the Old West buildings that dot the grounds, a movie set where Nelson filmed his 1984 Western Red Headed Stranger,...

After returning to music in February to release her new song “Use My Heart Against Me,” Jessica Simpson performed her first concerts in 15 years this week.

Simpson appeared as a special guest at the Recording Academy’s Block Party at South By Southwest in Austin on Wednesday, March 12th, performing a six-song set. She busted out her new track, “Use My Heart Against Me,” as well as three other new country songs appearing on her upcoming EP Nashville Canyon: “Breadcrumbs,” “Leave,” and “Blame Me.” She also covered Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man,” and ended the set with her famous rendition of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.”

“Last night, was my first performance in 15 years. It was an emotional coming back home to the best part of myself,” Simpson wrote on Instagram of the SXSW performance. “Thank you for embracing me. You know that...

Living in the Catskills for six years has made Hannah Cohen an expert at mushroom foraging. In the several acres of woods that surround her mid-Seventies house, she’ll encounter golden oysters, chicken-of-the-woods, indigo milk caps, black trumpets, and maitake (she takes home 30 pounds worth of the latter every year).

But two years ago, she came across an unfamiliar species that stunned her: earthstars, bizarrely beautiful fungi with several arms resembling a celestial body. “They looked like they were from another planet,” Cohen, 38, says. “I was like, ‘What the fuck is this?...

Nepo babies have been around as long as there have been artists. The idea of a "legacy" is one we humans simply cannot get away from. As storytelling beings, we will have always constructed -- and will continue to construct -- broad, historical, intergenerational narratives for ourselves. We can't stop tracing our professional and personal origins among the ancients, and writing their stories directly into our own. We simply shed our fascination with the possibility that talents can be passed from one generation to the next. 

That's certainly the case in Hollywood, a relatively recent art institution in human history, but still rife with its own multigenerational legacies. It's likely you read the headline above and instantly thought of the Coppola clan. The Coppola family has, as of this writing, accrued 12 Oscar wins and 40 nominations between them, and they currently hold the record for the family with the most members to be nominated for Oscars.

Marvin Laird, the award-winning Broadway and film composer who also conducted concerts for big stars like Diana Ross and Bernadette Peters, died Monday in Connecticut from natural causes. He was 85.

Laird participated in various hits on stage and the big screen. Among the most notable Broadway shows he conducted are “Annie,” “Get Your Gun,” “Gypsy” and “Follies.” His stage presence went beyond Broadway, conducting concerts for like Joel Grey, Cass Elliot, Dusty Springfield, and Goldie Hawn. He also composed the dance music for the ballet “Smile with My Heart” and the score for “Ruthless! The Musical” alongside Joel Paley who wrote the book and lyrics. Laird and Paley later went on to become partners in marriage.

As for film credits, Laird wrote the dance music for “Hello, Dolly!” starring Barbra Streisand, “New York, New York,” starring Liza Minnelli and Robert DeNiro, and Robert Altman’s “The Company.” He scored popular TV shows including,...

Marvin Laird, who composed music for Broadway and the big screen and served as Bernadette Peters’ musical director for many years, has died. He was 85.

Laird died Monday of natural causes in Redding, Connecticut, a family spokesperson announced.

Marvin conducted for such hit Broadway revivals as 1999-2001’s Annie Get Your Gun, 2003-04’s Gypsy and 2011-12’s Follies, all starring Peters. He also worked with the famed performer in 2009 for a concert benefiting her charity, Broadway Barks.

“My beloved Marvin had impeccable style and a delicious sense of humor, and his generous spirit has made everyone he worked with fall in love with him,” the two-time Tony winner said in a statement. “I was a major beneficiary of Marvin’s genius and generosity of support and love.”

He conducted concerts for her as well as for Joel Grey, Diana Ross, Cass Elliot, Dusty Springfield and Goldie Hawn.

Laird wrote...

Marvin Laird, a prolific Broadway, film and TV composer, conductor and musical director who lent his talents to projects featuring such stars as Bernadette Peters, Joel Grey, Diana Ross, Cass Elliot, Dusty Springfield, Goldie Hawn, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli and Robert DeNiro, died Monday, December 2, of natural causes. He was 85.

“My beloved Marvin had impeccable style, a delicious sense of humor, and his generous spirit made everyone he worked with fall in love with him,” said Peters in a statement to Deadline. “I was a major beneficiary of Marvin’s genius and generosity of support and love.”

From Broadway, where he wrote dance arrangements for Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1966, conducted Gypsy in 2003 with Peters in the starring role, and played keyboards for the 2017 Hello, Dolly! revival starring Midler, to television, Laird was a busy musical collaborator from...

Vic Flick, the famed British session guitarist who picked out the twangy riff for the James Bond theme song introduced to moviegoers on Dr. No, has died. He was 87.

His death on Thursday after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease was announced by his family on Facebook.

Flick also played on No. 1 hits for Peter and Gordon (“A World Without Love”) and Petula Clark (“Downtown”); performed on Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual” and “Ringo’s Theme” (This Boy) for A Hard Day’s Night (1964); and collaborated with the likes of Jimmy Page, George Martin, Herman’s Hermits, Cliff Richard, Eric Clapton, Dusty Springfield and Engelbert Humperdinck.

“He was a musician’s musician,” Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues wrote in the foreword to Flick’s 2008 memoir, Vic Flick Guitarman: From James Bond to The Beatles and Beyond.

“He always stood up to play! Yes, I know it sounds obvious — but you...

Emotions ran high as The Voice’s Season 26 Knockouts came to a close Monday night. Uncle Snoop Dogg was even reduced to tears by the prospect of picking between three of his contestants. Was his choice really so hard, though? Let’s discuss all the performances, then we can debate it out in the comments.

Team Reba: Lauren-Michael Sellers singing “Hold On to Me” (Grade: B+) defeated Danny Joseph singing “It Hurt So Bad” (Grade: A) and Tate Renner singing “In Color” (Grade: B) — Danny saved by Reba | Up first, Danny was so present and so compelling, if...

Showbiz has always made for strange bedfellows. Still, it’s hard to fathom any single personality linking talents as diverse as Pet Shop Boys, Bob Dylan, Fishbone, John Tesh, Diana Ross, Dusty Springfield, Toto, James Brown, TLC, Lulu, Stephen Stills, Tanya Tucker, Bette Midler, Gladys Knight, Scott Baio and Richard Simmons. Yet that list is just the tip of a collaborative iceberg for the subject of “The World According to Allee Willis,” about the late songwriter estimated to have sold over sixty million records.

Among many other accomplishments, Willis was also a compulsive archivist of her own very full life, so Alexis Manya Spraic’s documentary feels like a colorful sampler drawn from near-inexhaustible source materials. Magnolia is opening this entertaining tribute to a hugely successful yet highly idiosyncratic artiste in limited U.S. theaters on Friday.

Greatly influenced by the Motown sounds of her Detroit area youth, Willis was best known for co-writing Earth,...

As The Voice’s Season 26 Knockouts continued Tuesday night, we were treated to covers of everything from Frank Sinatra to Miley Cyrus. But for five contestants, their numbers turned out to be their swan songs (whether we got to hear them or not). Translation? Read on, and I’ll explain.

Team Gwen: Gabrielle Zabosky singing “Used to Be Young” (Grade: A) defeated Felsmere singing “Son of a Preacher Man” (Grade: C+) and Kay Sibal singing “One Last Time” (Grade: A-) | Oof. Starting out Tuesday’s episode, Felsmere delivered a rendition of Dusty Springfield’s classic that packed all the punch of limp spaghetti.

Litmus Music has acquired Randy Newman’s music publishing and his stake in his recorded music catalog, the company announced Thursday. The deal includes both songs and film scores from throughout his entire career, which dates back to the 1960s.

Among the more famous songs in Newman’s catalog that are part of the acquisition are “I Love L.A.,” “Short People,” “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” “Feels Like Home,” “Mama Told Me Not to Come” and “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” His film scores include the four “Toy Story” films, “The Natural,” “Awakenings,” “Monsters Inc.,” “Cars,” “Ragtime,” “A Bug’s Life” and “Marriage Story.”

The company said it was entering a “creative partnership” with the musician. No price tag was publicly set on the deal.

Litmus launched in the summer of 2022 and made its first major acquisition the following December, buying Keith Urban’s rights to his master recordings.

Cissy Houston, mother of the late singer Whitney Houston, died on Monday at 91 years old.

“In our time of deep sorrow, we announce the passing of Emily ‘Cissy’ Houston, who transitioned today, Monday, Oct. 7, at 10:30 a.m. Et, at her home in Newark, New Jersey, while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease,” the Whitney Houston estate said in a statement.

The statement said Houston died “surrounded by her family.” Her sister, Pat Houston, who is the current executor of the Whitney Houston estate, said, “Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness.”

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“Mother Cissy [was] a strong and towering figure in our lives,” Pat said. “A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared greatly about family, ministry and community. Her more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will remain at the forefront of our hearts.

Cissy Houston, the mother of the late singer and actress Whitney Houston, has passed away at the age of 91. Through the years, Cissy also made a name for herself as a soul and gospel singer. The singer’s daughter-in-law shared the news of what had happened in a statement.

The Singer & Matriarch Passed Away In Her New Jersey Home

Houston had died in her home in New Jersey on October 7. Her daughter-in-law Pat Houston shared that she had been under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease. She was 91 at the time of her passing.

As noted by People, Pat shared that, “Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We loss the matriarch of our family.” The statement continued, “Mother Cissy has been a strong and towering figure in our lives. A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared greatly about family, ministry, and community. Her more than seven-decade...

Cissy Houston, the two-time Grammy-wining gospel singer, mother of the late Whitney Houston and backup singer for acts ranging from Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin to Jimi Hendrix, Paul Simon and Luther Vandross, died today of Alzheimer’s disease complications at her home in New Jersey. She was 91.

Her death was announced by her family.

“In our time of deep sorrow, we announce the passing of Emily ‘Cissy’ Houston, who transitioned today, Monday, October 7, at 10:30 a.m. Et, at her home in Newark, New Jersey, while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease,” said the family statement, obtained by Deadline.

Houston was born Emily Drinkard on September 30, 1933, in Newark. The youngest of eight children, she launched her singing career in 1938 when she joined her sister Anne and brothers Larry and Nicky to form the gospel group The Drinkard Four.

More famously, Houston was a member of The Sweet Inspirations,...

Scott Simon, who dedicated 52 years playing the piano for doo-wop group Sha Na Na, died Thursday in Ojai, California, at the age of 75 after a long battle with sinus cancer, his daughter Nina Simon announced.

Nina shared the news on Thursday in a social media post. “My dad was a rock star. Literally. A member of Sha Na Na for over 50 years. He loved early morning diners and late nights onstage. But he loved his girls most of all,” she wrote in a caption with photos of her father and their family.

Sérgio Mendes, the Brazilian bossa nova legend who became a Grammy-winning international star with his band Brasil ’66, has died at the age of 83.

The musician’s family confirmed he died September 5 in a statement they shared with Rolling Stone on Friday, adding that Mendes “passed away peacefully” in Los Angeles surrounded by his family.

“Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold out and wildly enthusiastic houses in Paris, London and Barcelona. For the last several months, his health had been challenged by the effects of long-term Covid,” the family’s statement said.

Sérgio Mendes, the Brazilian composer, arranger and pianist whose melding of his native country’s traditional music with ’60s-vintage American pop, bossa nova, samba, funk and hints of cool jazz became one of the decade’s most beloved and popular sounds, died peacefully Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 83.

His death was announced by his family to the Guardian news organization. According to their statement, Mendes died following several months of ill health caused by the effects of long-term Covid. “His wife and musical partner for the past 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, was by his side, as were his loving children,” reads the family statement.

According to the family, Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold-out “and wildly enthusiastic houses” in Paris, London and Barcelona.

The 1967 LP ‘Look Around’ by Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66

One of Brazil’s most influential crossover artists beginning in the 1960s, Mendes — often in association with...

Right up until his death in 2022, Bob Neuwirth was known to cognoscenti as a songwriter (“Mercedes Benz,” famously recorded by Janis Joplin), painter, recording artist, and onetime member of Bob Dylan’s inner hipster circle. The last thing he was known for was being famous, which his longtime partner, music executive Paula Batson, says was intentional. “He was very self-effacing in a way,” she says. “He didn’t believe in blowing your own horn. He loved promoting other people and helping them, but he wasn’t good at self-promotion.”

Two...

What are Whitney Houston‘s very best songs? Scroll through our gallery of her top hits and hidden gems. Does your favorite make the cut? And do you agree with our pick for number one?

Houston is one of the most iconic and influential singers in pop music history. Born August 9, 1963 into a family with deep gospel roots, she began strict vocal lessons from her Grammy-winning mother, Cissy Houston, at age 13. Cissy came from the popular gospel group The Drinkard Singers before forming the highly sought after crew of background vocalists called The Sweet Inspirations. Cissy’s voice can be heard on hundreds of songs for artists such as Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, Van Morrison and Luther Vandross. Most notably, Cissy provides the soaring soprano backing Aretha Franklin in the Queen of Soul’s classic hit, “Ain’t No Way.”

In 1983, Arista Records President Clive Davis signed Whitney to his...

Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to “The World According to Allee Wilis,” a new documentary about the musical powerhouse best known for writing the “Friends” theme song and Earth Wind & Fire’s “September.”

The film, which is directed by Alexis Spraic, had its world premiere at SXSW and has been hitting the festival circuit. It most recently screened at the Provincetown Film Festival, and will next be showcased at Frameline.

The documentary features interviews with musicians, artists and power players such as Mark Cuban, Cyndi Lauper, Lily Tomlin, Paul Reubens, Michael Patrick King, Patti Labelle, Pet Shop Boys, Pamela Adlon, Paul Feig and Mark Mothersbaugh (Mothersbaugh also composed the music for the film).

The filmmakers say that Willis, who always dressed in “a cacophony of prints and colors” and boasted a “signature asymmetrical haircut,” had a public persona that was brashly confident. However, privately, Willis struggled with not...

Like just about everyone, Kate Hudson loves Fleetwood Mac. Specifically, she loves Stevie Nicks. So much so, in fact, that she wants to “go method” and play the rockstar in a hypothetical biopic.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Hudson gushed over Nicks and the thought of getting to embody her as a character. “But my family might, like, disown me if I ever got a chance to play Stevie. ‘Cause they’d be like, ‘Can we not go method?’ I would probably go way too far into that character,” she explained.

Get Stevie Nicks Tickets Here

“I think for all girls who love rock, Stevie’s just our number one,” Hudson continued. “Her whole life experience and the music. Fleetwood Mac, that whole journey from before Stevie to after Stevie? And her relationship with Lindsey? It’s like a trilogy. There’s so much there. To me, that...

Like just about everyone, Kate Hudson loves Fleetwood Mac. Specifically, she loves Stevie Nicks. So much so, in fact, that she wants to “go method” and play the rockstar in a hypothetical biopic.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Hudson gushed over Nicks and the thought of getting to embody her as a character. “But my family might, like, disown me if I ever got a chance to play Stevie. ‘Cause they’d be like, ‘Can we not go method?’ I would probably go way too far into that character,” she explained.

Get Stevie Nicks Tickets Here

“I think for all girls who love rock, Stevie’s just our number one,” Hudson continued. “Her whole life experience and the music. Fleetwood Mac, that whole journey from before Stevie to after Stevie? And her relationship with Lindsey? It’s like a trilogy. There’s so much there. To me, that...

Kate Hudson is joining the chain of actresses who aspire to portray Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks in a biopic.

The “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” star told Rolling Stone that playing Nicks onscreen is her dream role; Hudson recently made her own music debut with album “Glorious.”

“To me it’s also about the interesting life, and being able to tell that story correctly,” Hudson said. “The ultimate is Stevie [Nicks]. But my family might, like, disown me if I ever got a chance to play Stevie. ‘Cause they’d be like, ‘Can we not go method?’ I would probably go way too far into that character.”

Hudson added, “I think for all girls who love rock, Stevie’s just our number one. Her whole life experience and the music. Fleetwood Mac, that whole journey from before Stevie to after Stevie? And her relationship with Lindsey? It’s like a trilogy.

This is a great moment to be the Pet Shop Boys. The ultimate Eighties synth-pop duo are having a renaissance right now, just in time for the 40th anniversary of their classic hit “West End Girls.” They have a brilliant new album, Nonetheless, their zippiest of this century and one of their best ever. New fans are discovering them in films like Saltburn and All of Us Strangers. They even scored the ultimate 2024 status symbol: a beef with Drake, after Aubrey Graham used “West End Girls” without permission for “All The Parties.

Swifties' understanding of the concert team's choices enhances nostalgia and appreciation for each Taylor Swift era. The Eras Tour movie incorporates some impressive Easter Eggs, such as nods to previous albums and music videos. Swift's enthusiasm for celebrating her musical journey is evident through details like her manicure and set pieces.

Now that Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is available to stream, there is all the time in the world to spot the numerous Easter Eggs throughout the concert movie. The Eras Tour movie is a three-and-a-half-hour experience capturing Swift's record-breaking concert, interwoven with nods to real-life performances, many of the songs' music videos, and other iconic moments from Swift's career. The Eras team worked tirelessly to bring Swift's musical journey to life in the form of a concert and incorporated some impressive and clever Easter Eggs.

The fact that Lover begins and Midnights ends the Eras Tour is no coincidence,...

In addition to performing two songs as musical guest, Ariana Grande popped up in a couple sketches on the latest episode of Saturday Night Live, including one that poked fun at Moulin Rouge!

The sketch recreated scenes from the 2001 movie musical, with Grande portraying Nicole Kidman’s Satine and Bowen Yang as Ewan McGregor’s Christian. The original Baz Luhrmann film took contemporary pop songs, mashed them up, and placed them 1900 Paris. The SNL sketch also did that, but to the extreme, using Grande’s vocal talents to create ridiculous musical mash-ups.

Ariana Grande wasn’t just the musical guest during the March 9 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” While she took the stage to perform two songs from “Eternal Sunshine,” her just-released sixth album, “We Can’t Be Friends” and “Imperfect For You” — and was introduced by her mom, Joan Grande, for the second number — she also took on two different sketches.

After appearing as a patient in a group therapy session during the first half of the show, she was invited back to the stage later on in the night for a “Moulin Rouge” spoof, giving her the opportunity to sing covers of multiple hit songs.

The sketch created a PBS special, hosted by Mikey Day, taking a look at what the “Elephant Love Medley” would have looked like had director Baz Luhrmann known they’d be able to get the rights to other love songs; Bowen Yang and Grande played Christian and Satine,...

Exclusive: Paradise Square‘s Chilina Kennedy, Ryan Silverman (The Phantom of the Opera), Justin Matthew Sargent (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) and Ain’t No Mo’s Crystal Lucas-Perry have been cast in the upcoming Off Broadway musical A Sign of the Times featuring the songs of Petula Clark, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield and other ’60s hitmakers.

The York Theatre Company production begins previews February 7 at New World Stages and opens February 22.

The casting was announced today by the York in association with Richard J. Robin, President, Wells St. Productions LLC.

The cast also includes Cassie Austin, Erica Simone Barnett, Shawn Bowers, Alyssa Carol, Jeremiah Ginn, Kuppi Alec Jessop, Lena Mathews, Maggie McDowell, J Savage, Michael Starr and Edward Staudenmayer.

Additional casting will be announced in coming weeks.

The musical, which features a book by Lindsey Hope Pearlman based on an original story by Richard J. Robin, is set during...

A Sign of the Times, a new musical featuring the songs of Petula Clark, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield and other classic pop hits of the 1960s will have its New York City premiere Off Broadway at New World Stages this winter, with previews starting February 7, 2024, in advance of an opening night on Thursday, February 22.

A York Theatre Company production, A Sign of the Times features a book by Lindsey Hope Pearlman based on an original story by Richard J. Robin. Directing is Gabriel Barre, with music direction and orchestrations by Joseph Church and choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter.

Casting will be announced in coming weeks.

The musical, featuring such ’60s pop classics as “Downtown,” “Gimme Some Lovin’,” “Rescue Me,” “I Know A Place” and dozens more, had its world premiere at Goodspeed Musicals’ Norma Terris Theatre in 2016 and played a sold out run at the Delaware Theatre Company in 2018. A...

Bryan Ferry is revisiting his 1994 album Mamouna with a deluxe reissue that drops November 17th. A new vinyl pressing of the LP isn’t all the package has to offer, however: it also comes with a disc of early Sketches of the record’s songs, as well as a second, previously unreleased album from the era.

Cut at half-speed at Abbey Road Studios, Disc 1 in the Mamouna reissue offers the original album, mastered by Bob Ludwig. Next is Horoscope, an album of additional songs that Ferry began writing in 1989 on the way to releasing Mamouna. In addition to original solo music from the artist, the eight-track project features a 10-minute version of Roxy Music’s 1973 song “Mother of Pearl.”

Finally, the reissue features Sketches, or early versions of Mamouna songs recorded between 1989 and 1993. The disc features instrumental versions of tracks like “Your Painted Smile,” “NYC/Desdemona,” and “Loop De Li,...

(Welcome to Did They Get It Right?, a series where we look at Oscars categories from yesteryear and examine whether the Academy's winners stand the test of time.)

Best Original Song is such an odd category. On the Academy Awards broadcast, it is the one that gets the most airtime, as it is typical to perform all five of the nominated tunes during the show. While this is technically meant to showcase the nominees, it is really an excuse to break up what would be a fairly monotonous, long awards show.

However, most of the songs nominated for Best Original Song aren't all that interesting. A lot of the time, these tunes aren't integral to the film itself in the slightest, and they are simply musical wallpaper to play over the end credits of a movie as you file out of the theater. This is also the category most susceptible...

Working Title chairman and composer have bought the studios with music producer Steven Kofsky from the BBC.

Working Title co-chairmen Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner have partnered with music producer Steve Kofsky and composer Hans Zimmer to buy London’s historic music recording facility Maida Vale Studios from the BBC.

They plan to keep the building as a music studio space, conduct a multi-million pound refurbishment and create a not-for-profit educational facility on the site.

The BBC has owned Maida Vale Studios since 1933, since when music artists including The Beatles, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Dusty Springfield have recorded in the building.

London’s Maida Vale Studios has been sold to a partnership between Working Title co-chairmen Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner and composer Hans Zimmer and his business partner Steve Kofsky.

According to the partners, the plan is to keep the original façade of the building and “preserve the ethos of Maida Vale”. The building will remain as a studio space, with a multi-million pound refurbishment plan for its existing studios as well as a not-for-profit educational facility.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Maida Vale Studios was first bought by the BBC in 1933. Since then, it has seen the likes of David Bowie, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Dusty Springfield record in the building, and has become a home for the BBC Performing Group. It has also more recently welcomed the likes of Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Katy Perry and Sam Smith.

The sale of Maida Vale comes after...

Warning: spoilers for Good Omens season 2

Good Omens season 2 features an original story involving Aziraphale and Crowley protecting a confused archangel Gabriel while uncovering the mystery of his memory loss. The season is accompanied by a fun soundtrack, with notable songs including "You Don't Own Me," "Symphony No. 5 In D Minor," and "Good Old Fashioned Lover" by Queen. The song "Everyday" by Buddy Holly plays a significant role throughout the season, symbolizing Gabriel's newfound connection to human experiences and emotions.

Good Omens season 2 not only brings Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and Crowley (David Tennant) back, but it also follows the steps of season 1 and features an incredible soundtrack, with one in particular stealing the show. After a long wait of four years, Amazon Prime’s Good Omens is finally back with its second season, but as season 1 covered the whole book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, season 2 is an original story.

This article contains spoilers for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” season 2 of “Yellowjackets” and “Beef.”

2023 has been a year saddled with head-thumpingly obvious needle drops.

Excited to see robots scuffle in “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”? A key fight scene will be soundtracked to LL Cool J’s 1991 hit, “Mama Said Knock You Out.” During the trailers beforehand, a spot for the Dracula movie “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” features a remix of Smashing Pumpkins’ “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” in which Billy Corgan sings, “The world is a vampire / Sent to drain.” Chilling out after the movie to watch the new episode of “The Idol”? Prepare for star The Weeknd’s new song “Take Me Back,” which literally describes the toxic relationship between the two lead characters

Why are so many blockbuster films and some of television’s most adventurous shows addicted to cringey song choices? The unlikely...

Wes Anderson’s latest endeavor Asteroid City is making its crash-landing into theaters this Friday, June 23rd, and it has a fitting soundtrack to match. As a preview, Jarvis Cocker has shared one of his contributions to the film called “Dear Alien (Who Art In Heaven),” a single he wrote with Anderson and his former Pulp bandmate Richard Hawley. The song also features Seu Jorge, who was prominently featured on the soundtrack for Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

Considering Asteroid City takes place in a desert town in 1955, the soundtrack comes chock-full of period-setting tunes like classic bluegrass and country as well as mid-century pop. Along with a couple of originals from Cocker are songs by Bing Crosby, The Springfields (featuring a young Dusty Springfield), Burl Ives, Tex Ritter, and many more, as well as a score by Alexandre Desplat.

Cocker is just one of many voices...

Cynthia Weil, the celebrated songwriter who helped craft timeless hits like the Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” the Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” and Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire,” died Thursday, June 1. She was 82.

Weil’s daughter, Jenn Mann, confirmed her death, though no cause was given. “My mother, Cynthia Weil, was the greatest mother, grandmother and wife our family could ever ask for,” Mann said. “She was my best friend, confidant, and my partner in crime and an idol and trailblazer for women in music.

“Aurora,” the once fictional album imagined by Taylor Jenkins Reid in her best-selling novel “Daisy Jones & the Six” has come to life with 11 of the 25 original songs written for Prime Video’s TV show adaptation. Blake Mills and Tony Berg reimagined songs Reid listed in the back of her book for “Aurora,” enlisting collaborators like Marcus Mumford, Phoebe Bridgers and more to write and record the album.

But in addition to the original Daisy Jones & the Six songs, classic 70s rock and roll hits like Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move” and The Byrds’ “Goin’ Back” set the scene for the collision of Daisy Jones and rock band The Six, who rocket to fame together, echoing the dynamic of Fleetwood Mac, Civil Wars and The Eagles to name a few.

Here are all the songs in “Daisy Jones & the Six”:

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‘Daisy Jones & the Six...

Quentin Tarantino’s classic crime drama, Pulp Fiction, has an iconic soundtrack that is full of nostalgic and upbeat songs, which give the film a powerful momentum from start to finish. The soundtrack is filled with energy and vibrancy, bringing every scene to life and elevating the entire project way beyond the words written on the page. Not a single moment of Pulp Fiction would be the same without Tarantino’s entertaining music choice, making it one of the most valuable assets in the film’s arsenal. There’s a wide range of styles and genres that play throughout the story, allowing each scene to feel distinct and new.

Although nobody can agree upon which of Tarantino’s several movies is his best, Pulp Fiction is his certainly one of his most iconic. It practically reinvented the entire genre, proving that crime films don’t need to be sad and...

From “Walk on By” to “The Look of Love” to “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” to “The Blob,” Burt Bacharach composed indelible pop songs that became staples of the soundtrack of their eras.

The prolific tunesmith, who died Feb. 8 at age 94, grew to prominence early in his career by penning film scores and hits (with lyricist partner Hal David) for movies such as “Casino Royale,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Alfie,” “What’s New Pussycat,” “After the Fox,” “Arthur” and “Night Shift.” And yes, Bacharach and lyricist Mack David (brother of Hal) wrote the late 1950s novelty hit “The Blob,” which stemmed from the 1958 horror comedy that helped propel Steve McQueen to stardom.

From the March 24, 1954, edition of weekly Variety

Bacharach’s first reference in Variety came in the March 24, 1954, edition of weekly, when he was name-checked as the musical director for the Ames Brothers, as part of a...

Burt Bacharach, legendary composer, songwriter, and occasional singer, who was undoubtedly one of the most important composers and commanding music figures of the 20th century, passed away at 94.

Publicist Tina Brausam confirmed that the six-time Grammy and three-time Academy Award-winning musician passed away in his home in Los Angeles, California, on Wednesday.

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Bursting with romantic optimism, Bacharach’s work with frequent writing partner, lyricist Hal David, whom he met in 1956 while at the Brill Building in New York City, served as an alternative to rock and roll in the 1960s and 1970s and was regularly heard playing over the radio. But Bacharach’s music career had begun long before he met David.

Burt Freeman Bacharach, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was the son of a syndicated newspaper columnist, Bert Bacharach, and amateur artist and pianist, Irma (Freeman) Bacharach. Upon moving to Queens,...

Burt Bacharach, the three-time Oscar-winning and six-time Grammy-winning songwriter, producer, composer and arranger whose vast influence in American popular music stretched from the 1950s into the new millennium, is dead. He passed away Wednesday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles at 94.

His death was announced by his publicist Tina Brausam.

If you were an avid moviegoer or follower of popular music in the decade between the mid-1960s and the mid ’70s, it was impossible to avoid the massively prolific Bacharach’s compositions. His songs, many done in tandem with lyricist Hal David, included some of the biggest tunes of the era and numerous hits with singer Dionne Warwick: “Walk on By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “What the World Needs Now,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “Don’t Make Me Over” and the 1966 theme to the Michael Caine feature “Alfie.