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John Mayer is set to purchase the storied Hollywood lot established by Charlie Chaplin and later owned by A&m Records and the Jim Henson Company, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

A rep for Mayer — who has an office on the lot — confirmed that the musician, along with director and producer McG, is “under contract to buy Henson Studios.” An exact price tag was not divulged, but the deal is believed to be worth around $60 million.

The sale of the property had been garnering some attention, not just because of its...

Exclusive: John Mayer and McG are closing in to the buy the famed Jim Henson Studio lot ne the Charlie Chaplin Studios at 1416 N. La Brea in Los Angeles, CA. Sources are telling us this tonight. No purchase price was disclosed.

The Grammy winning singer has offices at the Jim Henson lot and uses the studio there to record, we hear. McG is the famed filmmaker behind the original Sony Drew Barrymore-Cameron Diaz-Lucy Liu Charlie’s Angels movies as well as the Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy action romcom, This Means War.

A rep for Jim Henson company declined to comment. A rep for Mayer told Deadline’s Dish — this is happening. Deadline reached out to a rep for McG. We’ll update you when we hear back from them.

Triple note — Disney doesn’t own the Jim Henson lot. The Henson family does.

The Jim Henson Company’s studio lot on La Brea Avenue will not be sold to the Church of Scientology, the estate of the famed puppeteer confirmed Saturday.

“In regards to recent rumors about the sale of the La Brea studio lot, the Henson family is not in any business dealings with the Church of Scientology, and that organization is not in consideration as a potential buyer of the property,” the estate said in a statement.

“It is still the family’s intention to move The Jim Henson Company to a new location it can share with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, but at this time the family is not in escrow with any buyer.”

Rumors of the potential sale were traced back to The InSneider, who referenced The Wrap’s own reporting about a potential sell of the lot from June. Film critic Jeff Sneider wrote, “Well, I’m...

Frank Oz’s illustrious career will be celebrated by the Museum of the Moving Image with screening series “The Magic of Oz: A Frank Oz Retrospective.”

All 15 films Oz directed will screen, ranging from “Little Shop of Horrors” to “The Muppets Take Manhattan” to “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Bowfinger.” Oz’s acting roles in “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Inside Out,” plus his character creations for “Sesame Street” and “The Muppet Show,” will also be part of the lineup. The series will take place from October 4 to November 30.

“Frank Oz has been a revered and adored artist for generations, yet I’d argue he’s under-appreciated for his filmmaking, which he’s dedicated the past 40 years to,” curator of film Eric Hynes said.

“From the beginning he defied expectations, starting with his now-classic homage to the Hollywood studio musical and B-movie creature feature, ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ and continuing through...

Sérgio Mendes, the pianist who gifted the world with the most famous version of the Brazilian classic “Mas Que Nada,” died on Thursday. Born in 1941, Mendes was a 20-year-old musician when he first arrived in the U.S. to perform at a historic Carnegie Hall concert that brought many bossa nova legends to New York in 1962. Two years after the show, Mendes moved to Los Angeles and never left the U.S. He also never abandoned Brazilian music, becoming one of the most significant ambassadors of bossa nova and samba around the world.

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...

Janet Jackson has announced a new residency at Las Vegas’ Resorts World Theater, starting during New Year’s week and running through February 2025. The residency follows Jackson’s “Together Again Tour,” which launched in 2023 and runs through October, as well as Jackson’s 2019 Las Vegas residency at Park MGM, “Janet Jackson: Metamorphosis.”

The new dates at Resorts World begin on December 30th and conclude on February 15th, 2025. Get your tickets here, and read on for more details, including how to get access to sold-out concerts.

Get Janet Jackson Tickets Here

What Is Janet Jackson’s 2024-2025 Las Vegas Residency?

Billed as “Janet Jackson: Las Vegas,” the pop icon will play 10 shows at Resorts World Theater spread across three months from late December 2024 to February 2025.

She’ll kick off the residency with a pair of New Year’s Eve concerts on December 30th and 31st. Following the holiday, she’ll return...

Award-winning actor Aaron Lazar, known for his two decades of captivating audiences on Broadway and beyond, is set to release a powerful new album, Impossible Dream, featuring some of the brightest stars in theater, television, and music on August 16.

This exciting announcement comes as Lazar bravely faces amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Als), a progressive neurodegenerative disease he was diagnosed with in January 2022.

Lazar said, “I first sang ‘The Impossible Dream’ 24 years ago as a grad student in Cincinnati playing Don Quixote in The Man of La Mancha, as my impossible dream of becoming a professional actor was coming true. All these years later, the song and its message have become an anthem for me. This album is incredibly special, not just because it is my debut album but also because it is an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate what I’m learning: we all have the power within us to make the impossible possible,...

Streaming activity for Sean “Diddy” Combs has severely dipped since he has been accused of assault and harassment.

When comparing Combs’ U.S. catalog streams during the first week of December — two weeks after Cassie Ventura sued him — with streams of his catalog during the week ending May 16, there was a 51.8 percent decrease for songs under his stage name Diddy from 2,624,000 streams to 1,265,000 streams, according to Luminate, which tracks music streams and sales.

As Puff Daddy during the same period, he saw a similar drop: there was a 48.3 percent decrease from 1,359,000 streams to 703,000 streams. Under his stage name Diddy, the change was very small: a 2.1 decrease from 604,000 streams to 591,200 streams.

The streaming decline comes after Combs apologized on Sunday for a recently surfaced 2016 video which sees him attacking Ventura, his ex-girlfriend and former protege who was signed to his Bad Boy record label. In the video, first obtained by CNN,...

Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jonathan Majors — who are both embroiled in controversies and allegations involving assault and harassment — appear on the ballot designed to pick who will be nominated at the upcoming BET Awards.

First-round voting to help determine nominees for the June 30 show kicked off this week, and Combs’ The Love Album: Off the Grid is on the ballot for album of the year, while the album track “Closer to God” with Teyana Taylor is competition for best collaboration. And Diddy’s guest appearance on Metro Boomin’s pop smash “Creepin,” also featuring The Weeknd and 21 Savage, appears on the ballot for the show’s top prize, video of the year.

Majors is in contention for best actor alongside 100 other performers. To be considered, actors should appear in a movie or TV show that premiered between March 16, 2023 and March 15, 2024; Majors’ recent credits include Creed III (released on March...

The Herb Alpert Foundation has announced the winners of its 30th annual Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, which recognizes mid-career artists in the fields of dance, music, film/video, theater and visual arts.

In all, there are 10 winners for 2024, each of whom will receive a $75,000 unrestricted prize as well as a residency at CalArts (which administers the prize on behalf of the Herb Alpert Foundation). The winners are chosen by a group of 15 distinguished panelists and are nominated by another group of respected names in the arts.

According to Irene Borger, the director of the Herb Alpert Awards in the Arts, what stands out among 2024’s cohort is how many winners work across genres and mediums.

“Over the years things have gotten more and more hybrid, so that even though there are these five categories, these five genres, one of the choreographers is coming out with a book, one of the filmmakers makes sculpture,...

Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features multi-instrumentalist Probyn Gregory.

Three and a half decades ago, when the Beach Boys were America’s favorite cheeseball uncles thanks to “Kokomo” and appearances...

The last time Sean Combs’ music competed at the Grammys, a then-unknown Mark Zuckerberg had just created Facebook, Nipplegate occurred at the Super Bowl and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King garnered a record-tying 11 Oscars. It was 2004, and Combs, aka Diddy, won best rap performance by a group or duo — his third Grammy — for the thumping hit “Shake Ya Tailfeather,” featuring Nelly and Murphy Lee. The track appeared on the Bad Boys II soundtrack, which Diddy executive produced and released on his Bad Boy label.

So his return to the Grammys, two decades later with a nomination for best progressive R&b album for his The Love Album: Off the Grid, is a major feat — and a proud moment for the artist. Some would even call the nomination a win (though we should note that there is zero chance his album can compete with Sza’s...

In the middle of August this year, three legends of the music industry died within 72 hours of each other: founder of A&m Records Jerry Moss; music lawyer Abe Somer; and my father, the “Black Godfather” himself, Clarence Avant. These three men helped define the recording industry of the past six decades, and what’s more, they were inseparable best friends.

Somer, Moss, and Avant met in New York City in the early 1960s, and in the six decades since, never left one another’s side, never once let their “soul contract” expire.

Seth MacFarlane is opening his wallet once again for the Entertainment Community Fund.

The prolific creator, who donated $1 million to Ecf in July for its efforts in supporting industry professionals amid Hollywood’s dual strike, has committed another $5 million. As part of the gift, Ecf and MacFarlane have teamed to launch a $10 million initiative in the hopes of attracting more donors during the work stoppage that has left thousands unemployed.

Ecf, previously known as the Actors Fund, spreads support beyond actors to offer programs and services, financial and otherwise, to those who work in the entertainment industry. As of Sept. 19, the fund has distributed more than $7.4 million to more than 3,515 film and TV workers including writing assistants, production assistants, key grips, gaffers, lighting and sound designers, script supervisors, people working in craft services, hair and makeup professionals, wardrobe insiders and others. The emergency financial assistance is used to cover basic living expenses like rent,...

Exclusive: Abramorama founder Richard Abramowitz has elevated longtime business partner Karol Martesko-Fenster to CEO and Co-Chairman of the indie distribution company. Evan Saxon has been promoted to President, Head of International Distribution, in a move meant to double down on their continued emphasis on social impact and music-driven content for theatrical and event releases globally.

Abramowitz continues as Co-Chairman atop the company he founded in 2002.

“Karol, Evan and I have worked closely together for years, with their partnership driving unparalleled results in the event-cinema world,” Abramowitz said. “Their decades-long experience in the music and social impact film genres makes me confident that they will take the company to the next level and continue to dominate, innovate and lead the way as the industry continues to evolve.”

Martesko-Fenster will lead the company in expanding its footprint and partnerships in the filmed entertainment sector while bolstering the strategic services to filmmakers and IP owners across all platforms.

Jerry Moss, co-founder of A&m Records, has died. He was 88.

According to Variety, the record exec — who along with his business partner, Herb Alpert, turned A&m into one of America’s leading independent record labels — died Wednesday at his home in Bel Air.

“They truly don’t make them like him anymore and we will miss conversations with him about everything under the sun. The twinkle in his eyes as he approached every moment ready for the next adventure,” his family said in a statement to the Associated Press.

Dionne Warwick, who wasn’t an A&m artist, but had been close to Moss ever since he helped promote her music in the early 1960s also released a statement, calling him one of the “kindest gentlemen” and her “dear friend.”

“Another of my dear friends has made his transition. Jerry Moss was and will always be remembered as one that...

Jerry Moss, who co-founded A&m Records with Herb Alpert, died at his home in Bel Air, California, according to a statement from his family via Associated Press. He was 88. No cause of death was given.

“They truly don’t make them like him anymore and we will miss conversations with him about everything under the sun,” the statement reads in part, “the twinkle in his eyes as he approached every moment ready for the next adventure.”

Formed in 1962, Alpert and Moss’ A&m (named after their initials) label’s quarter-plus...

Jerry Moss, who co-founded A&m Records with Herb Alpert and released top-selling albums by The Carpenters, The Police, Alpert and others, has died. He was 88.

Moss’ family said he died peacefully from natural causes Tuesday night at his home in Bel Air. “Jerry was a force of nature,” his wife, Tina Moss, said. “He lived life to the fullest.”

“I never met a nicer, more honest, sensitive, smart and talented man than my partner Jerry Moss,” Alpert said in a statement.

Moss and Alpert were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. At the 1966 Grammys, he won record of the year for co-producing “A Taste of Honey,” sharing the win with Alpert, too. He received four other Grammy nominations and he earned the Grammy Trustees Award — awarded to those who “made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording” — in 1997.

Born Jerome Sheldon Moss, he...

Jerry Moss, the Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who co-founded A&m Records with Herb Alpert more than 60 years ago and helped build it into one of the most successful independent record labels in history, died today in Los Angeles. He was 88.

His family shared the news in a statement to the Associated Press.

Nazareth’s Top 10 hit ‘Love Hurts,’ 1975

Named for its co-founders, the artist-focused A&m Records was launched in 1962 and has boasted such hitmaking and influential acts as The Police, Quincy Jones, The Carpenters, Carole King, Styx, Janet Jackson, Peter Frampton, The Go-Go’s, Supertramp, Rita Coolidge, Joe Cocker, Sheryl Crow, Bryan Adams, Humble Pie, The Tubes, Oingo Boingo, Cat Stevens/Yusuf, Nazareth and, of course, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. Billy Preston had a pair of No. 1 singles for the label with “Will It Go Around in Circles” and “Nothing From Nothing” in the mid-1970s.

It was a huge week for Taylor Swift on the Billboard 200, which almost goes without saying when Swift releases a new album. For the tracking week that ended July 13, she topped the chart with “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” the re-recording of her 2010 country album. It’s her third “Taylor’s Version” release, following “Fearless” and “Red,” and it achieved the biggest week of any of those. Read more about this week’s chart here at Billboard.com.

SEEBillboard Hot 100: Every #1 song of 2023

“Speak Now” achieved a whopping 716,000 equivalent album units based on its combined album sales, individual track sales, and online streaming performance. That’s the most units for any album in a single week in 2023, and the most units since Swift’s own “Midnights” last fall. It’s also Swift’s 12th number-one album, breaking her tie with Barbra Streisand for the most ever for a woman.

Los Angeles, July 17 (Ians) Singer Taylor Swift continues to make her mark in history and the release of ‘Speak Now’ (Taylor’s Version) has given the songstress a major win.

The re-recorded ‘Speak Now’ made its debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart joining three other Swift albums in the Top 10. Swift’s achievement marked the first time a woman has ever done this in 60 years and only one of three living artists to have ever scored such a feat, reports Deadline.

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) moved 716,000 album-equivalent units during its first week, according to Billboard. Swift’s other three albums in the Top 10 are Midnights(2022) at No. 5, Lover (2019) at No. 7 and Folklore (2020) at No. 10.

Previously, Herb Alpert had four albums in the Top 10 with Going Places at No. 2, Whipped Cream & Other Delights at No. 3, South of the Border at No. 9 and The Lonely Bull at No. 10. The other...

Taylor Swift continues to make her mark in history and the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) has given the songstress a major win.

The re-recorded Speak Now made its debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart joining three other Swift albums in the Top 10. Swift’s achievement marked the first time a woman has ever done this in 60 years and only one of three living artists to have ever scored such a feat.

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) moved 716,000 album-equivalent units during its first week, according to Billboard. Swift’s other three albums in the Top 10 are Midnights (2022) at No. 5, Lover (2019) at No. 7 and Folklore (2020) at No. 10.

Previously, Herb Alpert had four albums in the Top 10 with Going Places at No. 2, Whipped Cream & Other Delights at No. 3, South of the Border at No. 9 and The Lonely Bull at No. 10. The other artist that accomplished this feat was Prince,...

Taylor Swift has broken yet another record with Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).

The superstar is the first living artist in nearly 60 years to have at least four albums at the same time in the top 10 on Billboard’s 200 chart. Midnights, Lover and Folklore join Swift’s newest album on the chart, where it sits at No. 1.

The only other living artist to do so was Herb Alpert in 1966 with his albums Going Places, Whipped Cream & Other Delights, South of the Border and The Lonely Bull, according to Billboard. Following Prince’s death in 2016, the star had five albums in the top 10 — The Very Best of Prince, Purple Rain, The Hits/The B-Sides, Ultimate and 1999.

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) marked Swift’s 12th No. 1 album on Billboard’s chart and her third rerecorded and rereleased album, which includes hits like “Mine,” “Dear John,” “Back to December” and “Ours.”

The...

Taylor Swift has made history with Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). As one of four albums the artist has in the Top 10 simultaneously, Swift becomes the first woman to achieve that milestone since the Billboard 200 combined mono and stereo album charts into one in August 1963, as Billboard reports. The album also bowed at Number One on the Billboard 200 albums chart and marks the largest week for any album this year.

The re-recorded Speak Now is Swift’s 12th Number One album, which sets another record: she has surpassed Barbra Streisand...

Tl;Dr:

The Beach Boys’ “Darlin'” is a soul song by a band that is generally known for making rock ‘n’ roll. Wilson explained why he enjoys the song so much. “Darlin'” became a modest hit in the United States.

Brian Wilson said The Beach Boys‘ “Darlin'” was his favorite song he wrote. In addition, he doesn’t think all of his tunes are perfect. Notably, “Darlin'” inspired several covers by renowned artists.

Brian Wilson loves the melody of The Beach Boys’ ‘Darlin”

During a 2015 interview with American Songwriter, Wilson was asked to describe his songwriting process. “I go to the studio and sit down at the piano and play chords,” he said. “Whatever I feel like playing, you know? And then a melody starts to happen, and then the lyrics start to happen, and then you’ve got a song.”

He was also asked to name his favorite song that he wrote.

Astrud Gilberto, who was just 22 years old when her lovely, laid-back and sultry vocals on the jazzy bossa nova “The Girl from Ipanema” made the song a massive global hit and one of the most recognizable melodies of the 1960s, died Monday. She was 83.

Her death was announced to the media by a family friend, the musician Paul Ricci, who did not provide additional details.

Born on March 5, 1940, in Salvador, Bahia, and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Gilberto was virtually unknown to the wider public when she was recruited by producer Creed Taylor, saxophonist Stan Getz and her then-husband, guitarist Joao Gilberto, and to lend her vocals on two songs for Getz/Gilberto. The album, recorded in 1963, would have a huge impact on the popularization of bossa nova music, in no small measure due to of one of those songs featuring Astrud: “The Girl from Ipanema,” released as a...

Just one year ahead of its 30th anniversary, the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts has announced 11 winners — the most ever — of its annual prizes which recognize and fund risk-taking mid-career artists in the fields of dance, music, film/video, theater and visual arts.

The 2023 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts winners — each of whom receive $75,000 in unrestricted funding (with one duo sharing the payment) — include filmmakers Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich and Christopher Harris.

“I believe in the arts. I think the arts are the heart and soul of our country. Not just music. We’re talking about actors and poets and painters and sculptors — the whole gamut. We need the artists, especially in these times. They are creating through their passion and those people need to be supported and helped and nurtured. It’s a dire need out there. A lot of people are struggling. We’re just trying to do our part,...

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...

Songwriter, composer, producer and arranger Burt Bacharach, a dominant force in American popular music for half a century, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Wednesday. He was 94.

Bacharach’s publicist Tina Brausam revealed the news on Thursday.

As a tunesmith, the nonpareil melodist Bacharach found fame in every medium.

His songs — many of them written with lyricist Hal David — became chart-topping successes, particularly in the hands of vocalist Dionne Warwick. Among ’60s songwriting duos, only Lennon-McCartney rivaled Bacharach-David in terms of commercial and artistic achievement. Bacharach collected six Grammys as a writer, arranger and performer from 1967-2005.

His music was ubiquitous on screens both big and small in the ’60s and ’70s, and he was recognized by the Academy Awards and Golden Globes for his work on “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969) and “Arthur” (1981). He collected a 1971 Emmy for a TV recital of his work.

On Broadway,...

Burt Bacharach, the velvety smooth composer and orchestrator whose partnership with lyricist Hal David brought swanky sophistication to pop music in the 1960s, has died. He was 94.

Bacharach died Wednesday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, publicist Tina Brausam announced.

Bacharach composed the music for some 50 top 10 hits, including six that reached No. 1. Among his most celebrated efforts were “Walk on By,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” “What’s New Pussycat?” “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” “Alfie,” “This Guy’s in Love With You” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”

He and David were dubbed the “Rodgers & Hart of the ’60s.” Many of their songs were popularized by Dionne Warwick, whose singing style inspired Bacharach to experiment with new rhythms and harmonies, composing innovative melodies for such tunes “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “I Say a Little Prayer.

Abramorama, a New York-based film distribution and marketing company, has acquired worldwide rights to “What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?” Described as a stranger-than-fiction political thriller, the documentary takes a deep dive into the disappearance of one of the great counterculture bands of the late 60s and early 70s.

“What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears” chronicles the never-before-told story about a rock group who was unknowingly embroiled in a political rat’s nest, one that involved the U.S. State Department, the Nixon White House and a controversial concert tour of Yugoslavia, Romania and Poland (countries that were behind what was then known as the Iron Curtain). As a result, they found themselves in the crossfire of a polarized America.

Blood, Sweat & Tears is known for hits such as “Spinning Wheel,” “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” and “And When I Die.” Prior to its accidental political entanglement,...

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Shotgun Wedding, You People, Poker Face and Truth Be Told.

You People premiere

Director Kenya Barris and stars Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lauren London, David Duchovny, Nia Long, Sam Jay, Travis Bennett, Elliott Gould, Molly Gordon and Anthony Anderson walked the red carpet on Tuesday for the L.A. premiere of their Netflix comedy.

Poker Face premiere

Natasha Lyonne and Rian Johnson debuted their new Peacock mystery-of-the-week series on Tuesday in L.A., alongside costars Benjamin Bratt, Adrien Brody and longtime friend Amy Poehler.

Kate Berlant x UTA party

UTA hosted a party in NYC on Tuesday for client Kate Berlant’s sold-out one-woman show, Kate. Guests included Ben Platt, Emily Ratajkowski, Tavi Gevinson, Jeremy O. Harris, Ziwe, Eric Andre, Mike Birbiglia, Emma Stone, Cazzie David, Aidy Bryant,...

When General Hospital cast and writers appeared at the Television Critics Association winter press tour to celebrate the ABC serial’s 60th anniversary, it was inevitable that one of the drama’s most controversial storylines would get revisited.

Genie Francis was among the show’s TCA panelists (along with Maurice Benard, Kristina Wagner, Rebecca Herbst, Donnell Turner, Nicholas Chavez and Tabyana Ali, EP Frank Valentini and co-head writers Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor). And shortly after Francis fielded a question about Luke and Laura’s 1981 wedding (which drew 30 million viewers), she and others were asked to comment on how...

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The Music Center’s concert to celebrate A&m Records co-founder Jerry Moss is taking shape.

The event, originally scheduled for February 2022 but postponed due to a surge in Covid-19 cases, will feature a lineup of artists from the label’s roster with scheduled performances by Peter Frampton, Amy Grant, Morgan James, Nova Payton, Paul Rodgers, Joe Sumner and Dionne Warwick. Not performing but confirmed for the program are Herb Alpert, Misty Copeland and Burt Bacharach with pre-recorded appearances by Sheryl Crow, Cat Stevens and Sting.

The concert — bookended by a preshow reception and a post-performance dinner — is designed to honor Moss’ contributions to music and will be held at the Music Center’s Mark Taper Forum. Additional performers are expected.

Moss and wife, Tina, are said to be longtime patrons of the Music Center. In 2020, they gifted 25 million to help support the cultivation...

Rolling Stone‘s interview series King for a Day features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and singers who had the difficult job of fronting major rock bands after the departure of an iconic vocalist. Some of them stayed in their bands for years, while others lasted just a few months. In the end, however, they all found out that replacement singers can themselves be replaced. This edition features Dave Coutts from the Stone Temple Pilots spinoff group Talk Show.

On Sept. 2, 1997, a new alt-rock band named Talk Show released their debut album.

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,...

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Celebrity deejay and Pass the Mic guru DJ Cassidy posted up at Herb Alpert’s jazzy Vibrato Grill on Monday night in Los Angeles for a birthday bash that featured Cassidy passing the microphone in person to some R&b legends.

The impromptu session saw Thelma Houston sing “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” Shalamar’s Howard Hewett turn out “Night To Remember, Shanice deliver her classic “I Love Your Smile,” Meli’sa Morgan on “Fools Paradise” and Chante Moore with “Now That Love’s Taken Over.”

El Debarge then surprised Cassidy on the piano with a rendition Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” followed by a performance of the smash “Rhythm Of The Night” accompanied by a band led by musical director Adam Blackstone. Debarge closed the evening with Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing” after he...

Netflix released the new original film “Spiderhead” last week, but in addition to debuting a new thriller starring Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller, the streamer also unveiled a truly killer soundtrack of yacht rock staples – and you can see the full “Spiderhead” soundtrack list below.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick”) and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (“Deadpool”), “Spiderhead” is based on a dystopian short story by George Saunders and takes place entirely at a facility called – you guessed it – Spiderhead. Run by Chris Hemsworth’s Steve Abnesti, this facility is host to prisoners serving long sentences who have agreed to take part in an experimental drug trial in exchange for more freedoms.

But as Teller’s prisoner character Jeff soon learns, there may be more than meets the eye when it comes to the true nature behind these experimental drug trials.

Also Read:

Chris Hemsworth Runs...

H.E.R. returned to the Grammys stage to deliver yet another show-stopping performance on Sunday. The Grammy-winning and 21-time-nominated singer performed "Damage," interpolating "Making Love in the Rain" by Herb Alpert featuring Lisa Keith and Janet Jackson, and "Are You Gonna Go My Way," alongside Lenny Kravitz, Travis Barker, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis. And it's safe to say, they brought the house down!

This year, H.E.R.'s eight Grammy nominations dominated nearly all the R&b categories - which included best R&b song, best R&b album, best R&b and traditional R&b performance. She ended up taking home the award for best traditional R&b performance for "Fight For You."

"I feel like it's kind of telling me I'm here for the long game."

In a recent interview with Popsugar, the 24-year-old spoke about her accolades and shared that she receives them as confirmation that "I'm doing something right.

Looking back 50 years at anything that isn’t related to geology, evolution or astronomy feels like a glimpse at a long-bygone age. That’s especially so for the 14th annual Grammy Awards, which took place on March 14, 1972 at the Felt Forum in New York’s Madison Square Garden and were broadcast on ABC.

The show was hosted by virtuoso easy-listening singer Andy Williams; presenters included Ed Sullivan, the Fifth Dimension, the Carpenters and “Brady Bunch” star Florence Henderson. Carly Simon won Best New Artist; Kris Kristofferson won Best Country & Western Song for “Help Me Make It Through the Night”; and in a horrifying-in-retrospect accolade, best children’s album went to “Bill Cosby Talks to Kids About Drugs.”

However, in uncharacteristically hip moves, Isaac Hayes’ “Shaft” won Best Original Score for a Motion Picture; Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers and Ike & Tina Turner won R&b categories; Cheech and Chong, nominated for Best Comedy Album,...

On paper, the prominent use of sensitive American singer-songwriter music from the 1970s and ‘80s in a modern Norwegian romantic comedy might seem rather incongruous, if not downright anachronistic. But five decades on from some of their biggest successes, Art Garfunkel, Todd Rundgren, Harry Nilsson and Christopher Cross are back on the big screen helping soundtrack Danish/Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s acclaimed “The Worst Person in the World,” which is nominated for best original screenplay and best international feature film at the upcoming Academy Awards.

Co-written by Trier and longtime collaborator Eskil Vogt, “Worst Person” has already won best foreign language film from the New York Film Critics Circle and garnered Renate Reinsve the best actress award at Cannes. The movie follows Reinsve’s Julie as she navigates the restless transition from her 20s into her 30s, spanning two long-term relationships that conjure tough existential questions about love, fidelity,...

Jerry Moss, the co-founder of A&m Records, doesn’t like to dwell on regrets and missed opportunities, but that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been promising things that have slipped through his fingers. “I think we had the opportunity to sign Neil Diamond and we couldn’t afford it at the time, but to see Neil flourish the way he has is very heartwarming,” he says during our recent webchat (watch the video interview above). He does enjoy looking back on some of the great music the label produced and singles out albums by Sting, Peter Frampton and Joe Cocker as being his personal favorites that A&m put out.

The story of the label is told in the new documentary, “Mr. A & Mr. M: The Story of A&M Records,” which recently premiered on Epix. It spans from the founding of the label by Moss and Grammy winner...

Many a baby boomer as well as those who came of age as part of the MTV generation now has an early holiday present in the form of a two-part docuseries that celebrates their careers and digs into the story behind the iconic A&m Records. “Mr. A & Mr. M” just premiered the first part on Epix and will conclude on December 12.

Those initials in the title stand for trumpeter Herb Alpert and music mogul Jerry Moss, who decided to start a record label in Alpert’s garage in 1962. They recorded a modest hit single called “Tell It to the Birds” and invested the money the Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass’ debut album “The Lonely Bull,” inspired by a bullfight Alpert attended in Mexico. But in 1965, Alpert truly hit pay dirt when Moss suggested he record the album “Whipped Cream and Other Delights” that featured songs with food themes. But the...

The story of one of the most celebrated labels in recorded music history will unfold in a two-part docuseries, “Mr. A & Mr. M: The Story of A&m Records,” newly announced for the Epix network and being produced by the Kennedy/Marshall Company and Polygram Entertainment.

The first episode will premiere on the premium network Dec. 5 at 10 p.m., with the finale airing a week later in the same time slot.

One-time A&m artists Sheryl Crow, Yusuf/Cat Stevens and Peter Frampton are among those who sat for interviews for the doc series, which will include the music of the Police, the Go-Go’s, the Carpenters, Carole King and Joe Cocker, among others.

Producer Frank Marshall described it as following in the tradition of another two-part music doc that the Kennedy/Marshall Company did for Epix, last year’s acclaimed “Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time.”

“In the same way...

Epix is digging into the story behind iconic A&m Records. The premium cable network has set a December premiere date for Mr. A & Mr. M: The Story of A&m Records, a music docuseries from Laurel Canyon producers Frank Marshall and Ryan Suffern, Kennedy/Marshall Company, Polygram Entertainment, Interscope Films and Universal Music Publishing Group. The two-part docuseries will premiere at 10 p.m. December 5 and conclude December 12.

Fall Premiere Dates For New & Returning TV Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming

Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss started A&m Records out of a garage in 1962 and built into one of the most successful independent record labels in history. Produced by Marshall and directed by Suffern, the docuseries takes an in-depth look at the company’s distinct approach of focusing on its artists, discovering unique talent and evolving with the ever-changing music industry. With rare archival footage and audio-only interviews, Mr. A & Mr.

HBO’s “Mare of Easttown” and Netflix’s “The Queen’s Gambit” may be the frontrunners for Best Limited Series but attention must be paid to HBO’s brilliantly and timely “I May Destroy You.” A BAFTA, Film Independent Spirit Award, Gotham and Peabody Award-winner, ‘’I May Destroy You” is nominated for eight Emmys including three for multi-hyphenate Michaela Cole.

Just as the #MeToo movement has brought sexual assault into the forefront of our consciousness, “I May Destroy You” is a fearless dive into the aftermath of rape. The series follows Arabella, a young British writer, who instead of finishing her novel, goes out on London town with friends. She wakes up in the morning with a bloody gash on her head and a busted iPhone with flashes of memories of the night before. She soon realizes that her drink had been spiked and she was sexually assaulted. We follow and...

On the plane home from Jordan, Antony Blinken seems relieved to be talking about something other than his day job. In January, Blinken was sworn in as secretary of state under President Biden. When Blinken’s name surfaced as a nominee, his longtime passion for music made the headlines: It turns out he could play guitar reasonably well, wrote record reviews during his college days, and had penned his own songs (even making indie recordings of some of them, available on streaming services).

Shortly before the latest flare-up in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,...

Exclusive: PBS is to air documentary Sergio Mendes & Friends: A Celebration, about the acclaimed Brazilian musician.

The film will premiere as part of special programming on PBS stations in June 2021 and is derived from the feature documentary Sergio Mendes: In The Key Of Joy by filmmaker John Scheinfeld (The U.S. vs John Lennon).

The deal was negotiated by Wned PBS and the film’s distributor Brainstorm Media.

Mendes, who exploded onto the scene in the 1960s with his group, Brasil ’66, played a big role in popularizing Brazilian music around the world, and at the same time created his own genre by fusing Brazilian music with American pop. The three-time Grammy winner has made 35 albums, including Timeless, produced by will.i.am. Hit singles include “Mas Que Nada”, “The Look of Love”, “Scarborough Fair”, “Night and Day”, “Never Gonna Let You Go” and his famous rendition of “Fool on the...

Exclusive: Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, creators of the viral TikTok smash Bridgerton The Musical, have signed with CAA and Kraft-Engel Management.

Since the musical duo posted the first Bridgerton-inspired number on TikTok in January, the songs and performances have notched more than 165 million views and an international fanbase. Barlow and Bear have composed, orchestrated and produced 15 original songs over the past six weeks, sharing the musical’s develop with fans as they proceed.

Barlow and Bear have been profiled in various news outlets recently, including Variety, People, Entertainment Weekly, The Boston Globe, the BBC and NPR.

Bear is a pianist, composer, singer-songwriter and a musical prodigy who made the first of seven appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show at age six. She writes and performs in genres including jazz, classical, pop, film scoring and musical theater, and has performed all over the world at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center,...