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Beyoncé is facing some particularly familiar competition for an Emmy this year: her own husband.

As the 2025 Emmy nominations were announced on Tuesday, both Queen Bey and Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) were listed as nominees in the outstanding variety special (live) category; Beyoncé for her Beyoncé Bowl halftime show for the NFL’s Christmas Day game on Netflix, and Jay as one of the executive producers for Kendrick Lamar’s Apple Music Super Bowl Lix Halftime Show.

It’s hard to track how many times a husband and wife have ever competed against one another in the same Emmy category in the past, though it’s certainly not a common occurrence.

Both Beyoncé and Lamar’s halftime shows were critically lauded and groundbreaking. Beyoncé performed the first-ever Christmas Day NFL halftime show, while Lamar broke records for the most-viewed Super Bowl halftime show of all time with over 133 million viewers.

A father-daughter composing team was nominated, Hans Zimmer could win his first Emmy, and a music supervisor was nominated for three different shows — just some of the surprises among nominations for the 2024-2025 Emmys unveiled Tuesday morning by the Television Academy.

Thomas Newman and his daughter Julia Newman were nominated for their music for Netflix’s miniseries “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” a first in Emmy history for a two-generation, same-family collaboration on a single television score. And in another musical-family story, Oscar and Emmy winner Michael Giacchino’s son Mick Giacchino was nominated for his original music for HBO’s “The Penguin.”

Zimmer, who has two Oscars and four Grammys, has never won an Emmy but could this year with his nomination in the documentary music category for NBC’s “The Americas” (shared with fellow composers Anze Rozman and Kara Talve).

Music supervisor Gabe Hilfer dominated the...

Everything old is new again, or, as The Who sang in the ironically titled "Won't Get Fooled Again" — "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." In this awful world, the counterculture becomes corporate culture, and the revolution becomes authoritarian rule. The state is overthrown by the opposition party, who then become the thing they hated — the revolutionary Ortega overthrew the dictatorial Somoza, only to become a dictator himself; Choibalsan took over from Amar and sent him to death before becoming infinitely worse; Rákosi and his 'salami tactics' supplanted Tildy, only to become... well, you get it.

The political register of existence is a ceaseless nightmare, and so we must group together to survive — help your family and friends, because the powers-that-be won't. The title of I'm Still Here reflects that kind of resiliency and the cyclical nature of state-sponsored suffering. I'm Still Here is a Brazilian film from...

The 97th Academy Awards are just around the corner, airing live on ABC and streaming live on Hulu on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 7 p.m. Et/4 p.m. Pt. Conan O'Brien will be hosting and answered press questions in his comedically elliptical way.

Joining O'Brien at the Oscars press conference were Raj Kapoor (executive producer and showrunner), Katy Mullan (executive producer), Rob Paine (co-executive producer), Mike Sweeney (producer and writer), Jon Macks (writer), Michael Bearden (music director), Alana Billingsley (production designer), and Mandy Moore (supervising choreographer).

Meeting A-listers? Nah. Entertaining a worldwide audience of millions? Nope. Conan O’Brien has one very specific reason for hosting this year’s Academy Awards.

"The incredible lighting. Because when I see people in a mall, all they say is, 'You look so good in person. What's wrong with you on television?' So this is my chance."

Yes, O’Brien had the jokes ready during a Wednesday meet-and-greet with the media, where he was joined by the show’s creative team to tease what was in store for this Sunday’s big show. And he was excited to share that he'd reached out to Oscar host extraordinaire Billy Crystal for advice.

"I've spoken with Billy, who I think is the all-time great," O'Brien offered. "He will always be the top. And one of the first contacts I had was from Jimmy Kimmel and his beautiful wife Molly [McNearney], who reached out to me.

The 97th Academy Awards are just around the corner, airing live on ABC and streaming live on Hulu on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 7 p.m. Et/4 p.m. Pt. Conan O'Brien will be hosting, and the event is set to also work as a benefit for victims of the L.A. wildfires in January, with much of the ceremony themed around Los Angeles. At a recent press conference with the Oscars' creative team, O'Brien joined Raj Kapoor (executive producer and showrunner), Katy Mullan (executive producer), Rob Paine (co-executive producer), Mike Sweeney (producer and writer), Jon Macks (writer), Michael Bearden (music director), Alana Billingsley (production designer), and Mandy Moore (supervising choreographer). O'Brien answered some questions in his comedically elliptical way, first describing who we can expect to be prime targets for his jokes.

"I think Ron Howard has been riding too high, too long. Tom Hanks, too. Those are just two people,...

The 97th Academy Awards will feature a Quincy Jones tribute with Queen Latifah performing.

The news was announced by executive producer Raj Kapoor during a press conference with the creative team. “One of the most exciting things that we’ve worked on this year is a musical performance that will tribute Quincy Jones,” he said, adding that Queen Latifah will be “a part of the performance.”

Jones received a Governor’s award earlier this year. “We’ve planned and curated this beautiful moment that we hope will uplift the room, that will celebrate the spirit of Quincy and all of his greatness,” Kapoor said. “It’s a beautiful moment, and we think it will be very celebratory and make everybody feel really good.”

As previously announced, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will perform a “Wicked” medley to begin the Oscars ceremony. Blackpink’s Lisa, currently appearing on this season of “The White Lotus,...

We’ve got some new details about the 2025 Oscars!

Music director Michael Bearden teased details of the forthcoming ceremony in an interview with ABC’s Rocsi Diaz, which includes performances by Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

“We just had the announcement that not only are we going to have Ariana Grande, we’re also going to have her cast mate, Ms. Erivo, is going to be there, too. Are we going to have a Wicked moment?” the correspondent asked on Good Morning America, with the music director nervously looking off-camera as he smiled at the question.

Keep reading to find out more…

“Um, tune in!” he said.

“Any time you see those two together, you have to expect something. So, that’s what I’ll say,” he teased.

Back in the GMA studio, host Ginger Zee said that “Michael also revealed that the Oscars are going to honor...

Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, June Squibb and Bowen Yang will be presenting at the 2025 Oscars, the Academy announced on Tuesday. They join last year’s acting winners Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Emma Stone in handing out statuettes on March 2, when the 97th Academy Awards take place at the Dolby Theatre Ovation Hollywood, hosted by Conan O’Brien.

As previously announced, the show will see the return of the “Fab 5” format, where previous winners stand on stage and heap praise on each of this year’s nominees. In the past, the format has been used for the acting categories, but not this year, given the implosion of “Emilia Pérez” lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón’s campaign due to her history of bigoted tweets. Instead, five previous winners will assemble to highlight below-the-line talent.

The 97th Academy Awards...

Oscars executive producers Raj Kapoor, who also serves as showrunner, and Katy Mullan revealed the members of the production team for the 97th ceremony, which will be hosted by Conan O’Brien Sunday, March 2.

Rob Paine returns as co-executive producer and Taryn Hurd as do producers Sarah Levine Hall. Supervising choreographer Mandy Moore and lighting designers Bob Dickinson and Noah Mitz also rejoin the team. Producers Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney will be first-time team members.

Writers for this year’s show include Amberia Allen, José Arroyo, Josh Comers, Dan Cronin, Jessie Gaskell, Skyler Higley, Berkley Johnson, Ian Karmel, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Carol Leifer, Jon Macks, Conan O’Brien, Matt O’Brien, Agathe Panaretos and Mike Sweeney.

As previously announced, the show’s production team also includes director Hamish Hamilton, production designers Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley, and music director Michael Bearden.

The 2025 Academy Awards will take place March 2 at the Dolby Theater at Ovation Hollywood.

The Oscars have revealed key members of the production team for the 2025 awards ceremony, airing on March 2.

Executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor and executive producer Katy Mullan announced on Monday that Rob Paine will return as co-executive producer and Taryn Hurd and Sarah Levine Hall will return as producers. All three won Emmys back in September for their work on the 2024 Oscars.

Mandy Moore will be supervising choreographer, having performed the role last year. Not to be confused with the singer, Moore’s credits include “La La Land,” Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, “Dancing with the Stars,” “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.” She won Emmys for the latter three.

Veteran lighting designers Robert Dickinson (68-time Emmy nominee and 18-time winner) and Noah Mitz (30-time Emmy nominee and two-time winner) also rejoin the team.

Producers Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney, who have worked with O...

The Academy has named its production team for the 97th Academy Awards ceremony.

Rob Paine is set to return as co-executive producer, and Taryn Hurd and Sarah Levine Hall return as producers. Also rejoining the team are Mandy Moore as the show’s supervising choreographer, and Bob Dickinson and Noah Mitz as lighting designers. Producers Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney join the team for the first time.

Moore is no stranger to the Oscar space. Last year, she was behind the choreography of Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” performance.

This year’s host, Conan O’Brien, is also on the team of writers. Rounding out the team are Amberia Allen, José Arroyo, Josh Comers, Dan Cronin, Jessie Gaskell, Skyler Higley, Berkley Johnson, Ian Karmel, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Carol Leifer, Jon Macks, Matt O’Brien, Agathe Panaretos and Mike Sweeney

The show’s production team also includes director Hamish Hamilton,...

With less than a month to go until the 97th Academy Awards, the show’s executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor and executive producer Katy Mullan have announced the members of their production team for the telecast, which will be hosted by Conan O’Brien. The 2025 Oscars will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 2, at 7 p.m. Et/4 p.m. Pt.

Returning to the telecast are Rob Paine as co-executive producer, Taryn Hurd and Sarah Levine Hall as producers, Mandy Moore as supervising choreographer and Bob Dickinson and Noah Mitz as lighting designer.

Producers Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney are joining the team for the first time.

Joining O’Brien as writers for the show: Amberia Allen, José Arroyo, Josh Comers, Dan Cronin, Jessie Gaskell, Skyler Higley, Berkley Johnson, Ian Karmel, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin,Carol Leifer, Jon Macks, Matt O’Brien, Agathe Panaretos and Mike Sweeney.

Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang announced today that the Emmy-winning team behind last year’s Oscars will return in 2025. Raj Kapoor is back as executive producer and showrunner, with Katy Mullan serving as executive producer, and Hamish Hamilton directing. It is Kapoor and Mullan’s second time to executive produce and Hamilton’s fifth time directing the Oscars. The 2025 Oscars will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on March 25, 2025 at 7 p.m. Et/4 p.m. Pt, with the official live red carpet show airing at 6:30 p.m. Et/3:30 p.m. Pt.

The talented creative team also returns from the 96th Oscars, including production designers Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley, who won Emmys for their work in 2024, and red carpet show executive producer David Chamberlin. Music director Michael Bearden joins the team for the first time, replacing three-time Emmy winner (including one for...

The 97th Academy Awards team is coming together — and three of them are Emmy-winning veterans of the 96th Oscars. Raj Kapoor returns as executive producer and showrunner, joined by fellow EP Katy Mullan and director Hamish Hamilton, who will be back for the fifth time.

Further veterans of the Academy Awards who round out the 2025 creative team include production designers Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley and red carpet show EP David Chamberlin. Michael Bearden, meanwhile, will make his debut as music director.

In a Monday statement, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said, “We are delighted to announce the return of our incredibly dynamic and creative Oscars team, Raj, Katy, Hamish, Misty, Alana and Dave. And we are thrilled to announce the addition of the brilliant Michael Bearden. Their love for cinema, their collective creative vision and their unparalleled expertise in live television make them the perfect...

The Academy has named Raj Kapoor to return as executive producer and showrunner for the 97th Oscars, CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang announced Monday Katy Mullan will be back as executive producer, and Hamish Hamilton returns as director.

It’s Kapoor and Mullan’s second time as executive producers and Hamilton’s fifth time directing the Oscars, which air March 2 on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Also returning are production designers Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley, who won an Emmy for last year’s show, and red carpet show executive producer David Chamberlin.

Joining the team for the first time is music director Michael Bearden. Bearden was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction for the Super Bowl Li Halftime Show featuring Lady Gaga and “One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga” and has served as a music director for the Primetime Emmys and Grammy Awards.

Well, this was no surprise.

As I predicted in my column a couple of weeks ago on the search for a host for the 97th annual Academy Awards, the producing team from the 96th Oscars will be back for the 2025 ceremony.

Live television event producer Raj Kapoor returns as executive producer and showrunner, Katy Mullan as executive producer, and Hamish Hamilton as director of the 97th Oscars, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said Monday. It is Kapoor and Mullan’s second time executive producing and Hamilton’s fifth time directing the Oscars. They each won an Emmy for their work on the 96th Oscars, the first time since 1991 that the Academy Awards took the Live Variety Emmy, so their return is really a no-brainer and will allow the Academy to get that much closer to announcing a host (or hosts) for the show.

As I reported,...

The principal creative team behind the strongly-rated and Emmy-winning 96th Oscars telecast — minus its host, Jimmy Kimmel, and his personal producer and wife, Molly McNearney — are returning for the 97th Oscars telecast, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Monday.

For the Sunday, March 2, 2025 broadcast on ABC, Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan will be back as executive producers — Kapoor will also be showrunner — and Hamish Hamilton will once again serve as director, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a statement.

This will be Kapoor and Mullan’s second time and Hamilton’s fifth time in these positions.

A host for the 97th Oscars has yet to be announced.

Much of the rest of the creative team from the 96th Oscars will also be back for the 97th, including production designers Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley (who won Emmys for their work on the...

Fresh off the telecast’s first Emmy win for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), the Oscars will once again be helmed by executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, with the former also returning as showrunner, and Hamish Hamilton back as the director of the 2025 Academy Awards.

The award-winning producers will have several members of their 2024 team back with them for the 2025 broadcast, including production designers Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley, who also won Emmys for their work on the 96th Oscars, and red carpet show executive producer David Chamberlin. They will all be joined by Michael Bearden, who will be serving as music director of the Oscars for the first time.

Notably missing is the head writer of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Molly McNearney, who told IndieWire in August that she and partner Jimmy Kimmel pulled away from being executive producers of the Oscars again in order to focus on covering...

The eighth annual Love Rocks NYC benefit concert for God's Love We Deliver is thrilled to announce Dave Grohl will join the evening’s performance lineup and Martin Short will join for a special guest appearance.

Love Rocks NYC will now also be shown as a livestream event from the historic Beacon Theatre in NYC at 8:00pmET on Thursday, March 7. Fans in NYC and elsewhere can experience this memorable night of music by signing up at loverocksnyc.com to access a livestream link to the concert via Veeps.com.

Veeps All Access subscribers can tune in for free or fans can purchase an individual show ticket for $20 while also helping support the organization as $20 = 2 Meals for New Yorkers living with severe and chronic illness. Additional seats are also being released today and fans can purchase through www.ticketmaster.com.

Executive produced by iconic international fashion designer John Varvatos, NYC...

The eighth annual Love Rocks NYC benefit concert is set to go down this Thursday, March 7th, at the Beacon Theater in New York, with a lineup featuring Dave Grohl, The Black Keys, Hozier, Conan O’Brien, Martin Short, and many more.

Raising funds for the meal-providing charitable organization God’s Love We Deliver, the Love Rocks benefit concert has been a celebrated fundraising campaign since it was first launched in 2017. Now, as its eighth iteration approaches, the organization reports that its benefit concerts have raised a total of $30 million, providing 3 million meals to New Yorkers living with illnesses. Tickets for the show are on-sale now (get your here).

Filling out the lineup for Love Rocks NYC 2024 are Nile Rodgers, Tom Morello, Don Felder, Bettye Lavette, Joss Stone, Allison Russell, Emily King, Marcus King, Lucius, Larkin Poe, Trombone Shorty, Luke Spiller (The Struts), Quinn Sullivan, Bernie Williams, and more, plus additional...

Love Rocks NYC, the benefit concert for God’s Love We Deliver, will return for its eighth year on March 7. The annual event will be hosted by Conan O’Brien, Tracy Morgan, and Jim Gaffigan at the Beacon Theatre. The 2024 lineup will feature performances from Hozier, The Black Keys, Allison Russell, Nile Rodgers, Trombone Shorty, and more.

Dave Grohl and Martin Short have also joined the event, which will be livestreamed via Veeps. To access the livestream, visit the Love Rocks NYC website to sign up.

Music director and band leader...

Prosthetic makeup artists Kazu Hiro and Barrie Gower and editor Tatiana S. Riegel were among the industry heavyweights who landed Creative Arts Emmy nominations on Tuesday morning.

Two-time Oscar winner Hiro landed an Outstanding Prosthetics Emmy nomination for his transformation of Sean Penn in Starz’s “Gaslit.” Hiro often spent up to two and a half hours a day transforming Penn into Attorney General John Mitchell.

Gower, a three-time Emmy winner for “Game of Thrones,” served as Special Makeup Effects Department Head on “Stranger Things” and also scored an Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup nomination.

Gower was the mastermind behind creating the prosthetics for the show’s villain, Vecna, played by Jamie Campbell Bower. The costume ended up being separated into about 24 or 25 different pieces, made from foam latex or silicone rubber material: A top of head piece, a chin appliance, a five kilogram shoulder piece, chest and back appliances, three separate...

Little Kids Rock, the national nonprofit on a mission to transform lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in public schools across the country, today unveiled the lineup of honorees and musical guests for its 20th Anniversary benefit taking place May 17 in New York City.

Presented by Hot Topic Foundation, the event will be emceed by SiriusXM Hits1’s host of The Morning Mash Up, Nicole Ryan.

Music Industry Icon Mavis Staples will receive the Peace & Freedom Award at the event. Staples is a Blues and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer; civil rights icon; Grammy Award-winner; chart-topping soul/gospel/R&b pioneer; and a Kennedy Center honoree. She marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., performed at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, and sang in Barack Obama’s White House.

Johnny Rzeznik, best known as the guitarist, front man and a founding member of rock band, Goo Goo Dolls,...

Whitney Houston may have passed away more than nine and a half years ago, but a new documentary on the multi-octave singer is hoping to keep her memory alive, while promising to reveal new “intimate details” about one of the most iconic performers of all time.

Superstar: Whitney Houston is a new ABC special from the producers behind 20/20, and arrives on the heels of what would have been the late singer’s 58th birthday on August 9th. The one-hour special kicks off ABC’s new Superstar series, which the...

Meet the artisans behind the best looks, VFX, lenses and designs in film and TV in the last year, from sci-fi to contemporary productions, these behind the scenes craftspeople add dimensions and layers to the directors’ vision.

Mandy Moore

Showrunner Austin Winsberg found in Moore a choreographer who took his concept of a woman who can hear people’s innermost thoughts in song and give it kinetic life and depth. One particularly powerful segment involved the Deaf West Theater, which signed “Fight Song” while dancing in a university library. “The biggest challenge for me was determining how cinematic dance and movement would be used as a vehicle for storytelling. Dance would not just be a visual spectacle on ‘Zoey’s,’ we would use dance to evoke emotion and further explain what a character is feeling,” says Moore, who earned an Emmy this year for her work on “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.

On the heels of their genre-hopping collaboration with pop-r&b group Boyz II Men, Asheville, North Carolina bluegrass superstars Steep Canyon Rangers have teamed with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra for the March 6th release of their latest LP, Be Still Moses. The forthcoming album reworks nearly a dozen of the Grammy-winning band’s hit tunes and rare cuts, melding the Rangers’ earthy, organic sound with the symphony’s lush string arrangements, and further shining a spotlight on Asheville’s close-knit artistic community.

The latest track to be unveiled from the...

In August, Steep Canyon Rangers released a studio collaboration with Boyz II Men that blended their bluegrass musicianship with the harmonies of the Philadelphia soul stalwarts. “Be Still Moses” received its live debut when the two groups shared the stage in Nashville on Sunday.

Performing a headlining show at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Boyz II Men welcomed Steep Canyon Rangers halfway through their set to re-create “Be Still Moses” with additional help from 12 members of the Asheville Symphony and conductor Michael Bearden. It was a majestic take on the song,...

Musical history has never been as accessible as it is in the streaming era. At the same time, it’s remarkably disposable: A recent study by the British Phonographic Industry revealed that music from the Sixties accounted for just 6.4% of all streams in the U.K. in 2017. Streamers prefer the recent past by a stunning margin: Music from the 2000s accounted for 60.4% of listening.

Numbers like that add urgency to the imperative to preserve the oldies, and that’s part of what drives the new Netflix show Motown Magic, which...

Host George Lopez will be joined by celebrity golfers for his fourth annual Celebrity Golf Classic benefiting The Lopez Foundation at the Riviera Country Club, 1250 Capri Drive, Pacific Palisades on Monday, May 2.

Celebrity guests teeing off at the event include Aimee Garcia, Andy Garcia, Anthony Anderson, Benjamin Bratt, Billy Bush, Cedric the Entertainer, Cheech Marin, Dave Annable, Don Cheadle, Jack Wagner, Jimmy Jam, Joe Mantegna, Kenny G, Kevin Dobson, Kevin Nealon, Matt Lanter, Michael Bearden, Michael Clarke Duncan, Michael Pena, Michelle Rodriguez, Omarosa, Ray Romano, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tony Dovolani, William Devane, Joe Regalbuto and many others.

The Fourth Annual George Lopez Celebrity Golf Classic and 2011 Audi quattro Cup will benefit The Lopez Foundation. The tournament format is “Two Man Modified Best Ball” of fivesomes with full handicap. The Charity’s mission is to create positive, permanent change for underprivileged children and adults confronting challenges in education and health, as...

Here's "Extra's" roundup of talk show guests for the week of Jan. 10 - 14, including Paula Abdul on "Ellen" and Queen Latifah stopping by "The View." Vince Vaughn stays up late for "Late Show with David Letterman," and Seth Rogen checks-in at the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

Daytime

"The Ellen DeGeneres Show"

Mon 1/10: Dennis Quaid, Nicki Minaj

Tues 1/11: Paula Abdul, Richard Simmons

Wed 1/12: Jenny McCarthy, Chris Harrison

Thurs 1/13: Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks...

North Hollywood, CA, July 30, 2010 – Four-time Emmy® Award recipient Glenn Weiss and two-time Emmy® Award recipient Steve Bass have been named to the 62nd Primetime Emmy® Awards production team, Executive Producer Don Mischer announced today. Weiss returns as Director and Bass as Production Designer of the telecast, airing live coast-to-coast on Sunday, August 29 (8:00 Pm Et / 5:00 Pm Pt) on NBC from the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles. Also returning to the Primetime Emmys for an encore performance, is the 17-piece “dream team” band under the direction of Steve Jordan and David Paich and comprised of renowned rock, jazz and studio greats, including guitarists Dean Parks and Ray Parker, Jr., keyboardist Michael Bearden, saxophonist Tom Scott, bassist Darryl Jones and percussionist Lenny Castro. As Executive Producer of seven Tony Awards and Director of the last ten, Glenn Weiss has received four Primetime Emmy Awards. Aside from collaborating with...

What's the best word to describe the latest addition to late night television? "What-cha!"

Stand-up comedian, sitcom star and movie star George Lopez will add the job of talk show host to his resume beginning tonight. "Lopez Tonight" will showcase the comic's talents and will provide a forum for a variety of musical acts.

Tonight's premiere episode will feature rock legend Carlos Santana as Lopez's first scheduled guest and part of the musical lineup. The "Black Magic Woman" artist will join Lopez's house band, led by Michael Bearden, whose recent work includes the Michael Jackson film "This Is It." Bearden will be leading a tribute to the late King of Pop as part of the show.

Santana is the first of many musical stars who will be visiting the set of "Lopez Tonight." Also scheduled to appear within coming episodes are Marc Anthony, Morissey, Slash, Akon, Lmfao, Jay Sean, Amerie,...

MoviesOnline recently sat down with Michael Jackson’s musical director, Michael Bearden, to talk about his new film, Michael Jackson’s This Is It, which offers Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this past summer in London’s O2 Arena.

Bearden is an accomplished musical director/keyboardist/arranger/composer for a diverse range of musical superstars. He has performed and/or recorded with some of popular music’s giants including: Sting, Carlos Santana, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, Chaka Kahn, Patti Austin, James Ingrahm, Patti Labelle, Yoko Ono, George Benson, Natalie Cole, Yossou NDour, Boz Scaggs, Lenny Kravitz, Luther Vandross, Issac Hayes, Aaron Neville, Edie Brickell, Jon Bonjovi and legends Nancy Wilson, Queen, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Liza Minelli, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles and served...

New York, NY, November 2, 2009—This week: Miramax, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. There’s an incredibly telling moment at the heart of “This Is It,” Kenny Ortega’s new documentary about Michael Jackson. It comes as Jackson and his musical director Michael Bearden are working out a stirring rendition of “The Way You Make Me Feel.” Bearden and Jackson aren’t quite seeing eye-to-eye on the song’s tempo. “I want it like I wrote …...

Michael Jackson "This Is It" movie delivered a great,up close look at Mj. Columbia Pictures released the new Michael Jackson documentary/film earlier this week. Along with Michael Jackson, it starred: Kenny Ortega, Travis Payne, Michael Bearden, Dorian Holley, Judith Hill, Orianthi, Tommy Organ, and, Bashiri Johnson. The film showed up close, behind the scenes, footage, that was taken from over 100 hours of rehearsal footage. The rehearsal footage was from between March and June of this year. It showed interviews with the background dancers that were chosen to perform with Michael,and showed footage of their whole audition process. It showed Michael performing some of his greatest hits like: Billy Jean,Thriller,Human Nature, Beat It,Smooth Criminal, and The Way You Make Me feel, to name a few.

There are few things in life that make your heart soar and change your perspective on the world as much as Michael Jackson did. I first met Michael in October 1978 while I was working as a photographer for the Los Angeles Film Exposition and was assigned to cover the gala West Coast premiere of The Wiz.

Michael attended the premiere and opening night party of the movie at the Plitt’s Century Plaza Theater in Century City (Los Angeles) with the Jackson family and Diana Ross among others. He was a sweet, gentle spirit -- friendly, soft-spoken, and a consummate professional. Even then, Michael had an undeniable power and presence that only grew as he matured as a solo artist.

Seeing him first moonwalk, hearing him sing and watching him perform was an exhilarating, life altering experience. It was as if in every performance he gave us a little piece of his soul.

The world was shocked this summer at the passing of a musical legend when Michael Jackson collapsed and died suddenly at the age of fifty in Los Angeles back in June. What has followed is a media circus almost as strange and bizarre as the one that haunted the performer for most of his life. Jackson was in rehearsals for his latest tour entitled "This Is It" when he passed away and was making a documentary about it, which included filming the rehearsals. Michael Jackson's This Is It, opening in theaters on October 28th, is a fascinating look at the creative process of a musical genius, the legacy he leaves behind and the tour of the century that almost was. We had a chance to speak with the tour and film's Director Kenny Ortega, as well as Keyboardist and Music Supervisor Michael Bearden about the documentary, the tour that could...

So what was it really like working with Michael Jackson? What did Jackson say to him the night before he died? Michael Bearden, the musical director for Jackson’s “This is It” tour, tells us in the clip below. As we noted in our review, Bearden is the only crew member who has regular conversations with Jackson instead of merely genuflecting every time he moon walks by. Bearden, who is the musical director for George Lopez’s new talk show, “Lopez Tonight,” which launches Nov. 9, had worked with Jackson for the first time nearly 10 years ago. But Mj is far...

This Is It is being sold, yes, as a chronicle of the last moments of Michael Jackson's life. But it's also an interesting story about artistic collaboration, making real characters out of people like director Kenny Ortega, musical director Michael Bearden, and choreographer Travis Payne, all of whom are seen in the film working with Jackson and the rest of the crew, putting their heads together to create a spectacle like none other. Payne, who first worked with Jackson as a dancer in 1992's video for "Remember The Time," talked to me last week about how Jackson is different from any other artist he's ever worked with, how he decided that the rehearsal footage should be seen in public, and the side of Michael he knew, separate from the public persona. You can see Payne, Jackson and all the others in This Is It, in theaters everywhere today. You've...

'I said, 'Don't believe that. I just left Michael. I just saw him. He's fine,'' Michael Bearden says of his reaction to the news of Jackson's death.

By Jocelyn Vena

Michael Jackson in "Michael Jackson's This Is It"

Photo: Sony/ Aeg

The crew that worked with Michael Jackson while he prepared for his 50-show This Is It concert run in London had no idea about the unfortunate events that were to come; in fact, many of the people involved felt that the final rehearsals were incredible and a sign of what was to come from the King of Pop.

"Michael stood out in front of the stage with me and looked at the rehearsal and said, 'This is the dream. This is the dream, good Kenny. You did it,' " director Kenny Ortega told MTV News. "I think there was this feeling in the room, in the air — we...

Know the ins and outs of the rock doc before you head to the theater.

By Eric Ditzian

Orianthi and Michael Jackson in "Michael Jackson's This Is It"

Photo: Sony/ Aeg

"It's an adventure — it's a great adventure," Michael Jackson said of his sold-out series of 50 London concerts. "We want to take them places they've never been before."

That plan never got the chance to become a reality. "This Is It," the documentary of the live shows that almost came to pass, could easily have been called, "What Might Have Been." On Wednesday (October 28), when the film opens for a limited, two-week release, the world will finally catch a glimpse of the greatest comeback that never was — his iconic dance moves, his classic tunes, the stunning stage show and all. MTV News has been assiduously following every development of the film, from its initial rumors to the first footage to the pending red-carpet premiere.

'I'm glad we left some things out,' Michael Bearden says of decision to exclude announcement of King of Pop's passing.

By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Ryan J. Downey

Michael Bearden

Photo: MTV News

"Michael Jackson's This Is It" is a celebration of the concerts that could have been. That's why when music supervisor Michael Bearden, along with director Kenny Ortega and choreographer Travis Payne, were putting the film together, they left out any scenes that address Jackson's untimely passing in June. Bearden revealed that while cameras were rolling when the tragic news was announced, you won't see that in the film.

"I'm glad we left some things out," Bearden, who also served as associate producer on the film, told MTV News after the premiere Tuesday night in Los Angeles. "Especially the announcement of his passing."

The crew involved in cutting together the film had very specific reasons why...

Chicago – Even a rhythmless zombie will be able to siphon Michael Jackson’s prowess now. And this time, this is it.

If you thought the king of pop wouldn’t deliver on his latest bout of 50 sold-out worldwide concerts, think again. “Michael Jackson’s This is It” takes you on a raw ride behind the scenes, pulls at all the right heartstrings and unleashes what the late master performer would have done had he not passed much too young.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The 112 minutes of this Michael Jackson legacy – comprised of footage leading up to his very last weeks on Earth – fly by as you try to prevent the closing credits from scrolling too soon. No matter your musical taste, there likely isn’t a tune in this concert film that you won’t recognize (perhaps except for one about Mj’s green love for our “sick” planet).

The documentary and its...

Chicago – Even a rhythmless zombie will be able to siphon Michael Jackson’s prowess now. And this time, this is it.

If you thought the king of pop wouldn’t deliver on his latest bout of 50 sold-out worldwide concerts, think again. “Michael Jackson’s This is It” literally takes you behind the scenes, pulls at all the right memorable heartstrings and unleashes what the late master performer would have had he not passed much too young.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The 112 minutes of this new and last Michael Jackson legacy – comprised of footage leading up to his very last weeks on Earth – fly by as you try to prevent the closing credits from scrolling too soon. No matter your musical taste, there likely isn’t a tune in this concert film that you won’t recognize – except for one about Mj’s green love for our “sick” planet.

The documentary and its CD...

'I'm so excited the world gets to see that Michael we saw,' dancer Kaplow says.

By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Ryan J. Downey

Michael Jackson in "This Is It"

Photo: Sony

Though they participated in the rehearsals that comprise the footage of "Michael Jackson's This Is It," the dancers, musicians and producers working on Jackson's London concerts still find the movie moving.

"To be honest, I didn't know what to expect, or if I even wanted to see it yet, but it was a big weight lifted off my shoulders," dancer Kaplow told MTV News. "It was beautiful. I'm so excited the world gets to see that Michael we saw. The Michael we knew, that we rehearsed with all the time. That's real. That's him."

Music supervisor Michael Bearden, who was also an associate producer on the film, says that it was incredible watching "This Is It" in...

We've been crowing about it for weeks now, but the main event has finally arrived. "Michael Jackson's This Is It" had its world premiere and MTV was right there to give you the blow-by-blow straight from the red carpet. Our on the spot live blog coverage was supplemented by a series of in-depth write-ups about the movie, so put on your reading glasses and get ready to start clicking.

The first thing to check out is Jocelyn Vena's report from the carpet, with quotes from "American Idol" stars Adam Lambert and David Cook on the enduring legacy of Michael Jackson. "Michael wasn't afraid of just being himself," Lambert said. "Michael didn't conform to one style of music. He did his own thing. That's the thing that makes me tick."

There are other remembrances of Michael too, and from people with closer ties. 'Nsync member and former stagemate Jc Chasez recalls...

David Cook, Ashley Tisdale and others walk the red carpet, while the crew for Mj's planned comeback shows offer behind-the-scenes revelations.

By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway and Tim Kash

Michael's brothers, Randy, Tito and Marlon Jackson arrive at the Nokia Theatre in Hollywood

Photo: Robyn Beck/ Getty Images

Fans and colleagues of Michael Jackson turned out Tuesday night (October 27) to remember the King of Pop at the Los Angeles premiere of "Michael Jackson's This Is It." On MTV News' premiere special, Tim Kash and Sway were live from the red carpet, and celebrities, fans and the crew involved with Jackson's planned London comeback shows revealed what it was like behind-the-scenes with a superstar.

David Cook told us about his cover of Jackson's "Billie Jean," which helped him win the seventh season of "American Idol." "You want to do songs people know, and who doesn't know Michael Jackson?...

David Cook, Ashley Tisdale and others walk the red carpet, while the crew for Mj's planned comeback shows offer behind-the-scenes revelations.

By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway and Tim Kash

David Cook

Photo: MTV News

Fans and colleagues of Michael Jackson turned out Tuesday night (October 27) to remember the King of Pop at the Los Angeles premiere of "Michael Jackson's This Is It." On MTV News' premiere special, Tim Kash and Sway were live from the red carpet, and celebrities, fans and the crew involved with Jackson's planned London comeback shows revealed what it was like behind-the-scenes with a superstar.

David Cook told us about his cover of Jackson's "Billie Jean," which helped him win the seventh season of "American Idol." "You want to do songs people know, and who doesn't know Michael Jackson?" Cook said on the red carpet. "It's incredible to be here to honor Michael Jackson.

David Cook, Ashley Tisdale and others walk the red carpet, while the crew for Mj's planned comeback shows offer behind-the-scenes revelations.

By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway and Tim Kash

David Cook

Photo: MTV News

Fans and colleagues of Michael Jackson turned out Tuesday night (October 27) to remember the King of Pop at the Los Angeles premiere of "Michael Jackson's This Is It." On MTV News' premiere special, Tim Kash and Sway were live from the red carpet, and the crew involved with Jackson's planned London comeback shows revealed what it was like behind-the-scenes with a superstar.

David Cook told us about his cover of Jackson's "Billie Jean," which helped him win the seventh season of "American Idol." "You want to do songs people know, and who doesn't know Michael Jackson?" David Cook said on the red carpet. "It's incredible to be here to honor Michael Jackson.