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Exclusive: Oscar-winning company Caviar has rounded out the cast of Joey Power’s romantic comedy, Love Language with Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live), comedian and podcaster Bobbi Althoff (The Really Good Podcast), Morgan Jay (St. Denis Medical), Stephen Schneider (Broad City), Dan Perrault (American Vandal), Zach Zucker (Sweethearts), Christian Pierce (The Real Bros of Simi Valley) Marchánt Davis (Reality), and Daniel David Stewart (For All Mankind) rounding out the cast.

They join previously-announced Chloë Grace Moretz, Anthony Ramos, Manny Jacinto, Isabel May, Lukas Gage, and Billie Lourd in the production, which is currently shooting in Chicago, Illinois.

Plot details are under wraps. The movie is produced by Bert Hamelinck and Allison Hironaka for Caviar, Colin Jost and Jeff Grosvenor for No Notes Productions and Ari Lubet for 3 Arts Entertainment. EPs are Michael Sagol of Caviar and Tyson Bidner. Caviar has also arranged the financing of the production. CAA Media Finance is repping the U.

Paul McCartney played his first concert of 2024 on Tuesday night at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay. He kept largely to the script from last year until the midway point when he performed “Now and Then” for the first time.

John Lennon captured the wistful piano ballad “Now and Then” on a tape recorder at his New York apartment building in 1977. Yoko Ono gave the tape to the surviving Beatles in 1994, along with “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” for inclusion on the Beatles Anthology box sets. They attempted to...

Mary J. Blige has signed a new multi-picture deal with Lifetime, which comes after the release of her 2023 films “Real Love” and “Strength of a Woman.” The first project the Emmy and nine-time Grammy award-winning actress and singer has queued up is a TV film tentatively titled “Family Affair,” which is inspired by her 2001 hit that shares the same.

“Real Love” and “Strength of a Woman” stars Ajiona Alexus and Da’Vinchi are set to reprise their roles from previous Blige-inspired films.

Here’s the official description of the flick. Production for the film starts this month.

“Kendra and Ben move out of the city in hopes of finally building a life together. With all their family around and inserted in their lives, tensions rise as they struggle with fertility issues and Kendra tries to find her footing with Ben’s son Miles. Their relationship reaches a boiling point when Ben secretly helps his brother,...

Following up on her 2023 Lifetime movies “Real Love” and “Strength of a Woman,” Mary J. Blige has signed on to executive produce multiple new projects for the cabler, beginning with “Family Affair” (working title). Inspired by Blige’s 2001 song of the same name, the movie will debut in 2025 as part of the network’s Voices of a Lifetime slate.

“Mary J. Blige’s Family Affair” will star Ajiona Alexus and Da’Vinchi, who reprise their roles from “Real Love” (and “Strength of a Woman.” Per the official logline, “Kendra and Ben move out of the city in hopes of finally building a life together. With all their family around and inserted in their lives, tensions rise as they struggle with fertility issues and Kendra tries to find her footing with Ben’s son Miles. Their relationship reaches a boiling point when Ben secretly helps his brother, and Kendra returns to the...

Celebrities packed Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 2 for Off-White’s Spring/Summer 2025 runway presentation. Stars like Camila Cabello, Zayn Malik, Paris Jackson, Issa Rae, Flavor Flav, and Sunisa Lee sat front row to view the sportswear-inspired collection. Mary J. Blige was especially sportswear-focused as she posed for photos in front of guests.

Mary J. Blige in tassels and thigh-high boots Mary J. Blige outside Off-White New York Fashion Week | 1st and 2nd images: Christian Vierig/Getty Images; 3rd image: Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images

Mary J. Blige is a huge fan of Off-White and the late Virgil Abloh. Naturally, the rapper wore head-to-toe clothing from the luxury fashion house, now helmed by Ibrahim Kamara. The “Real Love” singer wore a leather bomber jacket-inspired Off-White mini dress with white sleeves and a drop waist. As onlookers noticed, the dress was actually a skort, with the shorts featuring a cargo pocket on the left thigh.

Stevie Wonder is back with his first new song in four years, “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart.”

The track is a tender plea for unity built around dextrous acoustic guitars and a melange of light percussion, while Wonder also laces it with piano, bass, harmonica, and more. Despite the multitudes this arrangement contains, Wonder’s voice and message remain front-and-center as he sings, “We’ve come together with purpose far bigger than you and me/Don’t have no time for hatred and negativity/It’s you and me,...

Nigerian street-pop savant Asake’s new album Lungu Boy finds him as spiritually grounded as ever and expanding beyond his center (the title essentially means “boy in the hood” per Nigerian culture mag The Native). He’s already sung of God, good, evil, and purpose across his discography and through several languages, religions, and cultures. A prime example is 2023’s “Yoga,” a meditative track he wrote after two women were killed in a crowd crush outside a highly anticipated London show of his in 2022. His third album is simultaneously a...

Who is the real Childish Gambino? The punchline rapper of 2013’s Because the Internet, exploring his identity crises alongside the majestic movie magic of Ludwig Göransson? The psychedelic funkateer of 2016’s “Awaken My Love” who sang psychedelic ragers about love, unity and rebellion? The experimental R&b star of 2020’s 3.20.2020, who tinkered with dance and country and all kinds of Prince-isms? The answer, of course, is all of the above, so don’t be surprised that his fifth and supposedly final album, Bando Stone & the New World, has the actor-writer-director-comedian-singer-rapper-songwriter-producer...

Donald Glover has released his fifth and final album as Childish Gambino, titled Bando Stone & the New World. The album arrives ahead of Glover’s upcoming world tour (get tickets here).

Released as the soundtrack to his upcoming movie by the same name, Bando Stone & the New World spans 17 new songs, and includes collaborations with Amaarae, Jorja Smith, Khruangbin, Chlöe, his own son Legend, and more, with Max Martin, Tierra Whack, Steve Lacy, and others getting writing credits.

Get Childish Gambino Tickets Here

Glover himself described the soundtrack as a “big goodbye album” with a focus on anthemic songs. Indeed, the lead single — and Song of the Week —“Lithonia” was almost like a classic rock ballad, with a driving mid-tempo, guitar-led arrangement and an impassioned vocal part from Glover. Now, the Bando Stone soundtrack is available in full. Stream it below.

In explaining why he is retiring the Childish Gambino moniker,...

Childish Gambino is bringing us into the world of Bando Stone — and taking his musician friends with him. On Thursday, Gambino announced the track list for his album Bando Stone & the New World, which he has teased as his final LP under his Gambino moniker.

The album — set to be the soundtrack for his upcoming film of the same name — will feature collaborations with artists such as Chlöe, Yeat, Amaarae, and Flo Milli, among others. Bando Stone will open with “H3@rt$ W3re M3@nt T0 F7¥,” which features Ghanaian American star Amaarae,...

Rest in peace, Shannen Doherty — the quintessential Hollywood bad girl of the Nineties, the Heather-est of the Heathers. Doherty made her legend on Beverly Hills, 90210, the best TV teen drama ever by a mile, playing teenage chaos agent and drama factory Brenda Walsh. The world is mourning the news of Doherty’s death, at only 53, after an agonizing, nine-year, public battle with cancer. Yet she faced her health struggles with the same fighting spirit she brought to everything she did. Doherty was always defiantly herself, America’s nightmare of a Difficult Girl,...

Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big new singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. This week, the theme is power-packed remixes and collabs as major stars join forces. Charli Xcx and Lorde work out their miscommunication and serve up a banger about girlhood, Ariana Grande gets together with R&b queens Brandy and Monica, and Taylor Swift lends haunting harmonies to a standout Gracie Abrams track. Plus, new music from Karol G, Peso Pluma and Quavo, Ice Spice, and more.

Charli Xcx feat.

George Harrison was rarely a provocateur, however, he called his final album Brainwashed. Accusing anyone of being brainwashed is pretty bold! One of George’s British Invasion peers explained the origin of that memorable title. Notably, it had a connection to George’s spiritual views.

Donovan said George Harrison’s album ‘Brainwashed’ was a reaction to materialism

Two kindred spirits in the 1960s counterculture were George Harrison and Donovan. Both artists were folk-rockers who explored spirituality through their songs. George’s songs were often expressions of his Hindu faith, whereas Donovan sang about common New Age topics like Atlantis and witchcraft. Both of them were also environmentalists.

During a 2018 interview with Goldmine, the “Mellow Yellow” singer discussed his feelings about the planet and George’s — and what they both learned from the books they read. “That the older generation was destroying the ecosystem with no consideration whatsoever for the inner world of plants,...

We know that Beatles fans all have their favorites, and now we want to know yours. Over Memorial Day weekend, The Beatles Channel (Ch. 18) will play the band’s 100 most popular songs — according to you, the real experts — during the annual “All Together Now” special.

The Beatles ChannelAll Together Now 2024Listen on the App

Listen on the App

Tune in to hear the countdown starting May 24, the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, on The Beatles Channel (Ch. 18).

Stream the countdown in full anytime, anywhere, on the SiriusXM app.

Directions: Select 10 songs from the list below. Voting ends April 17 at 11:59pm Et.

Memorial Day weekend is a time to remember our family, friends, and loved ones. If you’d like to be a part of this year’s “All Together Now” countdown, here’s your chance to introduce your favorite song on air. Please submit a dedication via voice memo to beatles@siriusxm.

The Beatles‘ “I Am the Walrus” might seem like a psychedelic novelty today, but John Lennon adored it. He said it would appeal to fans of the Electric Light Orchestra. Interestingly, Elo has some deep connections to the Fab Four — particularly George Harrison during his solo era.

John Lennon explained why The Beatles’ ‘I Am the Walrus’ was a personal favorite

The book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations With John Lennon features the text of a radio interview from 1974. “And now we’re gonna play a track from Magical Mystery Tour, which is one of my favorite albums because it was so weird, and it’s ‘I Am the Walrus,'” he said. While Magical Mystery Tour is a classic, it’s generally not as acclaimed as other Beatles records such as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Revolver, or The White Album. It’s interesting that John valued Magical Mystery Tour so highly.

Another film about the young generations of today and their fervent involvement in politics. They're a dime a dozen nowadays. Does this one have anything unique or compelling to say? I'm always curious to find out, though way too many films these days often misunderstand what's going on out there and how politics are getting worse. They also often misunderstand why there are so many kids riled up to go protest, speak out about politics, and fight back as radical activists. I'm a bit worried that is the case with this new film, too... Langue Étrangère is a French-German co-production directed by the French filmmaker Claire Burger (following Party Girl and Real Love), premiering at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival in the Main Competition. It's not a bad film, with some intriguing performances, though far from being a great film. It's also a lesbian romance about two young women who begin developing feelings for each other.

At age 17, there are only so many ways a high school student can flee a suffocating life. Bullied by her fellow students, Fanny (Lilith Grasmug) tried to commit suicide — or so she says — but fortunately, that didn’t work. Now, this shy, self-questioning and clearly troubled teen is counting on a foreign exchange program to make a fresh start, escaping to Leipzig, Germany, to get away from the mean girls back home in Strasbourg, France.

“Party Girl” co-director Claire Burger’s third feature, “Langue Étrangère,” splits its time between the two cities. The first half takes place in Leipzig, where Fanny forms an intense intellectual and erotic connection with her German pen pal, Lena (Josefa Heinsius). Fanny’s host is practically hostile when this uninvited foreigner first shows up, but that’s before a disarmingly candid (and frequently dishonest) Fanny starts to share stories invented to earn sympathy. By the second half,...

Exclusive: Bmf star Da’Vinchi has signed with Independent Artist Group for representation in all areas. The signing reunites the actor with his previous agency APA.

Da’Vinchi portrays drug kingpin Terry “Southwest T” Flenory in Bmf, the Starz drama series from executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. He stars opposite Demetrius Flenory Jr., who plays Demetrius “Meech” Flenory, Terry’s older brother.

Based on a true story, Bmf chronicles the unconventional journey to success of the Flenory brothers, who rose from the depths of poverty, navigating the war on drugs in Detroit to become game changers in hip-hop and culture. Season 3 premieres on March 1.

Additional TV credits include major recurring roles on the CW series All American and Grown-ish for Freeform.

On the film side, Da’Vinchi most recently led the Mary J. Blige-produced TV movies Real Love and Strength of a Woman for Lifetime. He was also part...

Yoko Ono said her relationship with John Lennon was “a long roller-coaster.” Yoko said she and the “Imagine” singer giggled often while they were making two of his albums. One of those albums became a tremendous success. The other only produced one hit.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono had a great time making ‘Double Fantasy’ and ‘Milk and ‘Honey’

David Sheff interviewed John and Yoko in 1980. His interview appeared in the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. In a 2020 introduction to the book, he discussed meeting up with Yoko long after John’s death.

“Years later, I reminisced with her about that time,” Sheff wrote. “She still got teary-eyed over John, though she had a full and productive life again. When we talked about that summer, she got a big smile. “‘The making of Double Fantasy and Milk and Honey was a great time for us,...

Big Thief have shared a remastered reissue of their 2016 debut album Masterpiece, out now via 4Ad.

When Big Thief released Masterpiece in 2016, they seemingly became indie rock royalty overnight. The Brooklyn-based band recorded the album in July 2015 at a makeshift studio in an old lakehouse with producer Andrew Sarlo and engineer James Krivchenia, the latter of whom would go on to become Big Thief’s full-time drummer.

Though its title could be used to describe the quality of the record itself, vocalist Adrianne Lenker says Masterpiece refers to “the masterpiece of existence, which is always folding into itself, people attempting to connect, to both shake themselves awake and to shake off the numbness of certain points in their life. The interpretations might be impressionistic or surrealistic, but they’re grounded in simple things.”

In additional Big Thief news, the band has also unveiled an official karaoke YouTube channel so that...

The Beatles have shared the music video for their newly released final song, “Now and Then.” The visual was helmed by Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson, whose work on the 2021 Beatles documentary, Get Back, was the genesis for “Now and Then” finally being completed.

As previously reported, “Now and Then” originally began as a home demo of John Lennon’s, which was then worked on by the other three Beatles in the mid-1990s, during the same period that they made their only other post-breakup songs, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.” At the time, though, a loud hum in Lennon’s original recording rendered the demo essentially unusable, and though an effort was made to flesh the song out, it was ultimately abandoned.

However, in 2021, while working on Get Back, Jackson and his team utilized WingNut Films’ Mal audio AI technology to separate and isolate tracks that they...

Today is a special day for fans of The Beatles, as the iconic rock band has released its first song since 1995. Titled “Now and Then,” the track is a technological marvel after Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr used machine learning and an old lo-fi John Lennon demo to create the finished piece. The song’s origin dates back to the mid-’90s, when McCartney, George Harrison, and Starr reunited for the group’s Anthology album. Other new songs on the album include Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” but work on “Now and Then” stalled when layering technology failed the band’s attempt to polish the track.

“In John’s demo tape, the piano was a little hard to hear. And in those days, of course, we didn’t have the technology to do the separation,” McCartney said in a new documentary about the song. “Every time we wanted...

The Beatles have released their new single, the long-awaited “Now and Then.” It’s an emotionally powerful song written by John Lennon as a home demo in the 1970s. But it’s also a true Beatles collaboration, with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr playing and singing together. Nothing like “Now and Then” has ever happened before. It’s a unique music story: John Lennon leaves a song unfinished, but years later, his friends come together to complete it for him, simply out of love and musical brotherhood. It...

26 October, 2023 – Together and apart, The Beatles have always had a talent for the unexpected. And now, 2023 brings one of the most anticipated releases of their long and endlessly eventful history. “Now And Then” is the last Beatles song – written and sung by John Lennon, developed and worked on by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and now finally finished by Paul and Ringo over four decades later.

“Now And Then” will be released worldwide at 2pm GMT / 10am Edt / 7am Pdt on Thursday 2nd November by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe/Universal Music Canada. The double A-side single pairs the last Beatles song with the first: the band’s 1962 debut UK single, “Love Me Do,” a truly fitting full-circle counterpart to “Now And Then.” Both songs are mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos®, and the release features original cover art by renowned artist Ed Ruscha. The new music video...

In a most dignified way, The Beatles will release their last song this year. The rollout will be minimal — a cassette photo here, a title billboard there, a digital/streaming release on Thursday, Nov. 2 — and the last recording made by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr will still be a classic rock standard by the end of the year. All the rumors are true. The song is “Now and Then,” and it is beautiful, bittersweet, timeless, and completely natural. It will be issued as a double-a side single with “Love Me Do,” the band’s first release. Yes, it will be the version with Ringo on drums, not tambourine.

“Love Me Do” will be the first song heard on the upcoming reissue of The Beatles’ 1973 “Red” album (officially titled 1962-1966). “Now and Then” will close the remastered reissue of the “Blue” record (1967-1970) comprised of the group’s greatest hits.

Who had the release of a new Beatles song on their 2023 bingo card? On November 2nd, the legendary band will return with what is being described as their “final song.”

Featuring all four Beatles — John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr — “Now and Then” began its journey as a home demo of Lennon’s, which was then worked on by the other three Beatles in the mid-90s, during the same period that they made their only other post-breakup songs, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.” At the time, though, a loud hum in Lennon’s original recording rendered the demo essentially unusable, and though an effort was made to flesh the song out, it was ultimately abandoned.

Fast-forward to 2021, when Peter Jackson was working on his celebrated documentary, The Beatles: Get Back. For that production, Jackson’s team utilized WingNut Films’ Mal audio AI technology to...

The last Beatles song. Sixty years after their debut single, “Love Me Do,” there’s a new closing chapter to the world’s most beloved group. On Thursday, Nov. 2, the Beatles will drop their final song, “Now and Then.” John Lennon wrote it and sang it at the piano, at home in 1977. George Harrison played his guitar parts in 1995, when the three surviving Beatles attempted it at the Anthology sessions. Now, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have finished their friends’ work — a labor of love that seems to sum up...

George Harrison said an Electric Light Orchestra song sounded like The Beatles. He went on to work extensively with one member of Elo. John Lennon felt Elo derived their sound from one of the Fab Four’s most well-known psychedelic tracks.

George Harrison felt Elo sounded so much like The Beatles he wanted to work with Jeff Lynne

During a 1987 interview with Entertainment Weekly, George was asked about a time he said an unnamed Elo song sounded like The Beatles. “That’s one of the reasons why I tried to get Jeff Lynne, because he knew about … Ok, most people knew about The Beatles, but he really knew about ’em,” he said. “And I was looking to work with somebody who would know my past and not disregard that, but who I would also respect, as a writer and producer. But it is a bit ironic, I know.

“I think...

Tl;Dr:

John Lennon felt fans were playing games when they psychoanalyzed him. He said “People will do anything rather than be here now.” He discussed a rumor that a famous musician was killed by the CIA.

Some of John Lennon‘s fans liked to psychoanalyze him. The former Beatle rejected “fantasies” about himself and Elvis Presley. Despite this, he had a different attitude toward fans who believed gossip that The Beatles would reform.

John Lennon felt fans who psychoanalyzed were doing something ‘irrelevant’

The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features a 1980 interview. In it, John was asked about fans who wanted to psychoanalyze him. “It’s only games for people to play,” he said. “Some people like ping-pong, other people like digging over graves. They are all escapes from now. People will do anything rather than be here now.

Producer Jeff Lynne helped Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr complete The Beatles’ “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.” He revealed what he thought about both tracks. In addition, he recounted what the remaining Beatles thought about working with each other again.

Why Jeff Lynne loved and dreaded working on The Beatles’ ‘Free as a Bird’ and ‘Real Love’

Besides his work with his band, the Electric Light Orchestra, Lynne is most famous for collaborating with George on the quiet Beatle’s solo material and in their band, the Traveling Wilburys.

During a 1995 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Lynne revealed why he produced The Beatles’ 1990s hits “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.” “One day, George said to me, ‘You fancy doing it, then – The Beatles one?'” he said. “And I said, ‘Uhhhhh, yes, please. As soon as I realized I was going to be working with them,...

The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, as is his custom, took the occasion of his 83rd birthday to lead local friends in a chant of “peace and love” in a Beverly Hills park, while a worldwide audience of streaming Beatles fans looked on, admiring his youthful looks and demeanour and wondering if there’s any way to have what he’s having.

Brother-in-law Joe Walsh joined him for the event, as did their respective wives, sisters Barbara and Marjorie Bach, reports Variety. By coincidence, both Starr and Walsh have been a part of headline news stories in recent days — the former because of a forthcoming Beatles single, the latter because of the announcement of an Eagles farewell tour.

The two stars talked with press about those headlines, among other things, before the late-morning party got underway in earnest.

As Paul McCartney recently did, Starr took time out to say that a...

There have been mixed reactions since Paul McCartney announced there would be a new song by The Beatles being released with the help of AI. While many are excited to hear a final song by the fab four, others believe it’s in poor taste to recreate the voices of George Harrison and John Lennon. However, Ringo Starr recently tried to alleviate fans’ concerns by assuring them that George Harrison and John Lennon’s voices are not artificial.

Ringo Starr revealed George Harrison provided vocals for the new Beatles song before he died

Many were surprised to hear that a new Beatles song would come later this year. Paul McCartney confirmed it in an interview with BBC where he told them that the track would be completed utilizing AI technology that was previously used in Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back documentary.

“He [Jackson] was able to extricate John’s...

When Paul McCartney announced the Beatles were releasing one final song later this year, with vocals extracted from a John Lennon demo via a machine-learning tool, the press jumped on a narrative of an “AI Beatles song.” Confused fans feared they were about to hear an AI-generated Lennon. But the Beatles would “never” fake Lennon’s vocals, Ringo Starr says in a new interview for an upcoming episode of our Rolling Stone Music Now podcast.

Starr also confirms that George Harrison recorded parts for the song before his death in 2001. “This was beautiful,...

The Twilight Singers have announced a definitive box set titled Black Out the Windows/Ladies and Gentlemen, The Twilight Singers, out in October via One Little Independent Records. In addition to newly remastered versions of the Greg Dulli-led band’s studio releases, it contains an LP of rare and previously unreleased material.

The 13-piece (six 2xLP and one EP) box set was pressed onto 180g crystal clear vinyl housed in reimagined white embossed album sleeves. It contains remasterings of the studio albums Twilight as Played by The Twilight Singers, Blackberry Belle, She Loves You, Powder Burns, and Dynamite Steps as well as the 2006 EP A Stitch in Time. The bonus album, Etcetera, features 11 tracks of rare and previously unreleased material.

Accompanying the vinyl is a 56-page book containing essays by Mark Lanegan, Duff McKagan, The Church’s Steve Kilbey, and more. It also includes career-spanning rare and previously unseen photos by Danny Clinch,...

The Beatles legend Paul McCartney has claimed there will be nothing “artificially or synthetically created” on the upcoming new song.

Last week, the 80-year-old musician announced that work had been finished on ‘the final song’ by the group — which also included drummer Ringo Starr and the late George Harrison and John Lennon — using Artificial Intelligence (AI), but he’s now spoken out again to clarify the track doesn’t feature a digitally-generated likeness of the ‘Imagine’ singer’s voice, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Paul tweeted, “Been great to see such an exciting response to our forthcoming Beatles project. No one is more excited than us to be sharing something with you later in the year. We’ve seen some confusion and speculation about it. Seems to be a lot of guess work out there.”

“Can’t say too much at this stage but to be clear, nothing has been artificially or synthetically created.

Paul McCartney wants to clear up confusion about that upcoming Beatles record: Nothing, including the vocals of the late John Lennon, has been artificially created.

“We’ve seen some confusion and speculation about it,” McCartney said in a tweet today. “Seems to be a lot of guess work out there.”

Last week, McCartney generated lots of buzz and anticipation when he announced in a BBC interview that he is using artificial intelligence technology to “extricate” the vocals of former bandmate Lennon from an old demo to create a “final Beatles record.” While McCartney explained to the BBC that the technology was merely being used to lift Lennon’s vocals from the late-’70s lo-fi demo, many internet speculators expressed (ill-founded) outrage over the notion that McCartney was using AI to create a Lennon-soundalike.

“We’ve seen some confusion and speculation about it,” McCartney said in today’s tweet. “Seems to...

AI (artificial intelligence) technology has crept into the music industry. While auto-tune can enhance someone’s voice, AI can recreate it entirely. Paul McCartney recently stirred up some controversy when he announced that a new Beatles song will be released using AI technology to finish John Lennon’s vocals. However, Lennon’s second son, Sean, recently cleared up some questions by saying that the AI will not recreate his father’s voice but will polish it to perfection.

Sean Lennon says the AI will clean up John Lennon’s vocals on the new Beatles song

Paul McCartney made headlines earlier this month when he announced that a new song by The Beatles would be released later this year with the help of AI. In an interview with BBC Radio 4, McCartney said the technology was utilized earlier in Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back documentary. The tech processes out...

And much to our delight, Kendra and Ben found their way back to one another.

Mary J. Blige's Strength of A Woman was a worthwhile companion piece to Mary J. Blige's Real Love, even if it veered closer to Lifetime's usual fare with some of its plots.

Despite roughly 15 years apart, the true, honest, first, and real love between Kendra and Ben finally prevailed, and they're all the better for it.

It was great that we got to catch up with an adult Kendra and Ben, not only following them after they've endured many things in their life and were far more seasoned, but dropping in during a time when we got to see the two battling those real-life problems that come with adulthood, relationships, and experience.

Again, Ajiona Alexus has truly shined in this double feature, enough so that I genuinely look forward to her future projects...

There are still many unfinished songs from John Lennon that were never released after he died in 1980. However, the other Beatles and early demos were used to finish some songs. Another Lennon song will be released this year, thanks to artificial intelligence that can recreate the “Imagine” singer’s voice.

‘Now and Then’ is being finished by recreating John Lennon’s voice with AI

“Now and Then” is an unfinished John Lennon song first recorded in 1979. While most of the lyrics are complete, the British singer still needed more time to perfect each verse. In the 1990s, it was considered as one of the three singles released by the remaining Beatles for their 1995 Anthology project. However, it was shelved, primarily because George Harrison disliked the song.

The Beatles did release “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” using recorded demos of Lennon that were remixed and polished. “Now and Then...

Pickin's may be slim, but they're mighty!

Maggie and Negan throw down on The Walking Dead: Dead City, the Orignal Beef of Chicagoland gets an overhaul on The Bear, and, and we need heroes to stop a Secret Invasion on Disney+.

See what else we recommend you watch this week.

Saturday, June 17

8/7c Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman (Lifetime)

Kendra and Ben’s beautiful love story continues with the second part of the Mary J. Blige two-part film special inspired by her music.

If you read our Mary J. Blige’s Real Love Review, you’ll know how incredible the chemistry is between Kendra and Ben and how eager we were for them to find their way back to one another, and they will, many years later.

It’s 15 years later, and Kendra is reckoning with her ever failing marriage, becoming a mother, and more while wondering...

The classic rock genre would look drastically different today if not for The Beatles. Heck, 21st-century pop music wouldn’t be what it is without the Fab Four. They became trendsetters and tastemakers when they became international stars in 1964. Even the English language changed because of their influence. That’s why The Beatles’ AI song seems like a desperate move to remain relevant.

The Beatles making an AI song seems like a play to show they’re still cutting edge

Paul McCartney announced The Beatles’ AI song in June 2023 and planned to release it later the same year. Macca planned to use computer technology to lift John Lennon’s voice from a well-worn demo tape for “Now and Then” and finish the song with help from artificial intelligence.

The die-hard fans will surely eat it up. The bank accounts of Paul, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, and Olivia Harrison stand to benefit.

While the spectre of AI has led to anxiety for many creatives, some artists are using it ingeniously. In fact, AI may actually deliver us a final Beatles recording, with Deadline reporting (via BBC) that Paul McCartney is using the technology to extricate the vocals from an old John Lennon demo to create one last Beatles record.

In the interview, McCartney promised that the song would come out this year, although he’s yet to reveal what the song actually is. Deadline speculates that the track may be 1978’s “Now and Then,” one of the demos McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison had worked with during the Beatles Anthology days in the mid-nineties. When the two Beatles’ singles, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” were released, many fans complained that it sounded like John Lennon was singing underwater, but the technology has changed significantly since then. The band had...

Paul McCartney says he’s using artificial intelligence technology to “extricate” the vocals of his former bandmate John Lennon from an old demo to create a “final Beatles record.”

In an interview with the BBC, McCartney said the song – which he did not identify, but which many fans believe to be the 1978 Lennon song “Now and Then” – will be released this year.

If the song is, indeed, “Now and Then,” it would be the third and final song worked on by McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr after Yoko Ono gave them Lennon’s 1978 demos for use on the 1995 Beatles Anthology project. Lennon’s widow provided the surviving Beatles with a cassette tape of the four Lennon demos, but only two of the songs – “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love” – were deemed usable for the project. (The fourth song was “Grow Old With Me.”)

“Free As A Bird” and...

Paul McCartney has (sort of) got the Beatles back together for one more song with the help of artificial intelligence.

First, to clarify: No, McCartney did not feed a machine a whole bunch of John Lennon and/or George Harrison material, get the computer to spit out some goofy, cheap hall of mirrors imitation, and then mold that into something with Ringo Starr. Rather, as McCartney explained to the BBC, AI tech was used to “extricate” Lennon’s vocals from an old demo, which was then used to complete the song.

With the broadcast networks pretty much dormant due to the lack of original scripted programming, there are some exciting offerings on streaming and cable.

Black Mirror makes a grand return on Netflix, the Droughtlander (finally!) comes to a close, and we even have a big-budget movie with Chris Hemsworth.

Talk about winning, right?

Check out what we TV Fanatics think should be on your radar. It may be the summer, but there's plenty out there.

Saturday, June 10

8/7c Mary J. Blige's Real Love (Lifetime)

Mary J. Blige remains an icon and a renaissance woman, and she's taking her talents to new heights with her transition into using her songs to bring forth love stories on Lifetime.

Serving as executive producer for two films that are inspired by two of her most legendary songs, the first of the bunch, Real Love, will follow Kendra, an Hbcu student who is just...

“All my life is loving you,” is a line of dialogue that, on the page, looks worn thin with familiarity, a little like the trite English title of Claire Burger’s solo directorial debut, “Real Love.” But to reveal that the words are spoken not by a pining lover during the dash-to-the-airport climax of a romantic comedy, but by a father unwittingly tripping on ecstasy, to his two teenage daughters and his estranged wife, is to hint at the nature of this gorgeous film’s gentle miracle, which is to take its well-worn, soapy setup and rinse it of cliché, so it comes up new and shining.

Floodlit by a superlatively sympathetic performance by Belgian actor Bouli Lanners, Burger’s partly autobiographical film, which she also wrote, starts in the aftermath of a departure. After two decades of marriage, and the raising of their two girls, Armelle (Cécile Remy-Boutang) has...