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At this point, fans have come to expect at least a few Taylor Swift needle drops in each season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, since author and creator of the show Jenny Han has a personal connection to this music. The songstress knows a thing or two about the complications of love, something Lola Tung’s Belly Conklin is figuring out for herself in this YA series, which will conclude with Season 3, premiering July 16 with two episodes. Han has even gotten permission to use certain songs from Swift’s rerecorded works that haven’t been released yet.

The possibilities for Season 3 seem endless. In May, the pop mastermind reclaimed ownership of her music catalog, opening the door to even more songs that might be included in the final season’s soundtrack. Let’s also not forget, Swift released a double anthology album, The Tortured Poet’s Department, in the hiatus between seasons,...

If you are attuned to the world of rock music, then you’ve probably been there to witness the meteoric rise of Sleep Theory. The Memphis band exploded onto the scene with powerful singles like “Stuck in My Head” and “Fallout” and appealed to fanbases of bands like Breaking Benjamin and Bad Omens alike with their clever mix of pop, R&b, and heavy rock. With their first LP, Afterglow , the band built upon the magic of their previous singles and EP to give fans a taste of what it’s like to get a bigger helping of their musical nourishment. Frontman Cullen Moore gave me a peek into how anime played its part in the writing of Afterglow , his Naruto tattoos, and how anime taught him to be a better person. So you have a new album, Afterglow . It's the debut full-length. How exciting is it to have that out in the world?...

Chicago – “Breakfast of Champions” was a film that was critically reviled when it was released, and became one of those box office “mega bombs.” But the adapter/director of the film, Alan Rudolph, is getting the last laugh. “Breakfast of Champions” is being re-examined in a new 4K Uhd restoration through Shout! Studios and Films We Like as a film decidedly ahead of its time.

Breakfast of Champions

Photo credit: Films We Like/Shout! Studios

Rating: 5.0/5.0

“Breakfast of Champions’ (1999) tells the story of car dealership titan Dwayne Hoover (Bruce Willis), the most respected man in Midland City. His smiling face appears on every local channel and billboard , as a shining symbol of the American Dream. But Dwayne Hoover is not smiling inside. Nor can he be trusted. Dwayne’s shady prosperity, picture-frame family, and small mind are cracking.

His television commercial-addicted wife (Barbara Hershey) may or may not be physically...

Chicago – Alan Rudolph is a filmmaker icon from the last twenty years of the 20th Century and beyond. He had an unprecedented string of critical darlings from the 1970s through the ‘90s, a run that is acknowledged in the Criterion Channel’s June 2025 Spotlight Alan Rudolph’s Dramas of Desire.

The Criterion Channel description for Alan Rudolph’S Dramas Of Desires: “Alan Rudolph’s cinema is a constellation of dreamers, drifters, and disenchanted romantics. A protégé of Robert Altman and a singular voice in independent film, Rudolph has long been a maverick, eschewing convention in favor of elliptical storytelling, painterly compositions, and jazz-inflected rhythms. His films – including the tour-de-force Geraldine Chaplin thriller “Remember My Name” and the surreally stylish neo-noir “Trouble In Mind” – that invites us into richly textured worlds where emotional logic supersedes plot, and the ephemeral becomes eternal.”

Alan Rudolph’s Dramas of Desire

Photo credit: CriterionChannel.com...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Alan Rudolph’s Dramas of Desire

One of America’s great, oft-unheralded filmmakers, Alan Rudolph deserves far more recognition than he’s accumulated thus far. We recently published two extensive interviews with the director and now the Criterion Channel has a mini-retrospective, featuring Remember My Name (1978), Trouble In Mind (1985), Afterglow (1997), and Breakfast of Champions (1999).

Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel

Celebrating Gene Hackman

As we attempt to move on from a Gene Hackman-less world, the Criterion Channel has gathered some of his finest work to remember him by. Their series features The French Connection (1971), Scarecrow (1973), The Conversation (1974), Night Moves (1975), Eureka (1983), No Way Out (1987), and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).

Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel

Club Zero (Jessica Hausner)

Across her five previous features,...

When I spoke to Alan Rudolph a couple months ago, he confirmed that Criterion had sought to release his Remember My Name but were held up by music rights––a situation so complicated that a lawyer hired by the director himself simply gave up. I like to think something’s changed in less than 60 days: the Criterion Channel will stream Remember My Name as part of a quartet featuring Afterglow, Trouble In Mind, and Breakfast of Champions, the latter recently given a 4K restoration. It’s part of a retrospective-heavy month that also includes a 12-title Johnnie To series, numerous films by René Clair, highlights of Amy Holden Jones and Ougie Pak, and Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip saga in both television and theatrical editions. Meanwhile, Gene Hackman is celebrated with six titles.

One of those, Night Moves, gets a Criterion Edition; so do Les Blank’s A Poem Is...

Julie Christie is an Oscar-winning actress who has been largely absent from movie screens this century, enjoying a semi-retirement that finds her returning for the odd performance here and there. Yet she's always finding new fans as younger generations discover her cinematic classics. Let's take a look at 20 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born on April 14, 1940, Christie rose to prominence for her work in London, starting with a breakthrough performance in John Schlesinger's "Billy Liar" (1963). She won the Oscar as Best Actress just two years later for Schlesinger's "Darling" (1965), playing a fashion model who sleeps her way to the top. That same year, she shot to stardom thanks to David Lean's romantic epic "Doctor Zhivago" (1965), which casts her as a political activist's wife who falls in love with a physician (Omar Sharif) during the Russian Revolution.

She earned a second Best Actress nomination for Robert Altman...

The official website for the girl band-themed multimedia franchise BanG Dream! announced on February 28 that a new mini-anime series is scheduled to air and stream for 52 episodes within the year 2025. Kenshiro Morii and Seiya Miyajima are attached to co-direct. Morii served as the general director for the first season of the previous mini anime series BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Pico , while Miyajima was the director and character designer of the series. Additionally, the franchise's 10th anniversary concert, titled "BanG Dream! 10th Anniversary Live," is set to be held at K Arena Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture on February 28, 2026. The following performers are scheduled to participate: Poppin'Party Ayane Sakura (the role of Ran Mitake) from Afterglow Ami Maeshima (the role of Aya Maruyama) from Pastel*Palettes Roselia Miku Ito (the role of Kokoro Tsurumaki) from Hello, Happy World! Morfonica Raise A Suilen MyGO!!!!! Ave Mujica Mugendai Mewtype "BanG Dream! 10th Anniversary...

Quentin Tarantino followed his one pattern from Pulp Fiction in his 1997 film Jackie Brown and it was to cast a fallen actor in the lead role. While he picked John Travolta in the former film, it was Pam Grier’s turn in Jackie Brown. At that point, she didn’t have a major role since doing the Blaxploitation films in the ’70s like Foxy Brown and Coffy.

Grier delivered a once-in-a-lifetime performance as the lead character in the film. She outperformed every single one of her co-stars and that’s telling because her co-stars were the late Robert Forster, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, Bridget Fonda, and Michael Keaton.

Pam Grier in & as Jackie Brown | Credits: Miramax Films

Sadly, this performance was overlooked by the Academy at the 70th Oscars in 1998. Grier was a fan-favorite to win the Best Actress Award which made her snub from the nominations infuriating for movie-goers.

Exclusive: David Lynch had a great knack for discovering leading-lady talent, actresses who would ascend to bigger heights. One of those is Lara Flynn Boyle, who played the role of Donna Hayward in Lynch’s early 1990s ABC series Twin Peaks.

“There goes the true Willy Wonka of filmmaking,” the actress said in a statement to Deadline on Thursday following Lynch’s death at age 78. “I feel like I got the golden ticket getting a chance to work with him. He will be greatly missed.”

The arrival of Boyle was declared in an October 1990 Rolling Stone cover she shared with fellow Twin Peaks actress Sherilynn Fenn and Mädchen Amick that heralded “The Women of Twin Peaks.”

Related: ‘Twin Peaks’ Star Kyle MacLachlan Remembers David Lynch: “He Understood That Questions Are The Drive That Make Us Who We Are”

Boyle’s Donna was the fierce, straight arrow in a Northwest town...

“Wicked,” Universal’s Broadway musical adaptation, and FX/Hulu’s “Shogun,” a drama series set in feudal Japan, dominated the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, collecting five nods apiece to lead the film and TV races. The announcement comes three days after the Golden Globes and on the day Oscar nomination voting opens, and it delivered its share of jaw-dropping surprises and well-deserved recognition for some of the awards season’s top contenders.

“Wicked” soared to historic heights, tying for the most nominations in SAG history with five mentions. This achievement places the Jon M. Chu-directed adaptation of the Broadway sensation in an elite company alongside previous five-time nominees like “Shakespeare in Love” (1998), “Chicago” (2002), “Doubt” (2008), “The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022), and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022). Of those, “Shakespeare,” “Chicago,” and “Everything Everywhere” went on to win the SAG Award for best cast ensemble before clinching the Academy Award for best picture.

During the early '90s, there were few TV actresses hotter in Hollywood than Lara Flynn Boyle. After a handful of supporting credits in the late '80s in movies like "Poltergeist III" and shows like "Amerika," Boyle landed a main cast role as Donna Hayward on David Lynch and Mark Frost's genre-bending supernatural mystery series "Twin Peaks." When the show quickly became a pop culture sensation, Boyle was launched to stardom, and she got plenty of opportunities to show off her talents in the show's first season, where Donna is particularly central to the plot.

In the wake of her "Twin Peaks" fame, Boyle appeared in a number of prominent movies through the early '90s, playing Stacy in "Wayne's World" and co-starring in the 1992 Matthew Modine film "Equinox," among others. She was also a prominent face in celebrity news through the decade, dating other stars like "Twin Peaks" castmate Kyle MacLachlan,...

Jerry Cantrell has unveiled the title track from his upcoming solo album, I Want Blood. The song features Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan on bass and Faith No More’s Mike Bordin on drums.

“I Want Blood” follows the singles “Vilified” and “Afterglow,” and serves as the final preview of the album before its October 18th release.

The song is one of three tracks on the album that McKagan plays bass on and one of two songs on which Bordin handles drums. Other musicians who contributed to I Want Blood include Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Greg Puciato, Gil Sharone, and Lola Colette.

Of the three singles released thus far, “I Want Blood” sounds the least like Alice in Chains. In fact, it has more of a Queens of the Stone Age vibe. However, Cantrell’s distinct voice and guitar playing are still instantly recognizable.

“There’s a confidence to this album,...

It's hard to believe, but we're just over a month away from the premiere of the second and final season of Arcane, Netflix's Emmy-winning animated series based on the League of Legends video game. And we know this because Netflix finally confirmed the release date for Arcane as part of its Geeked Week celebration this week! And not only that, the stream also revealed that Arcane will have something of an unconventional release schedule.

Arcane season 2 will release in three "Acts," which feels suitably dramatic and fitting for the final stretch of the series. But don't worry, you won't have to wait long between each one. All three Acts will drop during the month of November, so we'll still get the full journey in a reasonably compact amount of time. Here's the release schedule:

Arcane season 2 release datesAct One — November 9Act Two — November 16Act Three — November 23

In addition to Arcane season 2's three-act structure,...

Updated, 6:02 Pm: The second and final season of Arcane has a premiere date.

The conclusion will kick off in three acts. The first batch of episodes drop November 9. Act Two is set for November 16, and the final act of the series will be released on November 23. Additional

There’s also a new after-show in the works called Afterglow. More details to be announced.

Updated, September 5: Netflix and Riot has dropped the first full-length trailer for the second and final season of Arcane, and in addition to being the most extensive look at what fans can expect when the series returns this November, the trailer introduces the first song from the new season’s soundtrack.

The song, “Paint The Town Blue,” is a collaboration with rapper, singer and songwriter Ashnikko. Check out the trailer and new song above.

Previous, June 11: Arcane will end with the upcoming second season.

Jerry Cantrell has unleashed “Afterglow” as the second single from his upcoming album, I Want Blood. The song is accompanied by a music video created by Cantrell and visual artist Matt Mahurin, who directed Alice in Chains’ “No Excuses” and “Angry Chair” videos in the 1990s.

“Afterglow” follows previous single “Vilified,” which was released in late July. The music video for “Afterglow” features close-up shots of Cantrell singing the song along with eye-catching visuals created by Mahurin.

Get Jerry Cantrell Tickets Here

“Two of my all-time favorite videos I’ve directed are ‘No Excuses’ and ‘Angry Chair’ for Alice In Chains in the early 1990s,” stated Mahurin. “To be able to once again offer my visual work to Jerry’s ‘Afterglow’ some thirty years later was a blast. From opera aria to pop tune, everybody sees a movie playing in their mind’s eye when they listen to a song.

Alex Warren, the newest member of SiriusXM and Pandora’s Artist Accelerator program, delivered an exclusive session featuring a performance of three songs and an interview for SiriusXM Hits 1 (Ch. 2) and The Pulse (Ch. 5). During his session in SiriusXM’s LA Garage, the singer and TikToker performed a rendition of Chappell Roan’s smash hit “Pink Pony Club.”

Watch Alex’s full session anytime exclusively on the SiriusXM app with a subscription and free trial, and check out a snippet of his Chappell cover below.

Alex’s SiriusXM SessionFeaturing his Chappell Roan cover & moreWatch on the App

Watch on the App

Alex Warren on SiriusXM and Pandora

Alex has emerged as one of the biggest Gen Z stars on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and of course SiriusXM and Pandora. From his struggles of being homeless to his current rise to stardom, the 23-year-old singer-songwriter has connected with our listeners through...

Jerry Cantrell has announced a new solo album titled I Want Blood. In advance of its October 18th release, the Alice in Chains singer-guitarist has unveiled the lead single and album opener, “Vilified.”

The news comes just as Cantrell launches a North American summer tour supporting Bush. The seven-week outing kicks off tonight (July 26th) in Bend, Oregon, and runs through a September 15th show in Los Angeles, with tickets available here.

Get Jerry Cantrell Tickets Here

I Want Blood is the follow-up to Cantrell’s 2021 album, Brighten. The new LP is stacked with notable contributors, including bassists Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses) and Robert Trujillo (Metallica); drummers Mike Bordin (Faith No More) and Gil Sharone; and backing vocals by Greg Puciato and Lola Colette.

“This record is a serious piece of work. It’s a motherf**ker,” Cantrell stated about I Want Blood. “It’s hard, no doubt, and completely unlike Brighten.

Civic Studios, a media company rooted in social impact storytelling, is continuing its global expansion from its bases in Mumbai and London.

Founded with the mission of creating content that drives change, the women-led studio boasts a 70% female team. The company was founded by Anushka Shah and incubated at the MIT Media Lab, with an intention of data and research driven media.

The 2024 slate highlights include “Christmas Karma,” directed by Gurinder Chadha. This Christmas musical set in London reimagines Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Starring Kunal Nayyar, Eva Longoria and Boy George, the film features music by Gary Barlow, Shaznay Lewis and Nitin Sawhney. It’s set for a December 2025 release.

“Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust,” an animation feature by Ishan Shukla premiered at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam 2024, winning the Netpac award for Best Asian Film. The film, about a dystopian world where citizens wear paper bags to erase differences,...

My first concert ever was Sarah McLachlan at Radio City Music Hall in 1995. The Canadian singer-songwriter was on tour in support of her U.S. breakthrough, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, and had enlisted a then-unknown artist, Paula Cole, as the opening act despite protests from tour promoters, who claimed nobody would pay to see two women.

Of course, they were mistaken, and a few years later, McLachlan helped reimagine the touring music festival with the all-female Lilith Fair. She continues her mission to share the spotlight with other female artists on her latest trek, in celebration of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy’s 30th anniversary, with fellow Canadian Leslie Feist warming up the audience at the Hollywood Bowl last night as the marine layer rolled in and the temperature dropped.

After opening with a mini-set of popular hits and fan favorites from subsequent releases, McLachlan launched into a track-by-track performance of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.

Throughout her career, Taylor Swift has landed 232 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Included in that are the 49 songs that broke into the Top 10. Within that, 11 topped the chart. Despite having an inescapable presence in pop for over a decade, there’s one artist’s record in particular that sparked envy in her. “‘Better Now’ is so insane,” she told Post Malone when she passed him backstage at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. “I’m so jealous of that song — that hook.” Last year, in an interview with Howard Stern, Malone recalled the interaction,...

U.K. band the Wild Things have enlisted the help of Kiss’ Tommy Thayer, Trixie Mattel, and their longtime rock and roll godfather Pete Townshend, for a new EP, Friends With Benefits, out April 26 via Peg Records.

A full track list for the collaborative project hasn’t been released yet, but it’ll feature a new song, “Breaking Madonna,” written and recorded with Thayer after he and the Wild Things met on the 2022 Kiss Kruise. It’ll also include one of the Wild Things’ previously-released singles with Townshend, “Only Attraction...

Norwegian broadcaster Nrk has excelled in recent years at bringing bold and thought-provoking shows to the world. After their latest Canneseries winners “Power Play” (2023), “Afterglow” (2022), “Countrymen” (2021) and “State of Happiness” (2018), their latest bet “Dumbsday” (“Dummedag”) has its international premiere April 8 in the French TV festival’s main competition. It first aired on the Norwegian pubcaster Nov. 2, 2023.

The 10 x 30-minute show described by Variety as “‘Idiocracy’ meets ‘Day of the Dead’ is handled worldwide by Belgium-based Primitives which recently closed multi-territory deals in Europe on Nrk’s other comedy show, “Cammo”.

“We pride ourselves on seeking out distinctive formats and programming which will translate well across the international landscape,” said Primitives’ sales and acquisition manager Emma Gosling.

“Norway has long been a leader for its creativity and innovation, so when we acquired ‘Dumbsday’ towards the end of last year, we knew it would reach international audiences with its universal humour. It...

Taylor Swift‘s upcoming album The Tortured Poets Department is clearly going to deal with heartbreak and she’s getting fans prepared by releasing playlists of her music that represent the five stages of heartbreak.

The 34-year-old singer has teamed up with Apple Music to release the five playlists, two weeks before her upcoming album is released.

The playlists include songs that fit the five stages of heartbreak: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance.

Head inside to see which songs landed on each playlist and for Taylor’s comments…

Taylor hand-picked the songs for each playlist and she also commented on each stage of heartbreak.

Denial

Taylor says: “This is a list of songs about getting so caught up in the idea of something that you have a hard time seeing the red flags, possibly resulting in moments of denial and maybe a little bit of delusion. Results may vary.

Fremantle’s Norwegian banner Monster, behind hit TV shows “Exit,” “Furia” and “Pørni, will be bringing to Series Mania Forum’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions ‘The Odesa Wrestlers’, which has received development coin from Norwegian pubcaster Nrk.

Celebrated Norwegian podcaster Joachim Førsund and star actor Thorbjørn Harr are making their debut as co-creators, with Førsund also serving as screenwriter and Harr as episodic director.

“We’re in discussions with Thorbjørn to play one of the main roles, but nothing is confirmed,” said producer and Monster head of scripted Cathrine Simonsen.

Set in small town Elverum in rural Norway, the story turns on two young Ukrainian refugees and brothers Andriy and Mago as they join a local wrestling team, with the hope to shape a brighter future for themselves. Their remarkable skills and unorthodox methods quickly disrupt the social hierarchy in the club – headed by former world champion Willy – as well as the local youth community.

Beloved Swedish classic novel “The Scarab Flies at Dusk” is being adapted into a premium family adventure series produced by Nordic Drama Queens, the top-notch production label backed by Fifth Season.

Swedish broadcaster Svt has already commissioned the show whose starry cast will be led by Tomas von Brömssen (“My Life as a Dog”), Pernilla August (“‘The Best Intentions”) Dag Malmberg (“The Bridge”) and Lena Endre (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”). Fifth Season is handling worldwide sales on the series and is introducing it to potential buyers attending the Göteborg Film Festival’s TV Drama Vision.

“Afterglow” filmmaker Atle Knudsen will be directing the series, which is penned by celebrated authors Ditta Bongenhielm (“Bonus Family“) and Lovisa Milles (“Jordskott“).

“The Scarab Flies at Dusk” will be filmed in Västra Götaland and produced by Nordic Drama Queens in collaboration with Svt, Film i Väst, TV2 Norway, Monster As and Dr...

Bruce Dickinson has revealed the release date and the full tracklist for his new solo album. The Iron Maiden singer’s forthcoming LP, The Mandrake Project, will arrive on March 1st via BMG. In advance of the release, he’s officially unveiled the album’s first single, “Afterglow of Ragnarok,” an epic, galloping, eight-minute-long metal anthem.

The Mandrake Project, which marks Dickinson’s first solo album since 2005, will feature 10 songs, including a new version of “Eternity Has Failed,” which first appeared on Iron Maiden’s 2015 album The Book of Souls. A press release tours the theme of the album as a “dark, adult story of power, abuse and a struggle for identity, set against the backdrop of scientific and occult genius.”

A cinematic music video accompanies the release of “Afterglow of Ragnarok.” Speaking about the video, director Ryan Mackfall remarked, “Many years before I was a director, I have fond...

Rita Hollingsworth, the first-rate publicist and communications strategist who worked with the likes of Barbra Streisand, Robert Altman, Chen Kaige, the Carousel of Hope and St. Vincent Meals on Wheels over the years, has died. She was 61.

Hollingsworth died Nov. 16 of an intracerebral brain hemorrhage at Keck Hospital of USC, her husband of 37 years, Jeff Hollingsworth, told The Hollywood Reporter. The couple launched Rmh Media in 1996.

Hollingsworth cut her teeth with The Lee Solters Co., where clients included Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Michael Jackson, Neil Diamond, Barbara Davis’ Carousel of Hope and the Race to Erase Ms.

At Rmh Media, she helped bring major festival and market attention to such films as Alan Rudolph’s Afterglow (1997), Altman’s Cookie’s Fortune (1999), Michael Radford’s Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000) and Chen’s Caught in the Web (2012) and Legend of the Demon Cat (2017).

Rmh also represented New York Times best-selling author Reyna Grande.

Rhino will release Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, a collection of all Tina Turner’s singles from 1975-2023, on Nov. 24. The boxset celebrates 50 years since the start of the singer’s career and will mark the first time her singles have been released all together.

The release is previewed with a new version of Turner’s 1996 song “Something Beautiful Remains.” The new rendition, titled “Something Beautiful,” was reworked by producer Terry Britten, a long-time collaborator of Turner. “Dear Tina, the experience of working with you could never be repeated, but...

The Kansas City Chiefs did more than take down the Chicago Bears during the Sept. 24 game. Sunday night’s telecast of Fox’s “America’s Game of the Week” got the Taylor’s Version treatment and delivered a total audience of 24.32 million viewers and scoring the highest among female demographics across the ages of 12-17, 18-49 this week.

Aside from Patrick Mahomes’ successful performance, the game featured a notable cameo from Taylor Swift, who watched the game from a suite alongside Chiefs player Travis Kelce’s mother, Donna, as the Chiefs completely wiped out the competition, ending the game with a score of 41-10. The appearance likely boosted the game’s ratings as fans of the “Afterglow” singer reacted to circulating rumors of a budding romance with Kelce.

In relation to last year’s figures, the showdown just barely missed the mark by 8%. Last year’s Game of the Week...

Fox’s late afternoon NFL broadcast Sunday was down some from the same week a year ago — but the most famous fan in attendance at the game may have helped drive a ratings uptick in at least one demographic.

Taylor Swift attended the Kansas City Chiefs’ 41-10 blowout of the Chicago Bears Sunday, sitting in a suite with the family of Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, whom she’s rumored to be dating. Fox’s cameras repeatedly cut to Swift in the stands during the game.

The music superstar’s presence alone wasn’t enough to lift the laugher of a game (Kansas City led 34-0 at halftime) above the same week last year, however. Fox’s telecast averaged 24.32 million viewers, the most of the weekend, but was off by about 8 percent from the 26.4 million who watched the network’s game of the week a year ago. Ratings were...

Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. This week, Nicki Minaj returns with a somber single off of her upcoming album Pink Friday 2, Doja Cat taps into her demonic side, and Lil Wayne drops his first solo single of the year. Plus, a collaboration that feels straight out of 2007 from the iconic trio of Timbaland, Nelly Furtado, and Justin Timberlake.

Nicki Minaj, “Last Time I Saw You” (YouTube)

Doja Cat, “Demons” (YouTube)

Lil Wayne, “Kat Food” (YouTube)

Timbaland,...

BBC Basks In Norwegian Afterglow

The BBC has acquired Norwegian comedy drama ‘Afterglow’ for BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. The 7×45 minute series tells the story of Ester Sand, the one person you think will live forever, who finds out she has cervical cancer on her 40th birthday. But after the initial shock, it’s Ester who comforts the people in her life and she has no intention of leaving the world just yet. “ ‘Afterglow’ is a story of love and life and all of the glorious and silly things we do before we die,” the broadcaster said. “Afterglow” stars Nina Ellen Odegaard (“Possession”), Torbjorn Harr (“Vikings”), Sara Khorami (“Witch Hunt”) and Hermann Sabado (“Home for Christmas”). It was created by Kjetil Indregard and Atle Knudsen, who also acts as director. It was produced by Monster Scripted for Nrk, with rights handled by Reinvent International Sales. “Funny, sad, honest and touching,...

Ed Sheeran is bringing his Mathematics tour to North America.

The singer announced concert dates for his first set of performances in the United States in almost five years.

The series of shows begin on May 6 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and will continue until September 23 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

>Get Ed Sheeran Tickets Now!

Support for the tour will come from Khalid (May 6-September 2), Russ (September 9-23) as well as performances from Dylan, Cat Burns, Maisie Peters and Rosa Linn.

The English singer began writing songs around the age of 11. His debut album, +, was released in September 2011 and reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The LP featured his first hit single, “The A Team.”

His second studio album, x, was even more successful, becoming the second-best-selling album worldwide in 2015.

The four-time Grammy winner’s 2018 Divide Tour was the most-attended and highest-grossing tour of all time.

The Weeknd took the Junos by storm last night.

The annual Canadian music awards show’s opening night took place on Saturday, hosted by “Run The Burbs” star and co-creator Andrew Phung and CBC Music radio host Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe.

Fourty awards were handed out to artists including The Weeknd, who led the pack with artist of the year; songwriter of the year and pop album of the year for Dawn FM; and single of the year for “Sacrifice”. He didn’t attend the ceremony in-person to receive the awards.

Read More: The Junos Are Going East To Halifax For 2024 Awards Show

The artist also led nominations at last’s years show, where he was nominated in six categories. With his wins in 2015, 2016 and 2021, The Weeknd now ties Bryan Adams for the second-most Juno wins of all time with 21 awards.

Anne Murray still holds the record at 25 wins.

View this post...

The Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs has announced a new album, a collection of covers called The Deep End. The project is out April 7th via Baroque Folk, while the first taste of the LP — a cover of The Rolling Stones’ 1966 track “Under My Thumb” — is available to stream now.

Produced by Peter Asher, The Deep End sees Hoffs tackle classics from the Stones, Squeeze, and Leslie Gore, as well as modern songs by artists like Ed Sheeran, Billie Eilish, and Brandy Clark. It arrives at the same time as The Bird Has Flown, the artist’s debut novel. Pre-orders for both the album and the book are ongoing.

While she admits to loving the Stones and “Under My Thumb” — “I’ve listened to that song on repeat since it came out in the mid-’60s,” she recalled in a statement — covering the track presented Hoffs with the opportunity to practice a little gender trouble.

The 70th Academy Award ceremony on March 23, 1998, is the most-watched Oscar ceremony to date — most likely due to a “Titanic” film nominated for several awards. However, Gil Gates, who produced 14 Oscar ceremonies between 1990 and 2008, also wanted a special segment to recognize Oscar’s platinum anniversary, and arranged for 70 past acting winners to sit together on the stage, with Norman Rose announcing the films for which each performer won. It was a spectacular gathering of actors and actresses from Classic Hollywood, New Hollywood and the contemporary period.

Let’s flashback to the first Oscars family album featured in the ceremony 25 years ago.

SEEOscar flashback 25 years to 1998: Winners are Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Robin Williams and ‘Titanic’ ratings for ABC

Among those present was the first performer to win back-to-back acting Oscars, Best Actress champ Luise Rainer. At the age of 88, she was the oldest one on the stage; when she...

2021 marks 10 years since the now-30-year-old Ed Sheeran released his debut studio album, “+,” and his breakthrough single, “The A Team.” So we’re counting down the best songs of his career (so far). Take a walk down memory lane with his songs below. Let us know what you think of our pick for his number-one in our comments.

21. “Cross Me” featuring Chance the Rapper and PnB Rock (2019)

20. “Galway Girl” (2017)

19. “Antisocial” with Travis Scott (2019)

18. “Give Me Love” (2012)

17. “Happier” (2018)

16. “I See Fire” (2013)

15. “Afterglow” (2020)

14. “Sing” (2014)

13. “Don’t” (2014)

12. “The Joker and the Queen” with Taylor Swift (2021)

11. “Beautiful People” featuring Khalid (2019)

10. “Shivers” (2021)

9. “Lego House” (2011)

8. “I Don’t Care” with Justin Bieber (2019)

7. “Castle on the Hill” (2017)

6. “Bad Habits” (2021)

5. “Photograph” (2015)

4. “The A Team” (2011)

3. “Perfect” (2017)

2. “Shape of You” (2017)

1. “Thinking Out Loud” (2014)

Sheeran had been recording and releasing music independently for years before his record deal, so by the time he turned 20 in 2011 he already had a substantial discography. His...

A blockbuster film tied big records, a legendary actor set a new record, a viewership record was achieved and the Academy celebrated its platinum anniversary in a big way. Billy Crystal hosted the 70th Academy Awards on March 23, 1998, where one film made a “titanic” splash, and the ceremony saw its highest viewership of all time, with more than 55 million people tuning in — a record that stands today not only for the Oscars, but all live awards programs.

It’s a film that people either love or hate (or at least wonder what all the fuss is about), but either way, the huge impact that James Cameron‘s “Titanic” made on the film industry cannot be denied. The most expensive movie ever produced up to that time, many doubted that the romantic tragedy would result in box office gold. However, “Titanic” went on to become the highest grossing movie of all...

Popular singer Sona Mohapatra took a packed auditorium by surprise when she was called upon the stage at the ongoing Indian Film Festival of Melbourne to give away an award and judge the long-standing and popular dance competition of the festival.

The singer treated the auditorium packed with the Indian diaspora, government functionaries, including ministers and members of parliament, and the city’s mayor with an impromptu act.

She crooned, a-cappella, the ‘Kuhu Kuhu Bole Koyaliya’, a duet sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi for the pan-India 1957 film, ‘Suvarna Sundari’, starring the legendary Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Anjali Devi. That was her tribute the late Nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar.

Talking about the experience, Sona said: “When the festival organisers discovered that I had collaborated with the legendary Aussie band Inxs in a single called ‘Afterglow’, they requested if I could sing a few lines to celebrate India-Australia friendship.

Following the world premiere of “Six Weeks” at Sarajevo Film Festival, about a teenage mother who decides to give her child up for adoption, but still has some time to change her mind, director Noémi Veronika Szakonyi will continue to explore the subject in “Little Ones.” In the documentary, which she will produce, the focus will shift to the complicated workings of international adoption.

“We have been working on it for eight years now; we will shoot for four more,” she says. Her husband and frequent collaborator Máté Vincze will direct.

“I have a subconscious connection to this topic, which I have realized only later. I have been shooting another documentary about my own family, about my mother giving up her child. My brother. I am just interested in that question: how can you give up a child and survive?”

The Hungarian filmmaker already has a slew of new projects,...

Ed Sheeran is releasing a new “tour edition” of his latest album, =. Pronounced Equals, the Fall 2021 release gets a refresh with the addition of nine tracks. Two songs from the expanded edition — “I Will Remember You” and “Welcome to the World” — are brand new, while two tracks come from the 2019 film, Yesterday, in which the singer also starred. Those tracks, “One Life” and “Penguins,” have never been officially released.

The “tour edition” of the album also includes loosie “Afterglow,” and previously released collaborations, including “The Joker and the Queen” featuring...

Who’s performing on “American Song Contest” tonight? The April 25, 2022 lineup notably includes four of the five national jury selections: Washington’s Allen Stone, Rhode Island’s Hueston, Kentucky’s Jordan Smith and Michigan’s Ada LeAnn. Scroll down to meet all 11 participants that will take the stage during the Semi-Finals 1 round on Monday night. The five contestants from this group who receive enough votes from the national jury and the at-home viewers will advance to the Grand Final on May 9. As always, Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg serve as hosts and executive producers.

See How to vote for ‘American Song Contest’

Here is your complete “American Song Contest” Week 6 preview:

Alabama: Ni/Co singing “The Difference”

Ni/Co is a duo made up of Dani Brillhart and Colton Jones. They began gaining popularity in 2019 from their YouTube videos, which have accumulated more than 40 million views. The pop duo...

Who’s performing on “American Song Contest” tonight? The April 11, 2022 lineup includes Utah’s country singer Savannah Keyes and Washington’s folk rock artist Allen Stone. Scroll down to see all 11 participants that will take the stage during the Qualifiers 4 round on Monday night. The four contestants from this group who receive enough votes from the national jury and the at-home viewers will advance to the all-important Semi-Finals. As always, Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg serve as hosts and executive producers.

See How to vote for ‘American Song Contest’

Here is your complete “American Song Contest” Week 4 preview:

Allen Stone (Washington): Allen Stone was raised in the small town of Chewelah, Wash., and grew up on gospel music, spending much of his childhood as a pastor’s son watching his parents lead their congregation in song. By the time he was 11, he’d picked up a guitar, wrote his...

Israeli series “The Lesson,” a taut half-hour series parable on the vicious spiral of social media confrontation, took top honors on Wednesday night at a spirited 2022 Canneseries festival whose main competition was buoyed by titles from some of the boldest players in the business.

With “The Lesson” co-lead, the extraordinary Maya Landsmann, walking off with best performance for her nuanced turn as a super-sized troubled teen who goads her liberal teacher into a personal attack on her physical appearance – a put-down which goes viral – the series can rate as the big winner at this year’s event.

Produced by Yochanan Kredo at Jasmine TV for Israeli broadcaster Kan 11 – and scoring huge numbers when aired on the network – the show, written by Deakla Keydar and directed by Eitan Zur (“Asylum City”), also exemplifies the virtues of much best Israeli TV drama: Taut, pointed writing, great acting, direction which serves the drama,...

In Monster Scripted’s seven-episode series “Afterglow,” hailing from Norway, Ester – mother, wife and a friend – finds out she has cancer. But instead of giving in to pain, she “demands joy,” actress Nina Ellen Ødegård told Variety at Canneseries after its premiere in main competition. REinvent handles sales.

“She gets desperate, in a way, and I find it so true,” she says about her spirited character who refuses to be victimized. Ødegård, also a regular in supernatural Nordic noir “Seizure,” embraced – and loved – Ester’s failings.

“After seeing the first episodes again, I thought: ‘I am so rude!’ But we wanted to show her being as human as possible, so that others can hopefully recognize themselves in her struggle. I haven’t experienced illness [knocks on wood], but when I became a mother, I was also obnoxious to my friends. I always felt like I didn’t have enough time. Once you experience something life-changing,...

Fanny Herrero, “Call My Agent!” creator and showrunner, will be president of the jury at television series festival Canneseries, which runs April 1-6.

The French screenwriter’s other credits include “Les Bleus,” “Odysseus,” “Fais pas ci faire pas ça,” “A French Village” and “Kaboul Kitchen.” Her latest series, “Standing Up” has just been launched on Netflix, and opened Series Mania.

Also on the jury will be French actors Anne Marivin and Sami Outalbali (“Sex Education”), American actor Denis O’Hare, Icelandic actor-producer Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (“The Minister”), and British composer Daniel Pemberton (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”).

The Official Selection features 10 series in competition. These are Belgian crime drama “1985,” Norwegian relationship drama “Afterglow,” Canadian comedy-drama “Audrey’s Back,” Italian crime comedy-drama “Bang Bang Baby,” Spanish crime drama “El Inmortal,” French political thriller “The Inside Game, Seeds of Wrath,” German anthology series “Punishment,” German mystery drama “Souls,” Danish biographical drama “The Dreamer – Becoming Karen Blixen,...

Genesis won’t turn it on again, staging what was billed as its final concert Saturday night at London’s 02 arena.

Phil Collins, the group’s former drummer, was joined by keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist Mike Rutherford. Collins, age 71 and increasingly frail with back and hip issues, sat center stage throughout. He was in good humor, though, reportedly quipping at one point that he’ll now need to find a real job after the band’s demise.

Genesis’ “The Last Domino? Tour” came after a 14-year live performance hiatus. It was also postponed during the pandemic. The group’s final tour included concerts in the U.K. last September and in North America last fall, concluding with another 14 concerts in Europe and the U.K.

The trio were joined on the tour by Collins’ son, Nic, who also filled in for his father behind the kit during his recent solo tours.

The fifth edition will see the TV festival return to its original springtime slot to run alongside MipTV.

French Oscar-winning director Xavier De Lestrade’s investigative thriller The Inside Game, Seeds Of Wrath and Danish bio-series The Dreamer – Becoming Karen Blixen are among the 10 new series selected for competition in the upcoming edition of French TV festival Canneseries (April 1-6).

The fifth edition sees the event return its traditional springtime slot coinciding with the MipTV content market (April 4-6), after the festival moved to September in 2021 due to the Covid-pandemic.

Political thriller The Inside Game, Seeds Of Wrath stars Alix Poisson...

Paramount Plus’ “Halo,” a makeover of the massive video game hit by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin TV and 343 Industries, will open this year’s Canneseries.

In other potential highlights, Gillian Anderson will be on hand to receive the Variety Icon Award. Canneseries Artistic Director Albin Lewi praised Gillian Anderson for delivering 10 “edgy” and iconic roles that have helped to redefine the drama landscape, and for being a symbol of “this golden age of series.” “Euphoria” star Sydney Sweeney will pick up the Madame Figaro Rising Star Award, the French TV festival announced Tuesday March 8 in Paris, unveiling its 2022 lineup.

“Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-huyk producer Yeon Kim-ji will be in Cannes for a South Korea Focus.

Main growth at 2022’s Cannesseries will be in industry terms, said Canneseries Managing Director Benoit Louvet. The festival will stage its 4th Vivendi-backed Talent Unlimited writers residencies and 3rd Canneseries Writers Club, with...