Country Hitmaker Shane McAnally’s Songwriting and Producing Catalog Acquired by CTM Outlander (EXCLUSIVE)

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The Academy of Country Music has rolled out the biggest news about its 16th annual ACM Honors event, happening Aug. 23 in Nashville — who the specially selected honorees will be, traditionally a curated mix of current superstars, veteran artists and industry execs or broadcast personalities. Chris Stapleton, Kane Brown and Tim McGraw are the reigning artist titans represented in the honorary awards, with Breland and Hardy representing a newer guard. Mary Chapin Carpenter, Clint Black and K.T. Oslin are the longer-standing artists getting their flowers from the ACM. Stapleton qualified for the ACM Triple Crown Award after being named entertainer of the year at the most recent ACM Awards for the first time. The honor goes to anyone who gets that top honor after previously having been named male (or female) vocalist of the year and new male (or female) vocalist of the year at the ACMs. Only eight artists have ever achieved the feat. (Stapleton’s predecessors: Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Mickey Gilley, Merle Haggard, Miranda Lambert, Barbara Mandrell and Carrie Underwood.)

David Bohrman, a longtime producer and news executive who was responsible for innovations in live and special events and breaking news, including at CNN and other networks, died on Sunday. He was 69.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic When Bobbie Nelson, longtime pianist for her brother, Willie Nelson, died in March 2022 at age 91, she left behind a recently completed posthumous album, recorded collaboratively with singer Amanda Shires. That record, “Loving You,” is finally seeing the light of day and shedding additional daylight on Nelson’s supreme talent as a player, which wasn’t always the main point of focus in the Nelsons’ family band, for obvious reasons. As a happy byproduct, this beautiful labor of love also casting sunshine on Shires’ skills as a vocal interpreter, as they both take on Willie songs, standards (“Over the Rainbow” and “Summertime,” the latter with a guest vocal from Bobbie’s brother) and other shared favorites.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Singer-songwriter Brandy Clark has enjoyed triumphs recently on two fronts. Ten years of work on the score for her first Broadway musical, “Shucked,” paid off with a Tony nomination and a Drama Desk Award win for her and score co-writer Shane McAnally. And the Nashville resident’s self-titled fourth album, which found her friend Brandi Carlile moving into the producer’s chair, got the kind of great reviews that augur for more Grammy nominations (on top of the 10 nods she’s already picked up over the years). While she was making one of her many visits to New York, Variety caught up with her for a Facetime feature to discuss both her new Warner Records album, one of the year’s best, and the hit musical, which has a cast album of its own. The joint timing is coincidental, of course (“Shucked” was originally tagged for a 2020 opening, with an out-of-town run in D.C. that was just about to begin when the pandemic kicked in). That she gets to talk about two home runs at once makes her career seem far from anything that ends in “-ucked,” unless lucked applies.

Some of country music's biggest crooners also hold the title of devoting dad. To mark the holiday, some posted to their social media about being proud papas, while others got some love from their partners with sweet family photos.  Many stars were recently gathered in Nashville for CMA Fest, where Jason Aldean and Keith Urban told Fox News Digital about their unique Father's Day plans, emphasizing how much they just wanted to be with their family. "My Father's Day plans are always the same man - I want to wake up, hangout with my kids, maybe grill out, watch them swim in the pool, and watch some baseball.

Keith Urban has apologised for unintentionally revealing that Phoebe Bridgers and Bo Burnham are an item.The country star said in a new interview that Bridgers had reached out to him in “her own passive way” about the situation in which she was caught on his camera kissing Burnham at a Taylor Swift concert they were all attending.Urban told Entertainment Tonight at the CMA Fest in Nashville: “Oh, I found out. Phoebe, I’m so sorry.”A few weeks ago Urban and his wife, Nicole Kidman, attended one of the Philadelphia dates of Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour.

A.D. Amorosi When listeners look back at what was their favorite late-spring/early-summer 2023 anthem, for many, it will surely be New York rapper and vocalist Toosii’s warmly embraceable “Favorite Song.” A spare, banging ballad with a gorgeous, sinewy melody, a subtly contagious chorus and a positive, romantic message (“You look good without no make-up, no lashes, even better when you wake up”), it has spent 15 weeks on the Billboard chart to date, most of that in the Top 10. Along with reaching No. 5 on the Hot 100, “Favorite” hit No. 1 on the Rap Streaming Songs Chart, the Hot Rap Songs Chart and the R&B/Hip-Hop Chart, all with 400-million-plus combined global streams. To go with its platinum-certified victory, “Favorite Song” has also accumulated over 61 million YouTube video views, and is currently the centerpiece of “Naujour” Toosii’s just-released debut album.

Spoilers for, including the serial killer's identity and other key moments from season 1. Now streaming on Peacock, season 1 of mixes humor with sex and thrills to deliver a witty satire of the true-crime genre. At the center of creator Craig Rosenberg's series are Ava (Kaley Cuoco) and Nathan (Chris Messina) Bartlett, a married couple struggling to keep it together who decide to blackmail a serial killer in order to launch a podcast in hopes of solving their personal and financial problems. Known as the Westside Ripper, it's quickly revealed that the murderer terrorizing Los Angeles is a brooding yet smoldering local plumber named Matt Pierce (Tom Bateman), who was hired to do some handiwork at the Bartlett's home while also befriending the couple.

Miranda Lambert was joined by Avril Lavigne for a rendition of ‘Sk8er Boi’ at her Nashville show this weekend – see the performance below.The performance on Friday (June 9) came at CMA Fest, the festival from the The Country Music Association, who also organise the CMA Awards.

Jean Elie is a talented actor, producer, and writer with Haitian roots. He gained recognition for portraying Ahmal Dee, Issa Rae’s brother, on HBO’s Insecure and for his guest appearance on ABC’s American Crime. In addition to acting, Jean has collaborated with major companies like Puma, Showtime, Anheuser Busch, HBO, and Prime Video as a brand influencer. 

Torrey DeVitto is finding love in Greece.The actress stars in Hallmark Channel's latest romantic movie, which follows Ilana (DeVitto) as she travels with her Greek boyfriend, Mike (Yannis Tsimitselis), for his sister's wedding, where she's the maid of honor. But after Mike surprises Ilana by proposing, she finds herself caught in the whirlwind created by his well-meaning and overly enthusiastic mother, Athena (Marina Sirtis). «It has all the elements that you would want out of a sweet romance movie.

Warner Music’s label services division ADA Worldwide is now handling global distribution for Rostrum Records. “Rostrum Records was founded on a commitment to bring innovative, artist-first approaches to the music industry”, says the label’s President Erika Montes.

Carly Pearce is feeling good following her breakup with Riley King.Pearce, 33, and King, 27, called it quits after two years of dating, earlier this month. The former couple first debuted their relationship in 2021, just over a year after Pearce filed for divorce from country singer Michael Ray, 35.«Yes, things didn’t work out,» King told  on Wednesday.

Mark Guarino Chicago’s Bloodshot Records was a powerful and pioneering force in the alt-country movement of the 1990s and beyond, defining the genre with a roster of breakthrough artists including the Robbie Fulks, Old 97s, Alejandro Escovedo, the Waco Brothers, Neko Case, Justin Townes Earle, and the Bottle Rockets. In 2021, 27 years after its first release, label co-founders Nan Warshaw and Rob Miller sold Bloodshot to Exceleration Music, a global investment group that either owns the catalogs of or has strategic partnerships with other legacy labels like Alligator Records and Kill Rock Stars. At the time, Exceleration said it planned to largely manage and monetize Bloodshot’s back catalog. But this month it is releasing “Music Man,” a new album by Layng Martine Jr., a veteran Nashville songwriter who has written hits for legends like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire, and the Pointer Sisters, among many others. It is one of five new albums Bloodshot is set to release this year, said Dave Hansen, an Exeleration principal.

CMA Music Festival will celebrate its 50th year at Nissan Stadium with some of the biggest names in country music.That includes household name headliners like Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Ashley McBryde.Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, Tim McGraw and Little Big Town will be joining in the fun as well.While we’re at it, Jordan Davis, Carly Pearce, Tyler Hubbard, Jimmie Allen and Keith Urban will be there too.Plus, you won’t want to forget Lainey Wilson and Morgan Evans either.We’re still just getting started — all in all, over 100 acts (!) will be taking the stage at this 2023 CMA Music Festival.And for folks that have yet to grab last-minute tickets, you’re not too late to get in on the four-day weekend.At the time of publication, four-day general admission passes start at $265 before fees on Vivid Seats.Hoping for just a taste and only want to attend a single day?Single-day passes can be found for as low as $68 before fees.Still on the fence about going?We’ve got all the details you need to help you make your final decision below.All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.A complete breakdown of all the best single and multi-day ticket prices can be found right here:(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time.

Chrissy Metz is keeping hope alive for a reunion movie!The singer-actress joined ET's Kevin Frazier, Nischelle Turner and Rachel Smith for Day 2 of Nashville Week at the legendary Bluebird Cafe, where the 42-year-old — who is performing at Ty Herndon's Concert for Love & Acceptance on Wednesday and the CMA Fest on Sunday — opened up about recently reuniting with co-stars Mandy Moore and Susan Kelechi Watson, and what a follow-up film might look like for the beloved Pearson family.«I would [be down],» Metz said when asked about a possible reunion down the line. «I'm like, where would it be set?»Just recently, Metz posted a sweet family photo with a smiling Moore and Watson in Los Angeles to her Instagram, writing in the caption, «Sing it with me…reunited and it feels so good!»«That was really cute to get together with my girls,» she noted of their mini get-together at the end of May.A post shared by Chrissy Metz (@chrissymetz)But back to that possible reunion movie.«I mean, anything's possible,» Metz shared.

Emmy Rossum is opening up about playing Tom Holland's mom. ET's Rachel Smith spoke to the 36-year-old actress at the premiere of in New York City on Thursday, and she revealed what it felt like to play mom to an actor that's approximately 10 years her junior.«It makes sense when I read the script,» Rossum reasoned.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan was on top of the world Thursday as she celebrated the fourth and final season of Netflix's .The 21-year-old actress prepares to say goodbye to Devi Vishwakumar in the new season of Mindy Kaling's coming-of-age comedy, which finds the titular heroine entering her senior year of high school. But before she and her friends say sayonara to Sherman Oaks High, they have a few loose ends to tie up, including the aftermath of Devi and Ben's «one free boink.»While season 4 is mere days away from premiering on Netflix, Ramakrishnan and her castmates wrapped filming nearly a year ago in August 2022.

Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired all North American rights for “Last Summer,” directed by Catherine Breillat, her first film in a decade, the companies announced on Friday.The film, which just screened In Competition at the Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews, tells the story of Anne, a brilliant lawyer who lives in perfect harmony with her husband Pierre and their six and eight‐year‐old daughters in the suburbs of Paris. One day, Theo, 17, Pierre’s son from a previous marriage, moves in with them.

Brian Tyree Henry is back in the andcouldn't be happier! The actor spoke with ET's Ash Crossan at the  premiere on Tuesday, where he shared how proud he is to be part of the sequel to 2018's Oscar-winning animated feature.«I knew that the people wanted to see a Spider-Man like Miles Morales because I really wanted to,» he shared. «I knew that this was going to be something new and I'm really glad to come back and do it a second time.