If Black Culture Drives Pop Culture, Where Are the Black Senior Music Executives? (Guest Column)

Kelly Clarkson has a reputation for having a contagious sense of humour and is never afraid to challenge her coworkers. Blake Shelton, her voice co-star, is her most recent victim. MORE: Why Kelly Clarkson has reason to celebrate away from her showThe beloved coach, interior designer and all round host, ahead of the season four premier of The Kelly Clarkson Show, took the time to reflect on her most recent season.The former American Idol read through a yearbook made by her crew and shared fond memories of the more than 1,000 famous visitors who dropped by.WATCH: Kelly Clarkson was beaten at her own game on The Kelly Clarkson Show when Anne Hathaway guessed her song before she couldThe yearbook found that Kelly performed 169 "Kellyokes," a karaoke version of her name, and  taped a total of 180 episodes.MORE: Kelly Clarkson opens up about the impact her divorce had on her careerShe also praised the fact that they had nine Emmy nominations for season three and two Sports Emmy awards for the previous season, saying: "It really is exciting, my team works extremely hard."Kelly then reflected on the immense amount of awards she and her team achieved, and one statistic made her think of a certain country music icon. She said, “I competed in 28 games and I only won 15 of them.

East Ayrshire Council chiefs were grilled over the drastic changes to the local authority's summer scheme as kids with additional support needs look set to lose out this summer.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNational Geographic Content has promoted Karen Greenfield to the newly created position of senior vice president of content, diversity and inclusion.Most recently Nat Geo’s SVP of business operations while also serving as diversity and inclusion council chair, in her new role, Greenfield will “develop and execute programs and initiatives to produce diverse and inclusive content and contribute to a culture of belonging across all Nat Geo Content teams,” per the Disney-owned brand.Greenfield will lead the Nat Geo Content creative teams in producing inclusive programs “for a multicultural and multigenerational audience,” and collaborate closely with marketing and communications leaders to tap into “a broader array of fans.” She will also work with fellow Disney execs to ensure Nat Geo talent and programming are integrated into companywide DEI initiatives. She will report directly to Nat Geo Content president Courteney Monroe and will continue to be based at Nat Geo headquarters in Washington, D.C.Along with the news of Greenfield’s promotion to the new role, Nat Geo announced a second year for its Nat Geo Media Scholarship program for students who attend historically Black colleges or universities (HBCU), an initiative led by Greenfield.

After a two year delay due to the pandemic, Illumination/Universal’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, the fifth movie in the Despicable Me/Minions universe, arrives looking to lead the Independence Day domestic box office with $70M-$80M over 4-days, and another $70M abroad for a potential $150M global launch. There are no other major studio wide entries over July 4th weekend.

Podcasts are coming to you live and in-person! iHeartMedia and Charlamange Tha God announced the Black Effect Podcast Festival which will amplify Black voices in the podcast industry. On Tuesday, the long-time radio host and founder of the Black Effect Podcast Network announced the exciting event will take place Aug.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorRadio host and entrepreneur Charlamagne Tha God is producing the first Black Effect Podcast Festival in partnership with iHeartMedia, aimed at celebrating and amplifying Black voices in the podcast industry.The event will take place Sunday, Aug. 28, at the Brooklyn Mirage’s Avant Gardner venue in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

A gig-goer has been left 'scared' after claiming he heard 'spooky voices' during his stay at 'Britain's most haunted hotel '.

“The Black Phone,” the new Universal Pictures and Blumhouse release that finds Ethan Hawke playing a masked killer, from the mind of “Sinister” and “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” filmmaker Scott Derrickson.But how and where is “The Black Phone” available to watch? Your answers below.“The Black Phone” will be released on Friday, June 24 exclusively in theaters. The only way to watch it opening weekend is by going to a movie theater, and you can check local listings here.However, since it’s a Universal Pictures release, the film is expected to be streaming on Peacock roughly 45 days after it first hits theaters.

Tara McNamara “Black Santa.” In two words, the progressively provocative title of Minneapolis-based Travis Wood’s Indeed Rising Voices short is likely to spark intrigue about this emergent filmmaker with a fresh perspective. The 10-minute comedy follows Henry, an Atlanta father who makes an annual tradition of working as a mall Santa Claus with his son Otis as an elf sidekick. Now in his self-conscious middle school years, Otis is embarrassed by the charade until he learns that his father has a noble ulterior motive: to help teach him how to upend stereotypes and increase positive Black representation. In both commercial and personal efforts, Wood specializes in telling stories about the Black experience.

Harriet Bibby may be starring in Coronation Street but she's also branching into music as she teams up for her first single. The actress, who plays Summer Spellman in the ITV soap, has shown off her hidden singing talent as she put her voice to a new charity single.

Jenny Slate is opening up about her latest project.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorWarnerMedia Discovery Access has announced a new program seeking aspiring music supervisors from historically underrepresented communities.Titled the Warner Bros. Discovery Access Music Supervisor Program (naturally enough), it will provide access to training and experience within the world of TV and film music supervision.

Ghost were forced to cut short their headline set at Hellfest over the weekend after their frontman Tobias Forge lost his voice.The Swedish band topped the bill at the Clisson, France festival on Saturday (June 18), with Deftones and Gojira also headlining the event’s first weekend (the second will take place from June 23-26).According to Setlist.fm, Ghost ended their headline show 17 songs into the set on Saturday. The band’s 2022 live set has typically consisted of at least 20 songs, including the usual closing track ‘Square Hammer’.Fan-shot footage from Hellfest shows Forge (AKA Papa Emeritus IV) thanking the crowd after performing ‘Dance Macabre’, before adding: “My voice is completely fucked.