‘One of the Good Ones’ Review: Pasadena Playhouse’s Cross-Cultural Comedy Brings a Norman Lear Sensibility to the Stage

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Lana Del Rey had a couple of heavily favored cameos during her Coachella performance, welcoming recent collaborators Jack Antonoff and Jon Batiste, both of whom will be fronting their own sets later in the weekend — but also one far less easily guessed guest, in the form of Billie Eilish, who turned up for a surprise pair of duets. Taking to a terrace overlooking the massive stage, the duo first joined forces on Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes,” then turned their voices to “Video Games.” Both songs represent the first real breakout hits in these artists’ respective careers.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic She is still Shelby Lynne. That may sound like it’s saying it’s a little, but it’s really saying a lot, for anyone who holds a special place for the landmark album “I Am Shelby Lynne,” a turn-of-the-millennium masterpiece that put its bearer on the artistic map for good.

Catherine Zeta-Jones and her daughter Carys looked gorgeous at a family wedding. Jones shared videos of herself and Carys, who’ve developed a shocking resemblance over the years, as they smiled their way through the marriage of Joel Douglas and his bride Mascha. Michael Douglas, the older brother of Joel, officiated the wedding, something that made Zeta-Jones laugh.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Paul McCartney was the obvious headliner of the bill Thursday at the Hollywood Bowl. But it was Buffett-mania that was in full sway, as a cast of dozens of singers and celebrity presenters — from Jane Fonda to Snoop Dogg — saluted or parroted a fallen musical hero for the three-and-a-half-hour “Keep The Party Going: A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett.” Most of the night’s entertainers covered Buffett classics or obscurities, although McCartney, the Eagles and Snoop Dogg broke with that to regale the full Bowl house with their own material, while Zac Brown and (sending in a video contribution) Dave Matthews debuted brand new songs saluting Buffett.

Coachella 2024. Along with some of the biggest names in music, fans can expect some promising weather.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The title of Laufey‘s new single and music video, “Goddess,” is intended somewhat ironically. The storyline of both has a star feeling she’s let down a lover who only wanted the glamorous version of her he’d seen on stage, not the everyday person.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Vampire Weekend’s matinee concert Monday in Austin was the ultimate ADHD-friendly show. Did you want to watch the band, in its first show back after a year-and-a-half break from touring, and a much longer absence in the States? That was an event unto itself, and a good enough reason for an easy sellout of the 5,000-capacity Moody Amphitheater.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Helping cement his status as country music’s newest superstar, Jelly Roll swept all three categories in which he was nominated Sunday night at the CMT Music Awards, including music video of the year for his gospel-flavored “Need a Favor.” Likely having seen it coming, but also knowing Jelly Roll is a tough act to follow, the show’s producers saved his performance of his current country radio single “Halfway to Heaven” until the last five minutes of the telecast, coming right after his climactic win. Other winners in the all-fan-voted results included fellow frontrunner Lainey Wilson for female video of the year for “Watermelon Moonshine” and Dan + Shay for duo/group video for “Save Me the Trouble.” Warren Zeiders picked up breakthrough male video for “Pretty Little Poison,” while Ashley Cooke won equivalent honors for breakthrough female video for “Your Place.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The last time Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played Los Angeles, back in 2016, it was to formally close down the venerable Sports Arena — “The Dump That Jumps,” as he famously dubbed the about-to-be-demolished venue he’d played so often. His song “Wrecking Ball” had a special resonance, then, in association with that dive that it can’t now: Springsteen’s current home in L.A., the Kia (nee: Fabulous) Forum, which he goes back to the ‘70s with, does jump, but no one’s going to go all Bette Davis and utter “What a dump!” about it in its refurbished state.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Kelsea Ballerini has been the hostess with the mostest, as far as the CMT Music Awards, but it will soon be time to slap an “emeritus” on that. She hosts the awards show, now seen on CBS, tonight for a fourth and last time. Ballerini is revealing she will be relinquishing the role after handling emcee duties since 2021; Kane Brown was her partner in co-hosting previous telecasts, leading up to her solo reign over the ceremony this time.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor When Jason Reitman announced that he’d bought the Fox Village Theatre in Westwood, film fans were stunned that some of the world’s most prominent directors, from Steven Spielberg to Chloé Zhao to Christopher Nolan, wanted a stake in the classic movie palace. But it’s a strange time for the theatrical exhibition business. Moviegoing always sees an uptick when blockbusters come to town, but for independent theaters, the past four years have been dreadful.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken,” a docuseries focusing on bonds the singer forms with incarcerated women over addiction issues that have affected their lives, will hit Paramount+ later this year, the network announced Thursday. The two-part series will follow Etheridge as she writes a new song inspired by her communication with five women locked up at a prison in her Kansas hometown, the Topeka Correctional Facility.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Not very many years come along where we’d be talking about a presumptive winner for the album of the year Grammy 10 months before the award is given out. Neither do times come along very often where we would necessarily be considering someone a likely shoo-in for a major award when that person has famously been nominated for it four times and lost every time.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Co-headlining tours are a dime a dozen (give or take hundreds of dollars in tacked-on fees). But actual collaboration on the road is another thing, with most bands too protective of their brands to hand over very much of their nightly set times to truly share someone else’s vision.

Jaden Thompson Georgia Hunter is still in disbelief that her family’s story of surviving the Holocaust has been adapted into the Hulu limited series “We Were the Lucky Ones” headlined by Logan Lerman and Joey King. Based on Hunter’s novel of the same name, the show stars Lerman as her grandfather, Addy, and King as his little sister Halina, two of five Polish siblings trying to stay alive and bring their family back together during World War 2. “It’s surreal,” Hunter said at the March 21 premiere of the show, held at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles.

The mysterious Becky with the Good Hair has entered the chat again with the release of Beyonce‘s new album Cowboy Carter.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is sending her love to the Princess of Wales. The Welsh actress penned sweet words for the royal after Her Royal Highness announced on March 22 that she is undergoing preventive chemotherapy.James Middleton’s message for his sister the Princess of Wales will bring tears to your eyes Meghan Markle and Prince Harry react to sister-in-law the Princess of Wales’ cancer news“Wales and the World is with you ♥️ HRH Princess of Wales.

Kate Middleton’s shock cancer diagnoses.The Princess of Wales, 42, revealed the heartbreaking news in a video message Friday, saying she is now undergoing chemotherapy. Following the announcement, a slew of stars took to social media to send their love and support to the British royal, including Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Naman Ramachandran Prime Video is launching U.K. original romantic comedy film “Picture This,” starring Simone Ashley (“Bridgerton”) and Hero Fiennes Tiffin (“After”). The film is based on Prime Video’s Australian original film “Five Blind Dates,” written by Shaung Hu and Nathan Ramos-Park.

EXCLUSIVE: AGC Television is dropping a hot TV project into this week’s Series Mania market in Lille.