Billie Holiday Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Amy Winehouse biopic, Back To Black, is released today, which includes an original new song by Nick Cave.The film is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and follows the life and career of the iconic London singer, with the title role being taken on by Marisa Abela.The soundtrack, titled ‘Back To Black: Songs from the Original Motion Picture’, is set for release on May 17 via UMR/Island Records, and features three original recordings from Winehouse’s highly influential debut, ‘Frank’ and three songs from her multi-award-winning LP ‘Back To Black.It also includes a new original track called ‘Song for Amy’, which is sung by Cave.Cave, along with longtime collaborator Warren Ellis, composed and recorded the film’s score.A further five songs are included on the album, recorded by artists whom Amy Winehouse saw as an inspiration. These include tracks by The Shangri-Las, Billie Holiday, Minnie Riperton, Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan.The songs that appear in the film can all be found below.

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have shared ‘Song For Amy’, a song they wrote for the new Amy Winehouse biopic ‘Song For Amy’ – listen below.The delicate, orchestrated track features over the opening credits of the film, which is out in UK cinemas now. Elegant strings underscore Cave’s deeply felt vocals as he sings, “You say that it’s time for us to call it a day / But I will love you anyway”.Listen to ‘Song For Amy’ below:Director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Back to Black tells the Winehouse story in a feature film for the first time.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic “Back to Black,” the 2006 album that the new Amy Winehouse biopic takes its title from, is a record built on an exquisite contradiction. The music has a crispy delicious retro-bop bounce, a quality that extends to Winehouse’s vocals, which take the growling-cat stylings of jazz legends like Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday and kick them up into something playfully ferocious. Yet when you tune into the lyrics, they’re as dark as midnight.

EXCLUSIVE: Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Waves) has been set to lead a new, untitled Universal feature project from director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and producer Pharrell Williams (Hidden Figures), according to multiple sources, who also tell us that 2024 Academy Award winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers) is in talks.

Amy Winehouse biopic, Back To Black, with it including an original new song by Nick Cave.The film is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and is set to be released in cinemas on April 12. It will follow the life and career of the iconic London singer, with the title role being taken on by Marisa Abela.Now, details of the official soundtrack to the movie have been shared – featuring songs by the singer herself, as well as tracks by other iconic artists.Titled ‘Back To Black: Songs from the Original Motion Picture’, the compilation album is set for release on May 17 via UMR/Island Records, and features three original recordings from Winehouse’s highly influential debut, ‘Frank’ and three songs from her multi-award-winning LP ‘Back To Black.It also includes a new original track called ‘Song for Amy’, which is sung by Nick Cave.Cave, along with longtime collaborator Warren Ellis, composed and recorded the film’s score.A further 5 songs are included on the album, recorded by artists whom Amy Winehouse saw as an inspiration.

waaaaaaave?Reba McEntire’s rendition of the national anthem clocked in at 95 seconds (1:35) Sunday night at the 2024 Super Bowl.That was a middle-of-the-pack length, historically. Renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” here have ranged from as little as 62 seconds to more than two and a half minutes.The 68-year-old country music and TV star told Apple Music that, in the lead-up, she typically practiced for the big night in the morning while showering.“I’ve been singing the national anthem in the shower [and] when we get in the car,” she said, referring to boyfriend Rex Linn.“He’ll say, ‘OK, sing it one more time.’ I said, ‘I think I know the words real good right now, so I’m all right.’”The longest-ever Super Bowl “Star Spangled Banner” came in 2013, when “Girl on Fire” singer Alicia Keys performed a version at the piano that lasted 156 seconds (2:36). And the quickest — short and sweet — was sung by “Sweet Caroline” crooner Neil Diamond.

Andra Day is about to sing at the big game!

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Changemaker of the Year, Maren Morris celebrated her honor at the Variety Hitmakers, presented by Sony audio, by listing off the women who inspired her including Taylor Swift, Sinead O’Connor and Billie Holiday. Introduced by singer and songwriter Maggie Rogers, her colleague praised Morris for using her voice to uplift others. to fight for gender and racial equality, and to re-imagine traditionally exclusive spaces, “specifically in the world of country music.” “She does it all with her head held high and with a sense of humor,” Rogers said.

U2 kicked off their Las Vegas residency at the new MSG Sphere venue last night (September 29) – see clips from the show and the full setlist below.The Irish rock band’s residency is centred on a full play-through of their seventh album, ‘Achtung Baby’ (1991) but, as confirmed by reports, the setlist will be broken up by a secret segment focusing on a different U2 album.Variety reports that singer Bono revealed to the crowd the they plan to focus on a different album (or possibly other people’s albums, he added, teasingly), however, he didn’t clarify whether that would mean a setlist switch-up on each of the residency’s 25 shows.Last night U2 played the first eight songs of ‘Achtung Baby’ before breaking into a four-song secret segment of their a hybrid live/studio album ‘Rattle And Hum’.The band’s debut residency gig, which opened on the same day that they released their first new song in two years, ‘Atomic City’, was attended by a host of famous faces including Paul McCartney and Snoop Dogg. NME writer Damian Jones also confirmed that Dr Dre and Flavor Flav were at the concert.Ahead of performing ‘Angel Of Harlem’ from ‘Rattle And Hum’, Bono said: “The macca [McCartney] is in our prescience.

Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and other record labels are suing the nonprofit Internet Archive over its streaming collection of digitized music from vintage records.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The upcoming Asian-American feature film “Chopin,” starring Eddie Liu (“Kung Fu,” Never Have I Ever, “Silicon Valley”) and Violett Beane (“God Friended Me,” “The Flash”), officially wrapped a 25-day shoot on June 4. Announced last year, the film is now in post-production and scheduled for an early 2024 premiere. The film is the feature directorial debut of Vincent Lin, a successful commercials director and co-founder of Valiant Pictures. The film, written by Lin, also stars Golden Horse Film Award winner Leon Dai (“Your Name Engraved Herein,” “Cannot Live Without You”) and Taiwanese legend Wu Min (“The Queen!”).

Polygram Entertainment, the film and television division of Universal Music Group, has announced that Daniel Inkeles will become the new senior vice president of film and television development and production. Prior to his promotion, Inkeles was the vice president of scripted film and television for UMG.

Chaka Khan has apologised for hitting out at Rolling Stone’s ‘200 Best Singers Of All Time’ list, saying that she is committed to “empowering all artists”.The US funk and soul singer was ranked at number 29 on the viral list which was published on January 1, 2023.Topped by Aretha Franklin, the likes of Whitney Houston, Sam Cooke, Billie Holiday and Mariah Carey round out the Top Five.Khan, however, responded by calling the magazine editors “blind bitches”.“They need hearing aids,” she said on on Andrew Goldman’s ‘Originals’ podcast. “These must be the children of Helen Keller!”The ‘I Feel For You’ singer also criticised the artists who ranked above her, including Carey.

Jay Weston, who was working as a publicist when a chance meeting with Billie Holiday at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival would lead to the producing of her 1972 biopic Lady Sings the Blues, died February 28 of natural causes at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, CA. He was 93.

The Masked Singer is back for season nine!

A night to remember! The Where Art Can Occur Theater Center celebrated its 5th annual Wearable Art Gala with some serious fashion.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Drake, arguably the biggest rapper in the world, will play a special concert at the legenday Apollo Theater in New York’s Harlem neighborhood that will be broadcast on SiriusXM, he and the network announced on Tuesday. Details on the show were slim — “Drake will perform at the world-famous Apollo Theater in New York. The exclusive SiriusXM concert marks the first time that Drake will perform at the iconic theater,” the announcement reads — but the concert will be the latest in a long series of special, intimate gigs the network has staged at the 1,500-capacity venue. Fans should head here to score tickets, but act fast.

Eliza Rose is quickly becoming the name to know in the UK dance scene, after the phenomenal success of her breakthrough single, B.O.T.A (Baddest Of Them All).

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWarner Recorded Music has announced a global joint venture with Lee Daniels Music, headed by the acclaimed director/writer/producer. Daniels was behind the films “Precious,” “The Butler” and “Monster’s Ball,” the long-running TV series “Empire” and many others.The agreement encompasses recorded music projects, including soundtracks, as well as artist signings. Its first project – the original motion picture soundtrack for “The United States vs.

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Recorded Music has unveiled a new global joint venture with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lee Daniels’ (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) company, Lee Daniels Music.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Newark Museum of Art is presenting two stunning exhibits of photography featuring Billie Holiday and a selection of jazz legends. “Jazz Greats: Classic Photographs from the Bank of America Collection” and “Billie Holiday at Sugar Hill: Photographs by Jerry Dantzic” opened last month and will run through August 22, 2022.“Jazz Greats” includes 33 photographs by 15 photographers that date from the 1920s to the 1980s, including Miles Davis, John & Alice Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Eric Dolphy (pictured, top), Louis Armstrong, Eartha Kitt, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dizzy Gillespie, along with photos of amateur musicians performing in their local communities, as well as their audiences.

Rhodes, who was most recently seen in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” plays Tyson.

Angelique Jackson Lee Daniels has tapped Omar Epps, Demi Singleton, Miss Lawrence and Anthony B. Jenkins to join the cast of his upcoming exorcism thriller “The Deliverance” for Netflix.The group joins previously announced stars Andra Day, Glenn Close, Mo’Nique, Aunjanue Ellis, Caleb McLaughlin and Tasha Smith in the film, which is inspired by a terrifying true story.

“The Deliverance,” Lee Daniels’ demonic possession feature for Netflix.Also boarding the project are Miss Lawrence (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” “Bros”) and Anthony B.

Omar Epps (Fatal Affair), Demi Singleton (King Richard), Miss Lawrence (Bros) and Anthony B. Jenkins (Chicago Med) have signed on for roles in Lee Daniels’ Netflix film The Deliverance, formerly titled Demon House. They join an ensemble that also includes Andra Day, Glenn Close, Mo’Nique, Aunjanue Ellis, Caleb McLaughlin and Tasha Smith, as previously announced.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticBoxed sets are typically compiled for the music fan that wants a lot of just one thing. But the Hollywood Bowl’s tens of thousands of repeat customers every summer tend to be musical omnivores.

Cat Power has shared a cover of The Rolling Stones’ classic hit, ‘You Got The Silver’ – listen to it below.The song featured on The Stones’ 1969 album ‘Let It Bleed’ and was the band’s first song to feature Keith Richards on lead vocals. A Mick Jagger version was also recorded, but the band released Richards’ version on the album.Cat Power shared a new covers album earlier this year, but the Stones’ cover did not feature on that.Check out the song here:‘Covers’ was released on January 14 via Domino, and featured renditions of songs by the likes of Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, Billie Holiday and more.Power released a version of Frank Ocean’s 2012 track ‘Bad Religion’ to announce the album, which she also performed on The Late Late Show with James Corden last year.In a statement, the singer revealed that the ‘Bad Religion’ cover originated when she started pulling lyrics out from the track to incorporate into her own song ‘In Your Face’ while performing live, in order to distance herself from the pain of the track.“That song was bringing me down,” she said, “so I started pulling out lyrics from ‘Bad Religion’ and singing those instead of getting super depressed.“Performing covers is a very enjoyable way to do something that feels natural to me when it comes to making music.”In recent years, Cat Power has also covered Rihanna’s ‘Stay’, released a cover of Cassius‘ 2006 single ‘Toop Toop’ as a tribute to member Philippe Zdar on the first anniversary of his passing, and collaborated with Lana Del Rey.Reviewing ‘Covers’, NME said: “Often, cover records are dismissed as simply a bit of fun or as an indulgent aside to an artists’ original output, but when Cat Power does it, it’s nothing less than soul-nourishing.”

After directing “The United States Vs. Billie Holiday,” Lee Daniels is returning to the world of period biopics with a new dramatic series focused on singer/actor Sammy Davis Jr., one of the most charismatic and accessible black entertainers of the last century.

made history in 2002 when she became the first black woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress.However, two decades on, no other African-American lady has scored the prize.The “X-Men” star, 55, looked back on the evening and admitted that she doesn’t think much progress has been made for actresses of color.“Back in those days, if you didn’t win the Globe, you really didn’t get the Academy Award,” Berry told the New York Times recently.She added, “So I’d pretty much resigned myself to believing, ‘It’s great to be here, but I’m not going to win.'”Sissy Spacek won the Golden Globe that year for her turn in the film “In the Bedroom.” Berry received the Academy Award in 2002 for the drama “Monster’s Ball,” a gripping tale of a grieving mother and widow.“It didn’t open the door,” Berry continued. “The fact that there’s no one standing next to me is heartbreaking.”The “Swordfish” star said, “We can’t always judge success or progress by how many awards we have.”“Awards are the icing on the cake — they’re your peers saying you were exceptionally excellent this year,” she told the outlet.

It was Douglas Mills’ turn to wow the “American Idol” judges on Sunday’s episode.

Steven Gaydos Executive VP of ContentThe Critics Choice Assn. has selected Billy Crystal to receive this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s ceremony on March 13.A Billy Crystal life achievement reel might look a lot like a history of American showbiz.

Wilson Chapman editorJudd Bernard, the producer and screenwriter behind films such as “Point Blank” and “Double Trouble,” died Jan. 25 in Burbank, Calif., his family confirmed to Variety.

It’s not all that often that Lee Daniels directs a film. Before the release of 2020’s “The United States vs.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterNetflix has emerged victorious in a bidding war for director Lee Daniels’ next movie.Several Hollywood players, including MGM and Miramax, were vying for rights to the Oscar-nominated director’s upcoming project. Netflix’s $65 million price tag — a hefty sum covering the film’s production budget and buyouts — secured the sale, according to Deadline Hollywood, who broke the news.The movie reunites Daniels and Andra Day, who recently worked together on Hulu’s musical biographical drama “The United States vs.

Nominees for the 53rd Image Awards are officially in, with Netflix taking the lead with 52 noms overall for titles across film and TV including The Harder They Fall, Passing, Bruised, The Upshaws and Maid.

Apple TV+ has scored rights to a four-part docuseries about NBA legend Magic Johnson.