Chris Willman Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Ellise Shafer Taylor Swift has arrived to the Golden Globes, where her “Eras Tour” concert film is nominated for cinematic and box office achievement. The music superstar walked the red carpet in a shimmering green gown.

all the feels… joy, abject sadness, anxiety, liberation and, not least of all, that old pop music standby, lust. We can guarantee you won’t be feeling plasticine if you dig into Variety‘s list of 60 of the best songs of 2023, as picked by chief music critic Chris Willman and senior music writer Steven J. Horowitz.

Valerie Wu Intern Variety has been nominated for 97 National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards including nominations for best entertainment publication and best entertainment news website. “We are incredibly proud of the Variety newsroom for another outstanding year as the No. 1 news organization covering the business of Hollywood,” said co-editors-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh and Cynthia Littleton.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. There’s a reason Taylor Swift is a billionaire. After closing out her record-breaking Eras Tour earlier this month, save a few additional dates she recently added, she’s now released the “Taylor’s Version” of “1989,” her fourth re-recorded album, complete with five never-before-heard vault tracks.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. It isn’t too late to snag tickets to U2‘s highly anticipated residency, which marks the first set of shows to be performed at the massive new Sphere in Las Vegas. “U2:UV Live at Sphere Las Vegas” opened Friday night, with 17 concerts set through Nov.

Sophia Scorziello editor Pop rock’s “people’s princess” Olivia Rodrigo took the stage at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards fresh off the release of her second studio album “Guts.” Rodrigo performed “Vampire” and “Get Him Back!,” which received its matching music video earlier on Tuesday. She took the stage directly after Lil Wayne’s hits-filled performance, starting with “Vampire” first. The creative direction of both performances directly referenced their music videos.

Variety Staff Follow Us on Twitter Steven J. Horowitz has joined Variety as senior music writer, effective immediately. In his new role, he will be a key voice in music reporting and criticism, writing news articles, reviews, commentary, appreciations and cover stories across all of Variety’s platforms.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Lady Gaga is returning to the Great American Songbook, adding 12 more dates to her “Jazz & Piano” Las Vegas residency later this year. The revived run of shows, which Gaga first debuted in 2019, will kick off on Aug.

William Earl Variety won 13 first-place awards Sunday night at the Los Angeles Press Club’s 65th annual SoCal Journalism Awards, more than twice as many as any other entertainment publication. The lucky 13 awards represented a historic high for Variety at the SoCal Journalism Awards, topping the previous best of 12 first-place prizes the magazine earned in 2018. Variety came into Sunday’s ceremony with a record 96 nominations, representing work published online and in print during the 2022 calendar year. The awards were handed out during a gala dinner attended by hundreds in the historic Crystal Ballroom at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Ethan Shanfeld Variety garnered a record 96 nominations for the SoCal Journalism awards sponsored by the Los Angeles Press Club, with nods across magazine and entertainment journalism, art and photography, video, audio, online content and social media during the 2022 calendar year. Among the nominations announced Friday were Tim Gray for print journalist of the year and Clayton Davis for online journalist of the year. In addition, Owen Gleiberman, Chris Willman and Daniel D’Addario were nominated as entertainment journalists of the year. “We are extremely proud of our newsroom for a banner year in record-breaking traffic, hard-hitting investigative journalism, profile writing and video. These nominations are a testament to the great work Variety is doing covering the entertainment industry,” said Variety co-editor-in-chiefs Ramin Setoodeh and Cynthia Littleton.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Singer and songwriter Alanis Morissette has recorded and released a new cover version of Showtime’s “Yellowjackets” main title theme song, “No Return.” Viewers who watched the fourth episode of “Yellowjackets,” which dropped on Showtime’s streaming service on the night of April 13, may have been surprised to hear Morissette’s new version of the song over the show’s opening credits. The new version of the song is a one-off for Episode 4, and the original theme song will return for its fifth, look for Morissette’s song to pop up at other points in this season. “No Return,” the haunting and psychedelic opening theme of “Yellowjackets,” was originally composed by Craig Wedren and Anna Waronker, who write the music for the show.

is divisive, there is a thumbs- up to be had here for Lamar after all, as still our most fascinating hip-hop leader, whether or not “We Cry Together” is the ultimate skip.Variety‘s deputy music editor Jem Aswad and senior writer/chief music critic Chris Willman have sifted through the gold in these first six months, even as we await July 29 to see whether Beyoncé will be the one to unite a fractured rhythm nation.

Wilson Chapman editorOn the one-year anniversary of the official announcement for her third studio album “Solar Power” — and on the day of the Summer Solstice — Lorde has shared a new music video for album opener “The Path” along with a statement addressing the mixed response to the album.Lorde announced “The Path” music video to fans via her newsletter. Although the video is the sixth to come from the album, Lorde called it “the first chapter in the mystical ‘Solar Power’ story, a prequel to the title video.” The visual sees Lorde on the same beach as the video for lead single “Solar Power.” As she walks through the campgrounds of the beach, she sheds her baggy gray suit for a casual yellow outfit and eventually is joined by the beach’s other inhabitants in dance.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comVariety has been nominated for 72 Southern California Journalism Awards, including two for journalist of the year, three for entertainment journalist of the year and six nominations for criticism of TV, music and books.The awards, given out by the Los Angeles Press Club, honor outstanding journalism in the region across print, digital, radio and broadcast platforms.Executive editor Ramin Setoodeh and deputy music editor Jem Aswad are both up for journalist of the year. TV critic Daniel D’Addario along with chief film critic Owen Gleiberman and features editor Chris Willman are all nominated for entertainment journalist of the year.Aswad leads all Variety staffers with 14 total nominations, followed by Willman with nine nominations.

Ellise Shafer Father John Misty is embarking on his first solo headlining tour since 2018.The elusive singer-songwriter has announced North American dates from June through October, and international dates set for late winter and spring 2023. Misty is touring in support of his upcoming album, “Chloë and the Next 20th Century,” which releases April 8. His Sub Pop label mate Suki Waterhouse will join him as the opener on the North American dates.

Chris Willman Music Writer“The Return of Tanya Tucker, Featuring Brandi Carlile,” a documentary that premiered Sunday at the South by Southwest Film Festival, has had its world rights acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, the company announced Wednesday.“I’m over the moon that this special documentary has found such a perfect home with Sony Pictures Classics,” said Carlile, who is an executive producer as well as a subject of the film, in a statement. “I don’t think there’s a more fascinating human being on the planet than Tanya Tucker.

Chris Willman Music Writer“We won we won we won we won,” Kanye West wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post Tuesday. The victory he was celebrating? The declaration that his “Donda 2” album will not be eligible for the Billboard 200 album chart, since it is not available apart from the purchase of one of his $200-plus Stem Player devices.“Big win for the kid.

Chris Willman Music Writer“Encanto” is spending its eighth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, but the real enchantment this week may be in the form of three debuting albums that arrived to add some fresh air to the staleness of the chart in recent weeks.Although nothing was remotely in danger of dethroning the Disney soundtrack from a run that keeps breaking records, Kodak Black had a particularly respectable bow on the chart with “Back for Everything,” which entered at No. 2 with 60,000 album-equivalent units.

Chris Willman Music Writer“Tonight is not about Yeezus. It’s about Jesus,” said DeVon Franklin, the TV and film producer, bestselling author and VP of the Motion Picture Academy’s board of governors, introducing a panel at NeueHouse in Hollywood this week.

Chris Willman Music Writer“This is our last show,” Dave Grohl announced at the outset of the Foo Fighters’ set Wednesday night at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. There was an awkward silence as the invited audience waited to see if there was a punchline coming or not.

Chris Willman Music Writer“Encanto” seems to be the new Adele, as far as the Billboard charts are concerned. The Disney film’s soundtrack and lead single have a lock on the top of the album and song charts for a second straight joint week, enjoying the kind of multi-week domination of both that only Adele’s “30” and “Easy on Me” had seen recently.And while “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with close to no radio play whatsoever, it now appears that more stations are starting to take a chance on the ensemble song, as it makes its debut this week on two airplay charts.The “Encanto” soundtrack is on top for its fourth non-successive and third straight week, with 113,000 album-equivalent units.

Claudia Eller Co-Editor-in-ChiefWhen Neil Young pulled his music from Spotify over the audio streamer’s continued support of Joe Rogan, whom he accused of spreading “misinformation and lies” about COVID via his podcast interviews, there were some nasty “who cares?” tweets directed at the folk-rock icon. But the haters should care that this deadly pandemic has been raging for nearly two years and it ain’t over yet.Young has been adamant for some time that artists shouldn’t be touring because of COVID; he even pulled out of a Farm Aid benefit, a charity he co-founded.

Chris Willman Music Writer“We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the surprise hit off the “Encanto” soundtrack, has gone where even “Let It Go” couldn’t: It’s become the first song from a Disney movie to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart since “A Whole New World” from “Aladdin” did it in 1993.It joins the “Encanto” album itself as a chart-topper, as the animated film’s soundtrack remains atop the Billboard 200 chart for the third time in the last four weeks.Some other stats Billboard points out: “Bruno,” solely penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda, becomes the first Hot 100 chart-topper to have been written by a solo writer in more than four years, Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” having been the last. It’s the first time a Miranda tune has topped the chart.

Chris Willman Music Writer“We don’t talk about ‘Encanto'” is a phrase that may be being said in the Gunna and Weeknd households this week, as both of those hit artists had to step aside to let the smash Disney soundtrack reclaim its No. 1 position atop the Billboard 200 album chart.“Encanto” continues to grow, with 104,000 album-equivalent units — a 9% increase — pushing it back to the top. Last week’s No.

William Earl Variety has scored 98 nominations for the 2021 National Art and Entertainment Journalism awards, leading all publications.The awards are presented yearly by the Los Angeles Press Club.“Thank you to the NAEJ for recognizing the hard and wonderful work of our great team of writers and editors. We’re so honored,” said Claudia Eller, editor-in-chief of Variety.Variety was nominated twice for print entertainment publication, for its “Hitmakers” and “Gamechangers” issues.

Chris Willman Music Writer“He’s a talker” is a phrase that has never been used to describe Brian Wilson, then — in the Beach Boys’ original 1960s heyday — or especially now.

Chris Willman Music Writer“What’s past is past,” Taylor Swift sang eight years ago on “Begin Again,” one of the original tracks from “Red.” And what a damnable lie that was. Sure, it was said in the context of one of the few unabashedly uplifting songs on that 2012 release, so she could be forgiven for getting caught up in the ray of hope the tune provided to cap off an otherwise not-that-optimistic album.

Chris Willman Music Writer“I hope you die” is a line that Mountain Goats fans have been singing at the band’s shows for about 20 years. But suddenly, the song that contains it, “No Children,” has turned from a fans-only cult hit to a favorite among millions of new listeners.

Chris Willman Music Writer“CMT Artists of the Year,” which returns as a live show this month, will include some interdisciplinary duets among its lineup, as is customary — with honoree Kelsea Ballerini being joined by the Jonas Brothers, and Yola teaming up with Mickey Guyton, among other collaborations.Some of the artists being feted on the broadcast will perform on their own, including Luke Combs, Gabby Barrett and Kane Brown. Others, like Guyton and Ballerini, will take part in pairings.

Chris Willman Music Writer5 Seconds of Summer has inked a new label deal with BMG, following four albums with Universal Music Group.

Chris Willman Music Writer“The Jesus Music,” a film about the Christian music scene that earned more than half a million dollars over its opening weekend, is about as friendly and far removed from being an expose as a documentary can get, but that doesn’t mean the filmmakers want fans to think they’re getting anything but unvarnished truth.

Chris Willman Music Writer“Can’t shake this feeling that I have / The worst is just around the bend,” go the lyrics of Billie Eilish’s new song. Or, a least, of “Sally’s Song,” the number Eilish will be singing when she joins the cast of a live-to-picture concert/screening of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” in the Los Angeles area Halloween weekend.Eilish was announced Friday as an additional cast member for the two “Nightmare” shows at Banc of California Stadium Oct.

Chris Willman Music Writer“The Activist,” a CBS series that had itself become the target of online activism in recent days, is being reconfigured in response to the firestorm of criticism, and will now become a one-time documentary special instead of a five-episode competition series, Variety has learned.Although footage for the original incarnation of the series had already been shot, this version of “The Activist” will be entirely new, with filming expected to begin from scratch.The show,

Chris Willman Music Writer“The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains” has just opened at the Vogue Multicultural Museum, making its first U.S. stop on an international tour in the heart of Hollywood.

Chris Willman Music Writer“God’s not finished,” Kanye West sings repeatedly at the end of one of his new songs, “24.” Being made in God’s image, West very much relates to that; he doesn’t like being done with things, either. Yet here we have the miracle, a true, blue spectacle, of a finished “Donda,” the album that until this weekend seemed poised to challenge Guns N’ Roses’ “Chinese Democracy” as the most mythologically delayed major music release ever.

Chris Willman Music Writer“Let It Be,” the final release of the Beatles’ original catalog, wasn’t about to get memorialized in film and book form this fall without getting a boxed set of the actual music, too. And so months after fans got firm news about “Get Back,” the Peter Jackson documentary, and “Get Back,” the expansive hardback book, there’s finally confirmation that the album whose making those projects chronicle will officially get the deluxe treatment, come Oct.