Senators Introduce American Music Fairness Act, Which Would Require Radio to Pay Royalties to Musicians (EXCLUSIVE)

Naman Ramachandran “Declaration” (“Ariyippu”) a festival hit film by acclaimed filmmaker Mahesh Narayanan and popular actor-producer Kunchacko Boban, has been snapped up by Netflix. The film bowed at Locarno and is playing at the BFI London Film Festival. This week it plays in the Busan International Film Festival’s A Window on Asian Cinema strand. The Malayalam-language film follows Hareesh (Boban) and Reshmi (Divya Prabha), an immigrant couple from Kerala working in a medical gloves factory near Delhi, and who aspire to go abroad for a better life. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, when an old video resurfaces among the factory workers, it opens up a Pandora’s box that threatens the couple’s jobs and marriage.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Boxing great Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez is teaming with Cartuna and Campanario Entertainment to develop an adult animated series inspired by his life and career, Variety has learned exclusively. “I’m excited to see my story and my career brought to TV through this incredible medium,” Álvarez said. “It will give my loyal fans a new way to follow my journey to the top of boxing and can also bring new followers to this beautiful sport.” Erick Galindo (“The Ballad of Chalino Sanchez,” “Out of The Shadows: Children of 86”) will write and executive produce the series. James and Adam Belfer, the co-heads of Cartuna, will executive produce along with along with Mike Flavin, senior vice president of development at Cartuna. Jaime Dávila and Rico Martínez will executive produce for Campanario Entertainment. The project is currently in development and is expected to be taken out to networks and streamers later this year.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Duran Duran have confirmed details of a brand-new, 75 minute docu-concert film titled “A Hollywood High,” that captures the band performing live on a rooftop in Los Angeles, alongside interviews and archival footage that tells the story of their long-time relationship with the city. The film will be released in theaters on November 3, 2022.  “For our first US show in several years we wanted to do something really special and intimate,” explains keyboardist Nick Rhodes.  “After considering many options, a rooftop performance quickly became the frontrunner. It was post-pandemic, we had never done anything like that before, and we had just released a new album.  Somehow it seemed like a magical doorway to the next part of our journey.”

This fall, tip your basket to William Blaxton when you pluck a plump apple from a tree, bob for apples on Halloween or cherish your grandmother's amazing apple pie on Thanksgiving. Reverend Blaxton, among other claims to fame, planted the first seeds that would fuel a pioneering nation and give apples an image of all-American wholesomeness.

New Mexico health officials are renewing a public order aimed at protecting newborn babies from syphilis. The state Health Department on Wednesday announced requirements that medical providers follow best practices by testing all pregnant women for syphilis multiple times. The agency says that New Mexico had the highest rate of congenital syphilis cases among states in 2020, when there were 42 local cases of newborn babies contracting the disease from their mothers.That is the most recent year for finalized federal statistics.

Environmental Progress founder Michael Shellenberger is sounding the alarm on President Biden's "woke green energy" agenda for threatening U.S. security.

EXCLUSIVE: Music Box Films has acquired North American rights to SXSW road-trip drama The Unknown Country starring Certain Women and Killers of the Flower Moon actress Lily Gladstone and Raymond Lee (Top Gun: Maverick).

Rebekah Vardy will have to pay about £1.5 million towards Coleen Rooney’s legal costs after losing the “Wagatha Christie” High Court case she brought against her fellow footballer’s wife.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Ed Sheeran has announced details for the North American leg of his “+ – = ÷ x Tour” (pronounced “The Mathematics Tour”), hitting stadiums across the continent for the first time since his 2018 “Divide” tour, Dates begin on May 6th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, before wrapping up on September 23rd at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA (see itinerary below). Main support on a majority of the dates comes from R&B singer Khalid (May 6th-September 2nd), with rapper/singer-songwriter Russ rounding out the tour (September 9th-23rd); Dylan, Cat Burns, Maisie Peters, and Rosa Linn alternate as first of three. Sheeran recently wrapped the European leg of the tour, performing in front of over 3 million people in six months, including a five-night stand at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In a clear vote of confidence for Colombian director Juan Sebastián Mesa, Bordeaux-based Dublin Films has boarded his third film “Lovers Go Home!” The company also co-produced Mesa’s lauded sophomore pic, “The Rust.” “Lovers Go Home!” centers on a Colombian single mom who leads a double life as a webcammer. One day she meets a U.S. veteran online who becomes obsessed with her. He flies to Colombia to meet her in person. Their meeting makes them reflect on who they truly are. In development, the project participated in this year’s Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, one of San Sebastian Film Festival’s key industry events, which ran over Sept. 19-21. 

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Jack Harlow Partners With American Express to Present ‘Louisville by Jack Harlow’ Jack Harlow has partnered with American Express to present “Louisville by Jack Harlow,” a special concert taking place at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday, October 12. According to the announcement, the show, which is part of the company’s Member Week and is exclusively for card members, “will transport fans deep into Harlow’s world, paying homage to the rapper’s hometown of Louisville, KY and give fans an up-close-and-personal taste of Harlow’s favorite small businesses, artists, and restaurants.”
 The show will be livestreamed on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel and Card Members will have exclusive access to a custom merchandise collection from Louisville illustrator, Bri Bowers, known for her depictions of Louisville’s neighborhoods & landmarks. Her “Jack Harlow x American Express” collection will be sold IRL and online; all other merch items will be sold online.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor In a telling example of the state of the touring industry in 2022, indie artist Santigold has canceled her upcoming North American tour, citing the “devastating” costs due to inflation, soaring costs and the glut of artists on the road after pandemic restrictions lifted early this year.  “As a touring musician, I don’t think anyone anticipated the new reality that awaited us,” she wrote in a long and impassioned post on Instagram. “After sitting idle (not being able to do shows) for the past couple years, many of us like everyone else, earning no or little income during that time, every musician that could, rushed back out immediately when it was deemed safe to do shows. We were met with the height of inflation — gas, tour buses, hotels, and flight costs skyrocketed — many of our tried-and-true venues unavailable due to a flooded market of artists trying to book shows in the same cities, and positive test results constantly halting schedules with devastating financial consequences.

Americana is undeniably one of music’s fastest-growing scenes. Whether you’re a recent recruit or consider yourself an aficionado, there are always new learnings as Americana evolves; with what was once a niche pocket of artistry constantly citing new inspiration and adopting more mainstream artists keen to explore its roots.

New Mexico agreed to provide funds, allowing the possibility of prosecutions involving the on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by Alec Baldwin while filming "Rust," as reported by the Santa Fe Mexican on Thursday. The state Board of Finance granted around $317,000, which would go toward the cost of investigating the fatal shooting in New Mexico that occurred in October 2021.

Billboard Latin America Music Awards are next week on September 29th. What is sure to be an epic night of music has to have amazing hosts, and this year Jaime Camil and Kate del Castillo will share the stage to lead the night full of celebration.

Mariska Hargitay is gearing up for her 24th season of “Law & Order: SVU”, but it’ll be a bittersweet one as she prepares to say goodbye to co-star Kelli Giddish.

Mariska Hargitay is gearing up for her 24th season of , but it'll be a bittersweet one as she prepares to say goodbye to co-star Kelli Giddish. Giddish announced her exit from the NBC procedural in August, confirming that she would be leaving as a full-time cast member during the upcoming season. The actress joined as Detective Amanda Rollins at the start of season 13 alongside Danny Pino following Chris Meloni’s unexpected departure at the end of season 12.

Michaela Zee editorNetflix has released the official trailer for Mike Flanagan’s new horror series “The Midnight Club.”Based on novel of the same name by Christopher Pike, the 10-episode horror series follows a group of terminally ill patients in Rotterdam Home who gather at midnight to share scary stories. The group makes a pact to contact the others from beyond the grave should one of them perish.The series stars Adia, Igby Rigney, Ruth Codd, Aya Furukawa, Annarah Shephard, William Chris Sumpter and Sauriyan Sapkota, with Heather Langenkamp as the enigmatic doctor presiding over Rotterdam Home.The series is created by Flanagan and “The Haunting of Bly Manor” writer Leah Fong. Flanagan executive produces for Intrepid Pictures along with Trevor Macy and Adam Fasullo, Intrepid Pictures’ vice president of television. Fong also serves as an executive producer with Julia Bicknell and “The Midnight Club” author, Pike. Elan Gale, James Flanagan and Chinaka Hodge write on the series, with Flanagan set to direct the first two episodes.