Jazz Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Jon Burlingame Laura Karpman is one of very few composers who has made a genuine difference in the scoring community. A five-time Emmy winner, she co-founded the Alliance for Women Film Composers, which is widely credited with helping to propel the nearly invisible community of female music writers into prominence. No one asks “why aren’t there any women film composers?” anymore.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music It’s obvious from SZA’s music that she has a wide range of influences, from classic R&B to Joni Mitchell, jazz to pop-punk and beyond. But just how far those influences range becomes dramatically clear when she talks about the music in her house and at school growing up, and best of all, when starts looking at the playlists in her phone. For much more from this remarkable interview, see our “SZA: Variety’s Hitmaker of the Year” article. What kinds of music were playing in your house when you were growing up? My mom has a lot of church music; my dad has a lot of jazz and abstract music; my sister plays a lot of melodic hip-hop and rap. And I love classical music, I love jazz, I love music with color.

Jon Burlingame Approaches to film scoring have become increasingly eclectic—from jazz and classical to hip-hop and avant-garde—making it more difficult than ever for Academy voters to narrow the field to 15 for Oscar’s shortlist. Variety examines 16 of the possible choices, in alphabetical order: ‘American Fiction‘ – Laura Karpman Cord Jefferson’s movie—about a Black writer who, as a joke, writes a bad novel that becomes a best seller—has a lead character whose name is Thelonious and whose nickname is Monk.

Tired of the same old mac and cheese recipes? Fed up of making it the classic way each time? No worries, we've got you covered! There's a selection of recipes below that we've picked for you to try.These deviate from the standard pasta dish, including a French onion mac and cheese soup and even a pulled pork version. As the nights continue to draw in, what could be better than a warming mac and cheese with a hunk of crusty bread.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic “Brutal out there” may be a good description for how Record Store Day Black Friday will feel for those customers who have their appetites set only on the limited-edition piece that Olivia Rodrigo has coming out for the occasion. Rodrigo is essentially playing the role of Taylor Swift this time around, in drawing the attention of consumers who might otherwise be fine leaving a Record Store Day event alone with a special release that will be noted for its immediate scarcity — in this case, “Guts: The Secret Tracks,” a four-song EP that has not been pressed in anything near the quantity to meet the demand.

Nas and Ezra Collective have been announced in the first wave of acts set to perform at All Points East 2024 alongside headliner Loyle Carner.Also joining the previously announced Carner at the East London festival in Victoria Park on Saturday, August 17 are Sainté, Joe James, ENNY and Navy Blue.Many more headliners and acts are set to be announced for All Points East 2024, which takes place across two weekends from August 16 to 25.A post shared by Uber One presents All Points East (@allpointseastuk)Carner’s hometown show is set to be his biggest show ever and his only live London date for 2024.AMEX presale is now live until 9am BST on Thursday, November 23, before general sale start 10am BST on Thursday from here.This year’s edition of the festival saw The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Walkmen and more take to the stage.The Strokes’ set was described as “a brilliant balancing act” in a four-star NME review, despite battling sound issues. It added: “The New York indie icons bring big-hitters and less obvious choices to All Points East as they battle, once again, with volume levels.”Stormzy also performed a career-highlight headline performance as part of his ‘This Is What We Mean’ day.

With Black Friday in full swing, beauty buffs are being inundated with perfume deals. Countless websites and brands have slashed the price of some of their most popular scents, with names like Tom Ford, Jo Malone and Dior all proving popular.

Psychedelic Furs and Waitresses saxophonist Mars Williams has died, aged 68.The news was shared by The Chicago Tribune, which reported that the musician died yesterday (November 20) from ampullary cancer. He was diagnosed with the illness just less than one year ago.Born in Evanston, Illinois, Williams famously performed in the Chicago free jazz group NRG Ensemble and with the Waitresses, before going on to join the iconic English rock band Psychedelic Furs in 1983.His initial time as part of the band lasted six years, and he departed the line-up in 1989.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music As expected, the Rolling Stones have announced they are going back on the road in 2024 behind their recently released “Hackney Diamonds” album. The group, led by core members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ron Wood, will perform in 16 cities across the U.S. and Canada, playing a combination of classics, deep cuts and songs from the new album, according to the announcement.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Mars Williams, a saxophone player known for his work as a member of the Waitresses and later the Psychedelic Furs, died Monday at age 68. His hometown newspaper the Chicago Tribune first confirmed Williams’ passing and reported that the cause of death was ampullary cancer.

New Look fans have been blown away by a dress that has been hailed as 'perfect' for wearing to the office or 'jazzing up for drinks'. The dress, which can be effortlessly paired with winter boots, heels or trainers, has been described as being 'fabulous' for women off all shapes and sizes, and doesn't cling to the body too much, for those who are concerned about lumps and bumps.

George “Funky” Brown, the drummer, founding member and one of the main songwriters of pop-R&B group Kool & The Gang, died in Los Angeles last night following a battle with lung cancer. He was 74.

Jon Batiste is taking his music to the people.The former “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” bandleader just announced his 24-concert ‘Uneasy Tour: Purifying the Airwaves for the People’ that will send him to venues all over North America in support of his recently released album “World Music Radio” from February through April 2024.That includes a headlining gig at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on Tuesday, March 19.“For my first solo run I wanted to play in smaller venues and curate experiences that let me really feel the people while I play,” the 37-year-old Louisiana native shared with The Associated Press. “Think of these 24 shows less as a tour and more as a series of 24 not to be missed experiences, each being one-of-a-kind.”And if you want to make sure you don’t miss these “not to be missed experiences,” you can scoop up tickets for the winter/spring tour as soon as today.Although inventory isn’t available on Ticketmaster until Friday, Nov.

When you’re composing music for a character named Thelonious “Monk” Ellison in the movie American Fiction, it should be pretty obvious where a composer like Laura Karpman might find her inspiration.

94 Grammy categories below. That's right: 94.The 2024 Grammy nominations list was announced during a livestream event on November 10, with musicians like St.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Sacha Jenkins and Raquel Cepeda’s Resurgent Pictures has partnered with Imagine Documentaries to develop and co-produce film, television and documentaries.The partnership with the nonfiction division of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment and Resurgent Pictures is a multi-year agreement. Headed by Sara Bernstein, Imagine Documentaries recently co-produced Jenkins’ “Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues.” The Apple TV+ docu, which debuted at the Toronto Intl.

Common and Jennifer Hudson continue to fuel those romance rumors!

Glamour Women of the Year Awards kickoff on November 7 at Jazz Lincoln Center—a perfect mix of style and empowerment. The star-studded night featured our luminary headliners: , , , , , , and It was a night brimming with celebration, stunning fashion, and contagious laughter, thanks to our host, Michelle Buteau.

The stars are hitting the red carpet in New York City!

Millie Bobby Brown is getting some major support on her big night!

Alec and Hilaria Baldwin are all smiles as they arrive for the 2023 Glamour Women of the Year event held at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Tuesday night (November 7) in New York City.

It’s music video night in the ballroom, so everyone’s job was to find inspiration from certain pop culture hits to get a smile out of guest judge Paula Adbul. Turns out it wasn’t that hard; Abdul doled out lots of 9s and 10s!

Emily Longeretta The “Dancing With the Stars” duos paid tribute to some of the most famous music videos during Tuesday night’s episode, including Britney Spears’ “Slave 4 U,” Aha’s “Take Me On” and NSYNC’s “It’s Gonna Be Me.” This week’s teams had an added challenge; not only did the judges — including guest judge Paula Abdul — score them on their routine but also how well it honored the original music video. Abdul delivered a few 10s through the night (see all the scores below) — including to Jason Mraz and Daniella Karagach — but the judges didn’t agree. While the pair have been near the top of the leaderboard each week, Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough felt “underwhelmed” by their performance.

The Golden Bachelor is worth watching, but I mean it, and this week especially so. This Thursday is the Women Tell All, and while I normally couldn't care less about the filler episode every season, this time it's the exception. reunite on stage, and my only complaint is that ABC didn't make the episode a full two hours (it's 74 minutes, but still).I was there in person for the taping (which lasted around four hours), and it was the most emotional, fulfilling, inspiring and hilarious afternoon/evening (and that was before Gerry even joined Jesse Palmer in the hot seat!).The women look amazing, but more than anything, you get to hear them talk about the experience and how it changed them in ways they could never have imagined.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy is best known for being the lead presenter of Channel 4 News, but he's switched news reading for sequins and jazz hands on this year's series of Strictly Come Dancing. The journalist, 53, is competing on the BBC One show with professional dancer Lauren Oatley, with the pair so far impressing both the judges and viewers with their performances. Krishnan has worked as a news anchor for Channel 4 since 1998, but in October 2022 he was taken off air for one week after TV bosses made the decision to suspend him following an offensive comment he made after interviewing MP Steve Baker.

Ethan Shanfeld Robert Glasper is bringing the Christmas spirit early this year with a gift for Apple Music subscribers: a brand-new album featuring the jazz and R&B star’s spin on holiday classics including “Joy to the World” and “Little Drummer Boy.” The seven-track album, titled “In December,” is available to stream now. It includes three brand new songs — “Make It Home,” “Memories With Mama” and “December” — and features guest artists including Alex Isley, Andra Day, Cynthia Erivo, PJ Morton and Sevyn Streeter, Carol of the Bells, Tarriona Ball and the Baylor Project.

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor are making a rare public appearance with their 18-year-old son Quinlan!

EXCLUSIVE: Q-Tip, the legendary rapper, producer, singer and lyricist, will be adding his hip-hop know-how to the Broadway-bound Ali, a musical about Muhammad Ali’s life in and out of the boxing ring.

The Comet Is Coming have announced that they will no longer be playing their last ever live show, in support of Palestine.The London-based jazz-funk band were set to play their final show in Bratislava tonight (October 20), however, have announced to fans that this will no longer be taking place due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.“We have decided to cancel our concert tonight in Bratislava. We stand in solidarity with the global call to strike by our Palestinian brothers and sisters who are in the midst of a genocidal assault,” they wrote on X/Twitter earlier today, confirming the cancellation just hours before the gig was due to start.“This was to be our final show.

London-based jazz group The Comet is Coming has canceled their final show, scheduled for tonight (October 20) at the Bratislava Jazz Days festival in Slovakia, in a show of support to Palestine. Israel has massively escalated its military campaign in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music News arrived gradually of the Rolling Stones’ special celebration in New York of their new album, “Hackney Diamonds.” First it was a “Rolling Stones event on the evening of Oct. 19,” then it was an album-release party, and then rumors spread that they were going to perform “a couple of songs, but with the boys, you never know” (yes, the person quoted actually called them “the boys”).

Emily Longeretta Many dancers made a big shift during Disney night on “Dancing With the Stars.” Adrian Peterson finally allowed the audiences to see a softer side during his Viennese Waltz — something he’s also been working on at home, with a newborn baby. While he said it’s been a challenging time of his life, the focus really paid off as he and partner Britt Stewart received their first 7s. Meanwhile, Xochitl Gomez admitted she was scared of how strict Val Chmerkovskiy was during rehearsals for their very difficult paso doble.

Caroline Brew editor Carla Bley, an influential jazz composer and pianist, died in her home in Willow, N.Y. due to complications from brain cancer. She was 87.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Cross Creek Pictures has acquired “The Sessions,” a new screenplay from writer and former Paramount Pictures executive Tom 8. Hayes. The screenplay is based on true events, telling a storyset amidst the New York City jazz scene of the mid-1950s.

Aramide Tinubu The American buffalo, or bison, is a massive animal. It can weigh more than a ton and span over 10 feet wide, excluding its tail. As fascinating as the mammal is, a four-hour series centering on its origins, decline and revitalization wouldn’t exactly be riveting for a general audience.

EXCLUSIVE: Bruce Weber’s Academy Award-nominated documentary Let’s Get Lost has received a 4k restoration, which will debut at this year’s Lumiere Film Festival.