Thomas H. Lee, Billionaire Who Led Warner Music Buyout in 2004, Dies at 78

Thania Garcia Warner Records today announced the launch of its first-ever flagship electronic dance music label, Major Recordings. Headed by Sam Mobarek, the label’s first signing is duo the duo Parisi, in partnership with Parlophone’s FFRR imprint. Mobarek will report to Warner Records’ co-chairman/ COO Tom Corson and co-chairman/ CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck. Mobarek has nearly two decades of experience in branding and marketing, most recently running Mob Creative, which she also founded. Prior to Mob, Mobarek led the marketing department at Ultra Music, working with Calvin Harris, Steve Aoki, Pitbull, and deadmau5; she also ran the pop imprint Lefthook under Sony Music while still a student at New York University’s Stern School of Business, and held posts at live music company SFX (now Lifestyle) as well as Beatport. In recent months, she and her team have been working with Warner’s partners on such acts as the Blessed Madonna, Eliza Rose, Luude, Skin on Skin and more.

Lukas Gage has some thoughts about the new interest in his love life!

Controversial actor Robert Blake (born Michael James Gubitosi) died today in Los Angeles from heart disease, according to his niece, Noreen Austin. He was 89 years old.

Jamie Lee Curtis has advocated for earlier concerts, asking why bands don’t put on matinee shows.The Everything Everywhere All At Once actor was speaking on the red carpet at the Independent Spirit Awards this weekend (March 4) when she told The Hollywood Reporter that she declined her invite to an Oscars nominee dinner because she’d rather go to bed early.“Why? Because mommy goes to bed early,” the actor said. “‘Cause 7:30 is gonna be nine before we get food, and you know what? There’s nothing good happening with me after nine o’clock.

Hong Chau (“The Whale,” “The Menu”), Anna Camp (“Pitch Perfect”), Melanie Lynskey (“The Last of Us”) and Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”) are among the presenters for its 38th Artios Awards taking place in both Los Angeles and New York City. Also presenting at the Los Angeles gala alongside host Yvette Nicole Brown are Utkarsh Ambudkar, Paul Walter Hauser, Andrew Leeds, Sam Richardson, Britt Robertson, Glynn Turman and Tuc Watkins. Sarita Choudhury, Jordan E. Cooper, Rory Culkin, Khris Davis, Alex Edelman, Raúl Esparza, Katie Finneran,Katrina Lenk, Nicole Ari Parker, Peppermint, Morgan Spector,  Celia Rose Goodin, Chris Sullivan and Kuhoo Verma will present at the New York ceremony, with Amber Ruffin as host.

Jamie Lee Curtis is spilling the deets on her SAG Awards kiss with Michelle Yeoh. Curtis took home the trophy for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her role in during the 29th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards last Sunday. Before taking the stage to the delight of the audience, Curtis grabbed her co-star and planted a big kiss on her.ET's Will Marfuggi spoke to the  actress at the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards Saturday where she said she had «no idea» she kissed Yeoh in what has now become a viral awards season moment.«I didn't know I actually kissed Michelle until they showed me,» Curtis revealed. «I'm telling you, the word shocked — you people, you must think we all think we're gonna win things.

Binki has returned with a new single, ‘Hotel Window’ and teased the release of more new music soon – check out the new track below.The track serves as the first taste of new material from the New York-based artist since his debut EP, ‘Motor Function’, released in August 2021. It is set to be part of Binki’s second EP released through the FADER Label this spring, with more details to be announced soon.Explaining the meaning behind ‘Hotel Window’, Binki said: “I think this song started with looking at a hotel window as a good metaphor for feeling trapped. You know you can look out of hotel windows but most of the time you can’t open them.

“Funny Girl” has extended its Broadway run until September, as principal players Lea Michele, Ramin Karimloo, Jared Grimes and Tovah Feldshuh have all signed on for more show dates.After breaking an all-time box-office record at Broadway’s August Wilson Theater, “Funny Girl” is laughing itself all the way back on stage for more dates, with the show coming to an end in New York City on Sept. 3. The American tour will officially open at Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, from Sept.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Lawrence Pitkethly, who produced and directed multiple documentary series shown on PBS and other broadcasters, died Feb. 24 at Albany Medical Center near his home in Hudson, N.Y., of cardiopulmonary arrest linked to complications from Parkinson’s. He was 79. Pitkethly is best known for “American Cinema” (1995), a 10-part, $7 million series for PBS, BBC and Canal Plus covering U.S. filmmaking that he produced, co-wrote and co-directed. It examined film genres, the rise and fall of the studio system, the creation of stars and other aspects of American movies through interviews with Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Sydney Pollack, George Lucas, Quentin Tarantino, Spike Lee, Joel Coen and other major players. John Lithgow served as host; Matthew Modine, Kathleen Turner and Cliff Robertson narrated.

Steve Boom — who, as MusiCares chair, also played a huge role in the organization’s distribution of more than $25 million in pandemic relief to the music community — will be honored as the UJA’s Music Visionary of the Year with a luncheon on June 7 at New York’s Ziegfield Ballroom. He will be saluted for his professional and philanthropic leadership, and the UJA will amplify its substantial efforts in confronting antisemitism and helping those in need. Previous recipients have included SiriusXM’s Scott Greenstein, Sony Music Group CEO Rob Stringer, Republic Records co-founders Avery and Monte Lipman, iHeartMedia chief Bob Pittman, Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek, Warner Records co-chairman and COO Tom Corson and Atlantic Records co-chairman and COO Julie Greenwald.

Angelique Jackson The eighth annual Icon Mann Honors dinner will salute “The Woman King” filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood, “Sidney” director Reginald Hudlin and Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of the Africa Center NYC and author of the New York Times bestseller “Beasts of No Nation.” Icon Mann partnered with Sony Pictures for the event, which has a “Reimagining African Diasporic Narratives” theme and will take place on Wednesday, March 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, Calif. The dinner is part of a series of awards week events for Icon Mann, which is a media, production and management consultancy representing African Diasporic heritage. The company is a leading strategic broker for investments and enterprise within creative industries for Hollywood and media-driven African nations, cultivating a global network of creators and leaders focused on “positive narrative representation.”

her Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Sunday. When it was time for the actrress’ speech, she recieved roaring applause from her peers, kissed her “Everything Everywhere All at Once” co-star Michelle Yeoh on the mouth, ran up on stage, and spoke frankly yet proudly about her career journey.“I got my SAG card when I was 19 years old, when I signed a seven-year contract to Universal Studios and starred in an ABC TV series called the ‘Operation Petticoat’ which was based on the movie that my father, Tony Curtis — nepo baby! — starred in,” the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” actress said to laughter from the audience, overcome with emotion.“I was fired from that TV show a year later and I thought my life was over,” she continued.

the 2023 SAG Awards on Sunday.“I got my SAG card when I was 19 years old, when I signed a seven-year contract to Universal Studios and starred in an ABC TV series called the ‘Operation Petticoat,’ which was based on the movie that my father, Tony Curtis — nepo baby! — starred in,” Curtis — the daughter of “Psycho” star Janet Leigh and the “Some Like It Hot” actor Curtis — said during the “I Am an Actor” opening.“I was fired from that TV show a year later and I thought my life was over,” she continued. “But the good news is that if I hadn’t been fired from ‘Operation Petticoat,’ I would have never had the opportunity to audition for a little tiny, no-budget horror movie called ‘Halloween.’ My name is Jamie Lee Curtis, and I am, proudly, an actor.”Jamie Lee Curtis proudly referring to herself as a nepo baby during her “I am an actor” speech was perfection #SAGAwards pic.twitter.com/5vksrPUHThThe “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star, 64, also made a joke about being a nepo baby — a contentious title much-discussed after a recent New York Magazine cover story diving into Hollywood’s dynasty — while accepting her award for best female supporting actor for her performance.“I know you look at me and think, ‘Nepo baby, that’s why you’re here.’ I totally get it,” said Curtis.

Former Manchester United player-turned-coach Phil Neville has claimed that current club Inter Miami signing Lionel Messi "would be probably the biggest signing ever in American sports".

Chris Chesser, the independent film and documentary producer whose credits include the hit Charlie Sheen 1989 comedy Major League, died suddenly at his home in Los Angeles on February 2. He was 74.

Julia MacCary editor “Back to the Future” stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Tom Wilson recently reunited to celebrate the beloved film at Fan Expo Portland, which ran from Feb. 17 to Feb. 19. The stars shared their reunion on Instagram, with Thompson posting several photos and videos from the event. “Wow honestly had the best time today with my [‘Back to the Future’] family…so many fun fan moments too and a llama,” the actor wrote. In the videos, the group references some of their characters’ famous lines, including Wilson saying, “Hello, anybody home?” while playfully knock on Thompson’s noggin.

TMZ reported on Monday.A representative for the New York City Police Department told TheWrap that the death did not occur in New York City itself. According to TMZ, no cause of death has been announced and no foul play is suspected.No statements had been issued by his family as of Monday evening.

A winter getaway. Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes left chilly New York City to soak up the sun in Mexico, new photos reveal.

Oliver Wood, an English cinematographer whose credits include “Die Hard 2,” “Face/Off,” “The Other Guys” and the original “Bourne” trilogy, died Monday, Feb. 13, following a battle with cancer. He was 80. With a career spanning across seven decades, Wood worked across a wide variety of projects, collaborating with directors like John Woo, Adam McKay, Antoine Fuqua, Barry Sonnenfeld and Larry Cohen. He was nominated for a BAFTA award for best cinematography for his work on 2007’s “The Bourne Ultimatum,” directed by Paul Greengrass. Born in London, Wood moved to New York City when he was 19. His first major credit came on Leonard Kastle’s 1970 crime film “The Honeymoon Killers,” making a strong impression for his technique of using available light to give the anachronistic dark comedy the look of a newsreel.

Maye Musk was one of the highlights of New York Fashion Week. The model and mother of Elon Musk made an appearance at The Blonds fashion show in New York this past week, wearing a glittery and super cool suit that resulted in an alien-like look.