‘TLC Forever’ Trailer: T-Boz and Chilli Dive Deep Into Group’s Enduring Legacy in New Documentary (EXCLUSIVE)

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor The voice of “Wall-E,” the lightsaber sounds from “Star Wars” and Darth Vader’s breathing are just a fraction of what sound mixer, designer and editor Ben Burtt has contributed to the world of cinema. This weekend, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will celebrate his body of work with a special conversation and installation titled “Behold.” Though the two-time Oscar winner has over 122 credits to his name, this will be the first time he’s going to be on stage alone. “Every time I’ve been on stage, it’s been to present something or I’ve been part of a team,” Burtt tells Variety over Zoom ahead of the conversation. 1977’s “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” was one of the first films he worked on. It was Burtt who created the lightsaber’s famous hum, which he says came from a broken TV set and a film projector.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor HBO’s “The Last of Us” dances between terrifying post-apocalyptic scenes with zombie-like creatures known as clickers and intimate moments between Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie. Cinematographers Eben Bolter and Ksenia Sereda, who captured some of the series’ most captivating and visual spectacles, will be vying for Emmy consideration in the Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (One Hour) category. HBO has confirmed that Bolter, who shot Episodes 3, 4 and 5 will submit the third episode, “Long, Long Time.” The flashback episode is named after the Linda Ronstadt song, which features prominently. Hailed as one of the most extraordinary episodes of television, much of the story focuses on the nearly 20-year relationship between Joel’s smuggling compatriots, Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett).

Brent Lang Executive Editor Connecticut is set to declare Sunday, April 23, 2023 as “Little Richard Day” in honor of the late performer’s “incomparable contributions to the history of music in America.” And no, the rock n’ roll icon doesn’t hail from the Nutmeg state. He was born in Georgia and lived in California, Tennessee and other ports of call until his death in 2020. Rather, Gov. Ned Lamont is issuing the proclamation in recognition of the release this month of “Little Richard: I Am Everything” and Connecticut’s many ties to the production. The film, which Magnolia bought out of the Sundance Film Festival, will premiere at the Bedford Playhouse, which is hosted by the Greenwich International Film Festival on April 23. It was produced by Greenwich International Film Festival board member Robert Friedman and produced and directed by Lisa Cortés, a Connecticut native and an alumna of Yale University.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Little Richard — music icon, legend and the man behind hits such as “Tutti Frutti” and “Good Golly Miss Molly” — inspired a generation. But despite his success, there were points in his career where “he doesn’t feel he’s been recognized,” says filmmaker Lisa Cortés. Her latest documentary, “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” in theaters on April 21, seeks to remind a new generation of his legacy. Cortés says the documentary draws parallels with “All In: The Fight for Democracy” which she co-directed with Liz Garbus, in which she followed Stacy Abrams on her political campaign. Speaking with Variety, she said, “Both of these films are talking about issues that are political hot buttons. There are states where Black and queer history are under attack, and they’re passing laws against the teaching of this history. We see those are very important parts of Richard’s origin story and of rock ‘and’n’ roll.” She adds, “It’s a film that is still in conversation with many major things that we are facing right now.”

Squid have announced a 2024 North American tour and have shared ‘Undergrowth’, the second single from their forthcoming album ‘O Monolith’.Following on the launch single ‘Swing (In A Dream)‘, latest track ‘Undergrowth’ was inspired by an episode of Twin Peaks.“I really got into animism, the idea that spirits can live in inanimate objects,” shared drummer and singer Oille Judge. “I was watching Twin Peaks, and there was the episode where Josie Packard’s spirit goes into a chest of drawers.”He continued: “So ‘Undergrowth’ was written from the perspective of me being reincarnated as a bedside table in the afterlife, and how the thought of being reincarnated as an inanimate object would be dreadful.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Lainey Wilson’s “Smell Like Smoke” song from Paramount+’s “Yellowstone” will be submitted for Emmys consideration in the outstanding music and lyrics category. Wilson made her acting debut in the Season 5 premiere of “Yellowstone” as a musician named Abby, and “Smell Like Smoke” appeared in the third episode of the season. Speaking with Variety, Wilson said the song “centers around four pillars that make ‘Yellowstone’ what it is — cowboys, heartbreak, self-assurance and faith.” The song was co-written with songwriters Monty Criswell, Derek George and Lynn Hutton. “Derek came up with the signature guitar lick at the beginning of the song and tracked the original demo, while Monty and I fiddled around with lyrics and Lynn steered the melodies,” Wilson said.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot points, including the ending for “The Pope’s Exorcist” currently playing in theaters. Director Julius Avery has “only seen parts” of William Friedkin’s classic “The Exorcist.” “I’m not a massive aficionado of exorcist movies,” he tells Variety. Yet despite that, his latest release, “The Pope’s Exorcist,” which is based on Gabriele Amorth’s books “An Exorcist Tells His Story” and “An Exorcist: More Stories,” follows the Vatican’s chief exorcist to Spain. Played by Russell Crowe, Father Amorth teams up with a priest, Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto), to investigate a young mother, Julia (Alex Essoe), and her children, who have recently become possessed by a powerful demon.

Jackson Wang recently wrapped up his first solo set at Coachella 2023 weekend one.The Hong Kong-born singer, who is also a member of the K-pop boyband GOT7, kicked off his set with songs from his sophomore studio album ‘Magic Man’.Wang then surprised the audience by bringing out Ciara, who took over the stage with a medley of Missy Elliot’s ‘Lose Control’, as well as her original songs ‘Level Up’ and ‘Goodies’.Following the medley, Wang joined Ciara to perform ‘1, 2, Step’, before transitioning into a remix of XG‘s viral TikTok hit ‘Left Right’.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor When director Chris McKay was making “Renfield” he turned to production designer Alec Hammond (“Donnie Darko”) to help deliver a fresh and updated take on the Dracula story, by taking “a big monster movie, rooting it in the classic movies, but subverting any expectations.” The film starring Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his faithful sidekick Renfield, begins in 1931, in black-and-white. It was important, Hammond says, to set up Cage’s world in the historic context of harkening back to classic Dracula movies before jumping to the present day. The Charity Hospital in New Orleans, which had been abandoned since Hurricane Katrina, was the perfect location for Hammond to set Dracula and Renfield’s modern-day lair.

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.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Is “Peaches” from “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” one of the first Oscars original song contenders of the year? The ultimate power ballad, sung by Jack Black as the evil Bowser, will be eligible to submit for best original song consideration at the Oscars, Universal has confirmed to Variety. “Peaches” is all about Bowser’s unrequited love. And the subject of his adoration? Princess Peach (voiced by Anya Taylor Joy), who is the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. The song is co-written by Black, the film’s directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, as well as Eric Osmond and John Spiker.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, should have been as famous as Mozart — except he wasn’t. Stephen Williams‘ new film “Chevalier” starring Kelvin Harrison Jr. as the titular violinist explores why. From Searchlight Pictures, the film opens in theaters on April 21 and follows Chevalier, a name bestowed on him after he caught the attention of Marie Antoinette, the illegitimate son of an African slave and plantation owner. Before bursting onto the scene, he performed violin concertos while building his fencing skills, becoming known as the “Black Mozart.” In a clip from the film, Bologne takes on a challenge against Mozart (Joseph Prowen), accepting a violin duel.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor For Chris McKay’s “Renfield,” Nicolas Cage spent up to three hours each day transforming into the role of iconic vampire Dracula. But the biggest hurdle was developing Dracula’s razor-sharp teeth, makeup artist Christien Tinsely tells Variety. With the teeth design, it was important to consider how Dracula’s teeth would extract from the gums. Tinsley says McKay also wanted all of Dracula’s teeth to be sharp — not just the canines. Tinsley, whose credits include “The Passion of the Christ” and “Emancipation,” says he wanted to be able to make swift adjustments once Cage was on set, meaning he wouldn’t have much time to prep dentures and teeth casting using traditional denture methods. The eventual solution was to use 3D printing.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Actor Kevin Cahoon donned a famous Nudie Suit by iconic tailor Nudie Cohn to the Broadway red carpet premiere of “Shucked.“ The decorative rhinestone-covered suits — made famous by Elvis, Hank Williams and Post Malone — were on loan to Cahoon, who plays Peanut in the show, from Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors in Hollywood. The musical is filled with catchy numbers and, as the title suggests, is about corn. It’s set in the fictional Corn Cob County, a small-town Southern haven surrounded by… corn. “‘Shucked’ is a brand new, completely original, rhinestoned, star-spangled, American musical with its roots planted firmly in the country, its heart celebrating all of the Nashville greats that have come before, and I am in it,” Cahoon tells Variety. “What in Cob County do you wear?”

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Neon’s “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” is perhaps best described as part heist thriller, part climate change documentary. Helmed by Daniel Goldhaber, the film, in theaters April 6, follows a fictional crew of young environmental activists who execute a daring mission to sabotage an oil pipeline. Cast members include Ariela Barer, who also produced and co-wrote the film; “Euphoria’s” Lukas Gage, Kristine Froseth, Forrest Goodluck, Sasha Lane, Jayme Lawson, Marcus Scribner and Jake Weary. As soon as composer Gavin Brivik began working on the film, he flew out to the set and recorded music samples that included banging on oil drums in the desert.

“We were the best-selling girl group in America of all time,” T-Boz says in the trailer, adding “no matter what we went through, we never questioned the love.”The 2-hour documentary also features interviews with Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and rapper Missy Elliot, among others.After a long hiatus following Lopes’ death, T-Boz and Chilli reunited in 2014 and in addition to their 2017 album “TLC” they have continued touring regularly. “When you believe in yourself, that’s powerful,” T-Boz says in the trailer.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” currently playing in theaters. “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” rolls into theaters this weekend with Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis starring in the big-screen adaptation of the role-playing game. With obstacles to overcome, challenges to navigate, and monstrous forces to tackle, the gang embarks on a fantasy-filled adventure with twists, turns, surprises and plenty of easter eggs. Writers and directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (“Game Night”) make sure to sprinkle in plenty of treats for longtime fans, with some in plain sight and others in the background.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, the Emmy-winning producers behind “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and co-founders of World of Wonder, have responded to the wave of anti-drag legislation being introduced by GOP lawmakers, calling it “un-American.” Speaking with Variety over Zoom, Barbato said the bills — which are working their way through at least 11 state legislatures and threatening to restrict or prohibit drag show performances — are all part of an “insidious” campaign. “It’s been going on and it’s orchestrated by a minority,” Barbato said. “They have been successful in these hideous laws. That same minority is threatening the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community. They are a threat and we must take them seriously.”

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks will release a brand new original short film titled “The Spider Within.” Set in the world of the upcoming release “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” the animated short will debut exclusively at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this June. In the short, Miles Morales struggles to balance his responsibilities as a teenager, friend and student while acting as Brooklyn’s friendly neighborhood superhero. After a particularly challenging day living with these pressures, Miles experiences a panic attack that forces him to confront the manifestations of his anxiety and learn that reaching out for help can be just as brave an act as protecting his city from evil.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Kelvin Harrison Jr. spent up to six hours a day playing the violin in preparation for his latest film “Chevalier.” The period drama, set before the French Revolution, follows the life of composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, also known as Black Mozart. The Searchlight Pictures film also stars Samara Weaving, Lucy Boynton, Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo, Marton Csokas, Alex Fitzalan and Minnie Driver. Speaking with Variety, Harrison Jr. said despite being raised in a musical family (his father was a classical musician and a music teacher) he didn’t know about Chevalier. “I had no clue who he was, but he was pretty bold, and I was blown away by him,” he says.