Variety and Audible to Host Music Storytelling Panel at SXSW With Tobe Nwigwe From ‘Origins’

Xavier López Rodríguez, known as “Chabelo,” died at the age of 88.

Love Is Blind might be—to borrow a phrase from The Bachelor—the most dramatic yet, and Micah Lussier and Paul Peden have a large role in that. Both dumped other connections in order to be together, only to have a potential love triangle (or two) surface during their time in Mexico. They also come from different worlds: Paul described his usual dating type to Netflix as “granola,” and Micah is, well, not that.

A new season, a new love triangle (or two… or three… or...). Season 4 of kicked off on Friday and tensions were high both in the pods and in the couples' romantic getaway to Mexico.After contestant Micah connected with both Kwame and Paul in the pods, she ultimately cut Kwame loose in favor of the environmental scientist.Kwame went on to link up with Chelsea and both Kwame and Micah exited the pods engaged to separate people.

The Smile have confirmed that they have been working on their second album.The supergroup – made up of Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and Sons Of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner – told fans the news at the end of an email newsletter that was announcing additional North American tour dates. “We’re deep in recording, week 7,” The Smile wrote.

Love Island star Olivia Hawkins has addressed speculation that she’s already split from Maxwell Samuda. The two flames hit it off in the villa in the most recent series of Love Island, and missed out on a spot in the final by just a few days. Rumours of their split first started after Maxwell, 23, was seen partying with Olivia’s villa rival Zara Lackenby-Brown, and was faced with backlash for doing so.

The Masked Singer is back for season nine!

Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber are kicking back after a busy few months. Days after the 2023 Academy Awards, the couple jetted off to Mexico for a relaxing getaway.Cameras captured Gerber and Butler hanging out by the pool, with the former sporting a green bikini as she tanned and the latter walking around shirtless and reading a book.Later, the duo was spotted hopping into a golf cart and heading to another part of the resort, where they enjoyed an al fresco lunch.

Naman Ramachandran New York-based film and TV studio and streaming network FilmRise has acquired North American distribution rights to true-crime documentary feature film “The Thief Collector.” Directed by Emmy winner Allison Otto (“The Love Bugs”), the film follows one of the most audacious and puzzling art thefts of a generation. In 1985, Willem de Kooning’s seminal work, “Woman-Ochre,” was sliced from its frame and stolen off the walls of the University of Arizona Museum of Art, disappearing into the desert. Over 30 years later, in a remote town in New Mexico, the $160 million dollar painting was rediscovered in the unlikeliest of places – the home of an eccentric married couple, both schoolteachers, with a keen eye for great works but a very unconventional method of collecting them. The film features Glenn Howerton co-creator, director, writer and star of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

NMIXX have announced their upcoming ‘Nice to MIXX You’ showcase tour that will take the group to cities in North America and Asia.The ‘Nice to MIXX You’ tour is set to kick off on May 2 on the West Coast of the US in Washington, followed by two shows in California. The girl group will the head south, with performance in Texas and Georgia, before moving up the East Coast with concerts in DC and New York.The following month, NMIXX will make their way to Asia, starting with a show in Thailand on June 4.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Paramount+ is launching its first-ever mobile-only streaming subscription plan in Mexico and Brazil. Paramount+’s Basic Plan, described as “competitively priced,” will be available from April 18. It will allow subscribers to stream content on one mobile device or tablet at a time, uninterrupted and without ads. “This new offering is part of our broader strategy to scale Paramount+,” said Marco Nobili, executive vice president and international general manager for Paramount+. “With multi-tier pricing options, Paramount+ will reach even more subscribers by fitting diverse customer choices and grow our global direct-to-consumer distribution. With mobile entertainment consumption increasing around the world, a mobile-only option will make our slate of programming more accessible to our audiences in mobile-first countries.”

Baring it all. Paris Hilton didn’t hold back in her new book, discussing everything from her time in a restrictive boarding school to her decision to have an abortion in her early 20s.

Thania Garcia TelevisaUnivision has revealed the full list of nominees for the Latin American Music Awards with Bad Bunny leading the list at 11 nominations, followed by Becky G and Daddy Yankee with nine each. The big show is set to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 20. The awards show will also honor Colombian singer-songwriter Carlos Vives and ranchera music champion Pepe Aguilar during the awards show’s eighth iteration and with a pre-ceremony special titled “Latin AMA’s: Legacy” on April 4 via UniMás. They will each sit down for an interview and perform remotely from their respective homes in Bogotá and Mexico City.

Charna Flam Grammy-nominated rapper Tobe Nwigwe stopped by Variety and Audible’s Music Storytelling Panel at South by Southwest to chat with Audible’s executive producer of music storytelling, Preston Copley, about his rise through the music industry and his immersive interview on the Audible podcast “Origins.” Nwigwe is the center of the third episode of “Origins,” which is hosted by author Phil Griffin and features conversations with industry titans, including Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, King Princess, Mickey Guyton, Koffee, Flying Lotus and Camilo. The intention of “Origins” is to showcase “a class of artists who deeply impact culture,” Copley explained to Variety reporter Selome Hailu, who moderated the panel. “They’re early enough in their career where they’re newly grappling with a lot of global recognition, and this is a moment for them to look back on the journey that’s brought them from where they were to where they are.”

Tame Impala‘s Kevin Parker performed on crutches with a fractured hip in Mexico City last night (March 10) – watch footage from the gig below.Last week, Parker revealed to fans that he had unknowingly ran a half marathon on a fractured hip but vowed to go ahead with the band’s upcoming shows.The Australian musician and vocalist shared the news of his injury on Instagram, posting a series of pictures of him in hospital along with x-rays which show screws in his bones and post-surgery stitches.“Fractured my hip,” he began the post. “Tried to run a half marathon on what turned out to be an existing stress fracture.

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

Angelina Jolie celebrated International Women’s Day in Mexico, launching the program “Women for Bees.” The non-profit is meant to preserve the bees from the Mayan civilization, which are in extinction and are the most ancient breed of bees in the world.Angelina Jolie accessorizes her look with Princess Diana’s favorite Dior bag: See photosAngelina Jolie and her kids cut their hair to support Iranian womenThe photos show Jolie in a white dress surrounded by various women who were also dressed in white. The women are sitting in a circle and were captured mid-conversation.

Wonderful news for this little girl’s family!

Jimmie Allen’s Artists:Ale Aguirre | Chihuahua, Mexico Ale infuses herself into her music and bilingual lyrics with the mariachi, norteño, banda and other sounds she heard growing up in Mexico. At the age of 16 she taught herself how to play the guitar, and is now on the way to establishing herself as an independent singer-songwriter with a loyal following she’s gained from her popular YouTube channel. Dhruv Visvanath | New Delhi, India Dhruv, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer-songwriter and producer, started his musical journey at the age of seven.

Reese Witherspoon and Kacey Musgraves comes a new music reality competition called, which they promise is a «fresh take on» the TV genre as it «breaks down barriers in country music by providing an extraordinary opportunity to diverse artists from around the world.»  Ahead of the eight-part competition's debut on Apple TV+, the streaming platform released a trailer, offering the first look at what's to come from this one-of-a-kind experience.  On the show, three groundbreaking country artists and scouts -- Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton and Orville Peck -- have each handpicked a roster of what they consider to be «exceptional up-and-coming talent» and invited them to live together in a house in Nashville, Tennessee, where they'll showcase their unique sound and style for the judges.While there, the twelve contestants will vye for the chance to win «a life-changing experience from Apple, including global exposure across the Apple TV+ and Apple Music platforms.»In addition to watching the extended preview for the reality series, check out the three scout's full roster of competing artists below:    Chihuahua, Mexico Ale infuses herself into her music and bilingual lyrics with the mariachi, norteño, banda and other sounds she heard growing up in Mexico. At the age of 16 she taught herself how to play the guitar, and is now on the way to establishing herself as an independent singer-songwriter with a loyal following she’s gained from her popular YouTube channel.    New Delhi, India Dhruv, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer-songwriter and producer, started his musical journey at the age of seven.

Lukas Gage is responding to romance rumors between him and celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton following a trip to Mexico. In a new interview with , the  actor spoke about navigating love and relationships in the public eye, and got candid about the speculation surrounding him and Appleton.«If they want to think that, they can,» Gage said when asked about the romance rumors.