James Corden provided some comedic bite to the ad campaign for Apple Music in a spot that saw him spoofing stars including David Bowie, Pharrel, Slash and the Spice Girls. The commercial premiered during the 68th Annual Emmy Awards on Sept. 18. The creative was in support of the fact that Apple Music now has 40 million […]
David Bowie, the artist, defied categorization, though he is most often identified with music. In the catalog of my memory, however, he’s indexed as “showman” (with the qualifier “ultimate”). I’ve seen dozens of arena rock concerts, mostly forgotten, but David Bowie’s Serious Moonlight tour is permanently etched into my grid. Casting its beam on Philadelphia in July ’83, the show was everything the […]
The 2015 Hollywood Music in Media Awards were handed out on Wednesday November 11th at Hollywood’s historic Fonda Theater, hosted by comedian Ron Pearson. Winner for Original Feature Film Score was Dan Romer for Netflix’s wrenching Beasts of No Nation, about a warlord training a young African orphan to be a guerilla fighter. (Listen to Romer’s Indiewire podcast here.) […]
In a restructuring that comes at a pivotal time in the trajectory of the Universal Music Group, Michael Nash has joined the company as Executive Vice President Digital Strategy, hitting the eject button on his consultancy at Warner Music Group. The move comes in the wake of Jay Frank’s appointment, in August, to the newly-created […]
The 6th Annual Hollywood Music in Media Awards announced its nominees, with winners to be revealed at the Henry Fonda Theater on Nov. 11. The yearly event celebrates music in film, TV, videogames, commercials and trailers. Organizers tout it as prognosticator for winners in the music categories at the Golden Globe and Academy Awards competitions. From Amy […]
Former punk icon Courtney Love stars in composer Todd Almond’s stage musical “Kansas City Choir Boy,” which had its West Coast premiere Oct. 19 at the Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre at the Ahmanson. Almond wrote the music and lyrics and stars with Love in the story of small-town lovers separated by fate. The story unfolds […]
What started out as a warm fuzzy tribute to Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Rent has turned into a bit of a musical tussle. The Harbor Lights Theater Company in Staten Island, which just began touting its September 18 through October 4 production was blindsided today by news of another production by the 5th Floor Theatre Company, whose […]
Pop star Shakira and New Zealand songwriter Opetaia Foa’i of the band Te Vaka are among the music talent signed for upcoming Disney Animation Studios features. Shakira, who voices the character of Gazelle in the March 2016 Walt Disney release Zootopia, will record original songs for the film’s soundtrack, it was revealed by the studio at the D23 […]
The 5th Annual Transatlantyk Film Festival held in Poznan, Poland wrapped to critical acclaim. The festival — founded by Oscar-winning composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek to gather creative professionals in his native Poland — celebrated film and music, August 7-14. Opening night featured the world’s first tribute concert to honor the memory of composer James Horner, whose June […]
British blues-rocker Jamie N Commons is the hot artist of the moment for backing tracks, making his mark with commercials, on TV series and games. Karma, the tune he wrote for EA’s “Battlefield Hardline” game, is getting the most attention, landing on a fresh Hyundai commercial and the new trailer for HBO’s “Show Me a Hero,” and […]
