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17 Aug 2023

Paramount Decides Against Selling BET Majority Stake

After at least five months of deliberations, Paramount Global has decided against selling a majority stake in its BET Media Group, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

The move to take down the “for sale” sign for the unit — which includes the BET channel, streamer BET+ as well as VH1 and BET Studios — follows publicly expressed interest from the likes of moguls Tyler Perry, Byron Allen, Sean “Diddy” Combs and others in acquiring a majority interest. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported Paramount’s decision to end the bidding process for BET.

Perry is already in business with Paramount via a multiyear content partnership struck in 2019, while Allen has been aiming to expand his TV station empire that counts The Weather Channel and Combs has a TV presence with his Revolt network.

During Paramount’s latest earnings call, on Aug. 7, CEO Bob Bakish was asked about the status of the potential sale and didn’t address BET by name, but replied: “We’re always looking for ways to maximize shareholder value. And as we said before, that might involve divesting, acquiring or potentially partnering on assets all of which we’ve done. But other than that, I’m not going to comment on anything specifically.”

The company has owned BET since 2000, when the Sumner Redstone-led firm then named Viacom snapped up Black Entertainment Television for $2.3 billion in stock and $570 million in debt. At the time, the BET channel was carried in 62.4 million households domestically.

For the past several years, Paramount has been looking to slim down its collection of assets in order to scale up in streaming and burnish its core entertainment portfolio (Paramount Pictures as well as CBS, Showtime, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, BET and streamers Paramount+ and Pluto TV). That effort has boosted Paramount+ to about 61 million subscribers globally, but the streaming division still isn’t profitable, tallying $424 million in losses in the second quarter.

Earlier this month, the company struck a $1.62 billion deal with private equity giant KKR to sell off major book publisher Simon & Schuster. That sale (a yearslong effort after its first attempt was blocked by a judge over antitrust concerns) followed Paramount selling tech site CNET for $500 million in 2020, CBS’ New York BlackRock headquarters building for $760 million and CBS’ Studio City lot for $1.85 billion in 2021.

Paramount, with its large collection of linear channels, has been subject to headwinds in the industry amid the march of cord-cutting as consumers look beyond pay-TV packages to subscription streaming offerings. In the last quarter alone, more than 1.7 million subscribers were shed by the major pay-TV and cable companies (including Comcast, Charter and DirecTV), per a tally from Leichtman Research.

Affiliate and subscription revenue at Paramount’s TV Media unit was off 2 percent in its most recent quarter, the company disclosed Aug. 7, noting that the decline was “primarily reflecting the impact from subscriber declines, partially offset by pricing increases.”

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

17 Aug 2023

Post Malone Gets Shout-Out From Allen Iverson After ‘White Iverson’ Notches 1B Spotify Streams: ‘The Whole World Loves This Song’

Post Malone got the ultimate shout-out this week when his debut breakthrough 2016 single, “White Iverson,” crossed the 1 billion streams mark on Spotify and the man who inspired it gave Austin some love.

“Congrats on 1 billion Spotify streams,” retired 11-time NBA All-star Allen Iverson said in a video tribute posted by Spotify. “The whole world loves this song and I’m honored to be a part of it. Keep that same form, Post.”

According to the commemorative clip, “White Iverson” became the 10th song to cross that magic mark back on April 10, a momentous occasion that was celebrated with a memorial plaque sent to the rapper during his two-night stand at London’s O2 Arena in May.

In the video — which was part of Monday’s roll-out of the second episode of Spotify’s Billion Club: The Series show — we see Malone unwrap his latest shiny honor, and in typical fashion he wonders if he could shotgun a whole beer through it. He then promptly sets up a game of Backstage Plaque Pong, using the Spotify honor as an excuse to play his favorite drinking contest. He also takes time to tell the story behind the music.

“I made the beat and I wrote the song but I didn’t know how to work ProTools and so I took it over to my buddy’s house,” he explains as he, of course, pours a full beer into the plaque after promising to find a “cool spot” for his new hardware in the studio he’s building at home.

“It’s such a cool thing looking at something and saying ‘we did that… the team did that and the people like the music that much enough to play it a billion times,’” he said. “I couldn’t be more… I guess grateful is the word I’m looking for. It feels super cool that the song does connect with people, and I’m just happy to bring joy into anyone’s life when I can. It’s an amazing feeling for me, and that really gave me the confidence and courage to keep attempting to do what I love. I just appreciate all the support, and it’s the most beautiful feeling in the world for me.”

Malone also noted that beloved point guard Iverson’s shooting inspired his own legendary lights-out beer pong game — which AI also gave props to in his message — ending with footage of Iverson miming a jumper fading into Posty arcing a perfect shot into the suds-soaked plaque. “White Iverson” debuted on Malone’s SoundCloud channel in 2015 and then served as the lead single from his 2016 debut album, Stoney.

The singer is currently on tour in support of his Austin album, with the final show on his North American summer tour slated for Saturday (Aug. 19) at Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino, CA.

Check out the Spotify video below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=Sm9vNQ9ZcYQ&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

17 Aug 2023

Nick Jonas Was Up Above It, Then He Was Down In It: Watch the JoBro Fall Into a Hole on Stage in Boston

Nick Jonas had a rough day at work on Tuesday. The Jonas Brothers singer and solo star was minding his own business during the group’s The Tour date at Boston’s TD Garden gig while singing “Sail Away” when a trap door opened up behind him and, well, there’s no easy way to say it, he fell in.

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While moving backwards to rejoin his bros Kevin and Joe, Nick slipped into the void, but, like any pro who has been doing this most of his life, he jumped back up and kept the party rolling. Idina Menzel thought it was hilarious, reposting footage of the stage drop with the message, “hang in there @nickjonas.”

While Nick didn’t appear to comment on the slip and fall, he did post a series of pics on his Instagram celebrating big bro Joe Jonas’ 34th birthday on Tuesday. “Beautiful night in Boston celebrating @joejonas. See you again for show #2 tonight! #THETOUR,” he wrote alongside a carousel with highlights from the first night at the Garden, including Nick and Kevin presenting Joe with a giant three-tiered birthday cake on stage.

Joe also posted some highlights from the night, including a video of the packed arena crowd serenading him with “Happy Birthday” as he was presented with a comically large birthday card signed by fans. “Celebrated my birthday in Boston with 19,000 of my closest friends,” read the on-screen description of the clip, accompanied by the DNCE-themed caption, “Cake By the Boston. Love you. Thank you!”

Joe also posted pics from a family birthday dinner and his own carousel of snaps with personal highlights from night one of their two-night Beantown stand.

Check out Menzel’s tweet and fans serenading Joe below.

17 Aug 2023

Ed Sheeran Appears to Teases Release Date For ‘Autumn Variations’ Album in Jokey ‘Damper Hamper’ Informercial

Famed Game of Thrones extra Ed Sheeran has flipped the script on Westeros’ favorite wintry warning with his recent “Autumn Is Coming” teaser campaign. Now he’s finally confirmed that his weeks of cryptic Instagram photos and videos — including a bit last week where he worked a shift at a Minneapolis LEGO store and flashed a minifig wearing a shirt with the fall-themed slogan — has a pay-off.

Kind of.

The “Eyes Closed” singer made Sheerios work for it a bit, though. The information came in the form of a fake 90-second informercial from the Gingerbread Man Shopping Channel that dropped on Wednesday (Aug. 16) in which Ed plays a cheesy pitchman whose tagline is: “if you like it a bit damper, check out my hamper!”

In a fast-talking bit where he talks up the wonders of the season of leaves and soggy rain, Sheeran promises a “brand new product” that will help you – yes, you! — deliver the “glum of autumn to the folks you love most.” Okay, so what he technically appears to be selling is an apple box filled with dirty, wet clothes, mashed potatoes, a warm pint, a rake, scarf, frozen pies and other miscellaneous items.

The wind-up leads to what appears to be the album title, Autumn Variations, with an accompanying phone number (917-909-4498) revealing that while all damper hampers are currently sold out, the shop will be re-stocking on Aug. 24. At press time a spokesperson for Sheeran had not returned a request for additional information on the project.

Before the commercial dropped, Sheeran shared more details about the album in an interview with Andy Cohen for his Deep & Shallow SiriusXM podcast. When Cohen asked if “Autumn Is Coming” was a reference to new music coming in October, Sheeran said “not in October. No, but there is new music coming.”

To clarify, Sheeran said, “It’s an album about Autumn and… I kind of have no expectations for it. I sort of, I made it whilst basically I, it was the album I was trying to make and then – (subtract) happened. And then, so I kind of like have finished it over the last year and, yeah, it’s ready to come out, so I’m gonna put it out.”

The interview came ahead of an exclusive show on Monday for SiriusXM subscribers and a group of special guests at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, NY that included Howard and Beth Stern, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi, John Mayer, Brooke Shields, Paul McCartney, Stella McCartney, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cohen, James Corden, Michael J. Fox, Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld and others.  

Sheeran dropped his latest maths-themed album, – (subtract), in May of this year.

Check out Sheeran’s informercial below.

17 Aug 2023

Britney Spears Shares First Post After Breakup Reports, Reveals She’s ‘Buying a Horse’

Breakups are never easy. Some folks keep calm and carry on. Some of us heal by cutting our hair, hitting the gym, or eating the contents of the fridge.

Britney Spears, it would appear, is indulging in some retail therapy.

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In her first post to Instagram after reports spread on her separation from Sam Asghari, Brit has announced she’s identified a new addition for her stable.

“Buying a horse soon,” she writes in a post on Instagram, accompanied by a pic of the pop star enjoying a trot on the beach. “So many options it’s kinda hard,” she continues. “A horse called Sophie and another called Roar. I can’t make up my mind. Should I join the camaraderie and put a pink cowboy hat on. Either way I think I found my sweet spot with Roar.”

TMZ was the first to share news of Britney and Sam’s split after a year of marriage, though neither side has publicly confirmed the current status of their relationship. Billboard has reached out to Spears’ reps for more information.

The U.S. singer and Asghari have been romantically linked since meeting on the set of Spears’ 2016 “Slumber Party” music video. The couple got engaged in September 2021, and soon tied the knot in a stunning, star-studded Los Angeles wedding ceremony in June 2022.

Rumors of marital trouble began swirling back in March, when Asghari, an an Iranian-American model, actor, and fitness trainer, was spotted without his wedding ring. His rep told People, however, that he simply removed it because he was filming a movie. The 29-year-old actor supported Spears through her grueling – and very public — legal battle to end her 13-year conservatorship that controlled her personal and professional life.

The 41-year-old artist last posted Asghari on her Instagram page earlier this summer, sharing a series of smiling selfies with her husband captioned with a red shoe emoji.

17 Aug 2023

Westlife Sets ‘Hits’ Tour of North America

Westlife is going west for a first-ever tour of North America.

The hitmaking Irish boyband will embark on a multi-date trek in 2024, timed around St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s national day of celebration.

Westlife: The Hits Tour is scheduled to kick off March 13 at Meridan Hall in Toronto, followed by dates at Boston’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway (March 14), New York’s Radio City Music Hall (March 16), and Chicago Theatre (March 18).

“North America, we can’t wait to see you! It’s gonna be EPIC,” reads a message on the group’s socials.

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According to a statement, the brief run will feature the band’s many hits, including “Swear It Again,” “Flying Without Wings,” “World Of Our Own,” “My Love,” “If I Let You Go,” and “Hello My Love.”

But first, a U.S. TV debut on Monday, Aug. 21 with a spot on Good Morning America.

Formed in 1998, Westlife made an immediate, and sizeable, impact in the British Isles.

They hold the record for most consecutive No. 1s in the U.K. (seven) and most singles to debut at the summit.

All told, they’ve scored eight No. 1 albums in the U.K. and have an impressive haul of 14 No. 1 singles, one of the biggest for any act, surpassed only by the Beatles and Elvis Presley. Twenty-five Westlife singles have hit the U.K. top 10.

According to Warner Music’s EastWest division, which signed the act in 2021 — also on St. Patrick’s Day — the group has sold over 55 million records worldwide.

The foursome of Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne (past member Brian McFadden is no longer with the band) reunited for the 2019 album release Spectrum, which again ruled the Official U.K. Albums Chart. Their career trophy collection includes two Brit Awards, four MTV Awards and a venue record at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin, which they sold-out five times.

16 Aug 2023

Jerry Moss Remembered by Peter Frampton, Herb Alpert, Amy Grant & More: ‘He Loved Great Music’

After news of the death of legendary music executive Jerry Moss on Wednesday (Aug. 16), many of the artists he worked with over the decades shared remembrances and tributes.

Moss worked closest with Herb Alpert, with whom he co-founded A&M Records in 1962 as an independent music company. The label was behind classic albums such as Alpert’s Whipped Cream & Other Delights, Carole King’s Tapestry and Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive!, among many others. Alpert shared this simple statement with Billboard on Wednesday: “I never met a nicer, honest, sensitive, smart and talented man then my partner Jerry Moss.”

Frampton shared his reaction to the news on X (formerly Twitter), writing in part, “Jerry was a true gentleman and if it weren’t for him, so many lives might have turned out very differently.”

Below, find tributes from Amy Grant, Quincy Jones, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (which inducted Moss and Alpert in 2006) and more.

Amy Grant: “My first awareness of A&M Records was seeing the iconic logo on the inside of a Carole King record. A&M Records was known by all to be the “artist label” and it was a dream come true when they signed me. In getting to know Jerry Moss over the years, I was amazed by the breadth of his interests. Whether it was music, horse racing or trekking thru Africa, excellence defined everything in which he invested his talents and passions. Jerry – I will remember you.”

Herb Alpert: “I never met a nicer, honest, sensitive, smart and talented man then my partner Jerry Moss.”

Peter Frampton: “I am so sorry to hear Jerry Moss has left us. Jerry was a true gentleman and if it weren’t for him, so many lives might have turned out very differently. He loved great music and went out of his way to make a place where artists could find themselves and create with his lovely encouragement and patience. I love you, Jerry, and my thoughts are with wife Tina and the entire family. Rest now my dear friend.”

Quincy Jones: “Jerry Moss was the consummate music man, [whose] love of all genres of the art-form was unabashed. That was why when I decided to get off the soundstage and back into the recording studio in 1969, I knew there was only one record label for me to go to that would give me the creative freedom that I was seeking, and that record label was A&M with Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss. In my almost 70 years in the music business, I can say without a doubt that my time at A&M was one of the most artistically and professionally fulfilling times of my life and I attribute that in large part to the environment that Jerry created on that hallowed ground that was A&M Records. His spirit will live on forever through the great records that he helped bring to the world.”

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: “In Memoriam: 2006 Inductee Jerry Moss founded A&M Records in 1962 with partner Herb Alpert and led it to become the most successful independent record company in history. The company’s legendary culture focused on the artist first and became a home for many innovators to thrive, including fellow Inductees Janet Jackson, Quincy Jones, Cat Stevens, Carole King, The Go-Go’s, and the Police.”

The Music Center: “The Music Center mourns the loss of Jerry Moss, co-founder of A&M Records, who passed away on Tuesday. Jerry was an incredible inspiration for artists and had a keen ability to help them explore and hone their craft. His remarkable talent and his partnership with Herb Alpert led to the creation of one of the record industry’s most successful labels. The Music Center is very grateful for the longstanding support of Tina and Jerry Moss and honored to name our expansive plaza as Jerry Moss Plaza in 2020. Jerry was dedicated to giving back to the community by supporting arts experiences that resonate in the hearts and minds of all Angelenos and meaningfully impact their lives. His artistic influence and business savvy, along with the opportunities he provided for numerous extraordinarily talented artists, changed the course of music forever. That was his gift to us all. We offer our heartfelt sympathies to Tina and the entire Moss family.”

16 Aug 2023

In 1966, Jerry Moss Won a Grammy for Record of the Year

Jerry Moss, who died Wednesday (Aug. 16) at age 88, received many honors in his lifetime. He and Herb Alpert, his business partner and friend of more than six decades, received a Trustees Award from the Recording Academy in 1997. Nine years later, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (One of A&M’s top stars, Sting, did the honors.)

Moss also won a Grammy in competition. In 1966, Alpert and the Tijuana Brass’ propulsive instrumental “A Taste of Honey” won the Grammy for record of the year. Alpert won two awards in that category, as both the artist and co-producer – with Moss.

 “A Taste of Honey” was the second instrumental to win a Grammy for record of the year, following Percy Faith and His Orchestra’s serene “Theme From A Summer Place.” The two records were released just five years apart, but they sound decades apart, with the dynamic Alpert hit sounding much more contemporary.

Moss and Alpert were also nominated for album of the year that year for co-producing Alpert’s blockbuster Whipped Cream and Other Delights. The following year, they were nominated for both record of the year and album of the year for co-producing Alpert and the TJB’s “What Now My Love” and the ensemble’s album of the same name. (Again, Alpert was also recognized as the artist.)

Moss landed his fifth and final Grammy nomination in 1973 for co-producing the original cast album from Cyrano with legendary producer Phil Ramone (who died in 2013). It was nominated for best score from the original cast show album.

16 Aug 2023

Talking Heads to Reunite for ‘Stop Making Sense’ 40th Anniversary Screening

Fans have been hoping for a Talking Heads reunion since the early 1990s, and their wish is finally coming true in a small scale way.

Members David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison will appear together publicly for the first time since their 2002 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction at an upcoming 40th anniversary celebration of the band’s beloved concert film Stop Making Sense. A newly restored version of the movie will be screened on Sept. 11 at Cineplex’s Scotiabank IMAX Theatre as part of the Toronto International Film Festival, according to Spin.

The group will also partake in a Q&A moderated by filmmaker Spike Lee, before the refreshed Stop Making Sense premieres on Sept. 22 via distributor A24.

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The original Stop Making Sense was shot over three nights during four shows at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles in December 1983 and has since been added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

It features the group performing such now-classics as “Psycho Killer,” “Slippery People,” “Burning Down the House,” “Life During Wartime” and “Once in a Lifetime,” as well as Frantz/Weymouth side project Tom Tom Club’s oft-sampled “Genius of Love” on a spare stage.

Watch the Stop Making Sense 2023 trailer below.

16 Aug 2023

Bradley Cooper Sheds Light on Leonard Bernstein & Felicia Montealegre’s Relationship in ‘Maestro’ Trailer

Bradley Cooper is stepping into the producer and director’s seat for Netflix’s Maestro, in which he stars as American conductor and cultural icon Leonard Bernstein. The film, which details the lifelong relationship between Bernstein and wife Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein — played by Carey Mulligan — released its first trailer this week.

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The trailer starts out with Bernstein and Montealegre sitting back to back in the middle of a grassy field, playing a number-guessing game. After shouting out multiple wrong numbers, Montealegre suggests the budding star “try to just concentrate.” Bernstein quips, “Maybe I should stop and think for a second,” to which she replies, “You should stop and think because I am sending it to you … oh, we need to build up a very strong connection.”

Scenes from Bernstein’s life then play in succession, from him falling in love with Montealegre and conducting a young choir, to receiving high praise from people within the music industry and having extramarital affairs with men. The trailer concludes with the pair walking with their hands wrapped around each other toward an area surrounded by trees.

Following the trailer’s arrival, Cooper and the film received some backlash for the prominence of the prosthetic nose Cooper wears, with some claiming it to be an anti-Semitic costuming choice. “The genuinely insane part is that standard pre-prosthetic Bradley Cooper looks much more like the historical Leonard Bernstein than the film version,” one Twitter user wrote. Another added, “This isn’t about making a non-Jewish actor look more like Leonard Bernstein; it’s about making a non-Jewish actor look more like a Jewish stereotype.”

Bernstein’s three children, Jamie, Alexander and Nina Bernstein, chimed in on the discourse, stating that they were largely included in the process of the film. The family additionally stated that their father would likely not have an issue with the use of a prosthetic nose being used to bring his character to life.

“It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations or misunderstandings of his efforts. It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose,” the children shared in a statement posted to Instagram. “Bradley chose to use makeup to amplify his resemblance, and we’re perfectly fine with that. We’re also certain that our dad would have been fine with it as well. Any strident complaints around this issue strike us above all as disingenuous attempts to bring a successful person down a notch — a practice we observed all too often perpetrated on our own father.”

Maestro is scheduled to arrive Dec. 20 on Netflix and will be shown in select theaters starting Nov. 22. The film will premiere at the New York Film Festival on Oct. 2 at David Geffen Hall, where the New York Philharmonic, which Bernstein led for over a decade, plays.

Watch the trailer for Maestro in the video above, and see comments about Cooper’s appearance — as well as the statement from the Bernstein family — below.