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On May 16, 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences handed out its first two Academy Awards for Best Director to Frank Borzage ("7th Heaven") and Lewis Milestone ("Two Arabian Knights"). This was the only year the organization distinguished between drama and comedy, but it would not be the last time either of these men took home the top prize in their field. Milestone would win again in 1930 for his heartbreaking adaptation of "All Quiet on the Western Front," while Borzage, a visual storytelling master whose every film you should absolutely watch, triumphed anew in 1932 with the pre-code classic "Bad Girl."

Throughout the Academy Awards' history, 21 directors have earned more than one Best Director Oscar. 18 have won it twice (Alfonso Cuarón was the most recent filmmaker to join the two-time ranks with "Roma"), while Frank Capra and William Wyler are the only three-time winners.

Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. This week Kendrick Lamar shakes the music world with a surprise album, Rosé slows it down in a soul-baring ballad, and Ariana Grande makes her dreams come true with a highlight from the Wicked soundtrack.

Kendrick Lamar feat. Sza, “Luther” (YouTube)

Kendrick Lamar, “Man at the Garden” (YouTube)

Rosé, “Number One Girl” (YouTube)

Ariana Grande, “Popular” (YouTube)

Jack Harlow, “Hello Miss Johnson” (YouTube)

Tyla, “Tears” (YouTube)

Banks, “Best Friends” (YouTube)

Wizkid feat.

Longtime Afrobeats enthusiasts have literally watched Wizkid grow up before our eyes. He was around 19 years old when the lead single from his debut album Superstar made headwinds in 2010. Back then, he was making music saturated with the buzzy synths and frenetic energy of the hyper-digital sound of that time. As he grew, he tried other techniques on for size, playing with highlife, dancehall, reggae, and R&b. By the time he made his major crossover breakthrough with “Essence” alongside Tems (and eventually, Justin Bieber), he had finally pinned down...

Ang Lee is an Oscar-winning filmmaker who has worked in a variety of genres and styles to explore the lives of people around the globe. Let’s take a look back at 12 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in Taiwan in 1954, Lee’s interest in film brought him to NYU’s graduate program, where he worked as a crew member on classmate Spike Lee‘s thesis project, “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads.” He directed his first feature, “Pushing Hands” (1991) at the age of 37.

Lee followed up his debut with back-to-back international successes, each one scoring Oscar nominations as Best Foreign Language Film: “The Wedding Banquet” (1993) and “Eat Drink Man Woman” (1994). In both films, the director explored the kinds of complex familial relationships that would animate many of his stories.

He was then drafted by Hollywood to helm the Jane Austin adaptation “Sense and Sensibility” (1995), which...

Summer’s almost over, but the temperature is still rising thanks to Victoria Monét and Usher. The pair have just released “Sos (Sex on Sight),” their hot and heavy new duet off Monét’s upcoming Jaguar II Deluxe.

Produced by Camper (Coco Jones, Doja Cat), “Sos” is a classic R&b slow-jam that rides a sweaty bass line. Monét sends out a signal to her prospective lover and Usher promises to be there soon. “I’m way too sexy to be alone,” the pair sing on the song’s pre-chorus.

David Fincher has firmly established himself as a master of blending art and commerce. It’s especially impressive considering his output has been uniformly dark, moody and disturbing, with flashes of wit and satire thrown in. Let’s take a look back at all 12 of his films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1962, Fincher cut his teeth at special effects house Industrial Light and Magic, working on such films as “Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi” (1983) and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984). He left to pursue a career in directing, making his mark with a commercial for the American Cancer Society that depicted a fetus smoking a cigarette. He co-founded Propaganda Films, a production house for music videos and commercials that employed future filmmakers Spike Jonze, Michael Bay, Antoine Fuqua, Alex Proyas, Mark Romanek, Zach Snyder and Gore Verbinski. Fincher himself helmed several famous music videos, including “Vogue,...

Usher has officially kicked off the Past Present Future Tour after needing to postpone his first few shows due to an injury.

The 45-year-old singer packed in more than 45 songs into a two-hour set list on opening night on Tuesday (August 20) at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C.

Usher told USA Today, “I’m promoting a legacy: past, present and future. I’ve been doing this long enough to celebrate the legacy of my music from the beginning of my career up until an incredible moment that I’m having.”

The setlist spans 30 years of music and definitely includes all of the fan-favorite songs!

Head inside to check out the set list…

Keep scrolling to check out the full set list…

**This set list is representative of opening night on the tour and might not be completely accurate for every show.

1. Coming Home

2. Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home)

3. Big

4. Call...

In between the explosive performances and touching speeches, the BET Awards were evangelized with an emotional performance by Will Smith, a killer speech by Killer Mike and host Taraji P. Henson reminding viewers to get out and vote in the upcoming presidential election.

Performing in a circle of fire backed by the Sunday Service Choir and R&b singer Friday, Smith rapped his new song “You Can Make It,” seeming to address the rough patch he experienced personally and professionally after slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards two years ago. “I’m here to tell you, you can make it,” he told the audience at the Peacock Theater at the top of the performance, which ended with this message: “Dance in your darkest moments.”

Rain poured down during the redemption performance on Sunday, which also featured gospel star Kirk Franklin and his words of courage and wisdom. “Nobody gets an easy ride,...

Usher was honored with the lifetime achievement award Sunday night at the 2024 BET Awards with an all-star tribute performance, followed by a speech heavy on self-reflection that emphasized forgiveness and fatherhood.

Legendary producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis came onstage to present the tribute, which started with a video showing a montage of Usher’s career, which began in his early teens and included an energetic performance at the Super Bowl earlier this year. The video featured praise from the likes of Kevin Hart, Toni Braxton, L.A. Reid, Jermaine Dupri, Janelle Monáe and Jennifer Hudson.

Following the video, Childish Gambino — the alter ego of Donald Glover — kicked off a performance tribute with a slowed-down rendition of “U Don’t Have to Call.” Keke Palmer then joined him onstage as the song picked up the tempo. Palmer then segued into “You Make Me Wanna….”

Summer Walker followed Palmer, performing “Good Good,...

Good girls try and go bad in the TV anime adaptation of Nikumaru’s viral four-panel manga series Badgirl . The official accounts for the anime opened tonight, revealing the news that an adaptation is in the works, the first teaser visual (above) and the lead staff anime members. Related: Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro Manga to End in 3 Chapters Nikumaru’s Badgirl manga follows the story of high school girl Yu, who is vying for the attention of the chairman of the disciplinary committee by becoming a delinquent, to varying success. The 4-panel series is published in Manga Time Kirara Carat , having started as a guest spot between February 2021 and April 2021 before becoming officially serialized in the May 2021 issue. The fourth collected volume is scheduled to be released in Japan on July 25. Jouji Furuta directs the Badgirl TV anime at Bridge with series composition written by Shoji Yonemura, character...

Clockwise from top left: “Weapon Of Choice,” Fatboy Slim feat. Bootsy Collins; “Karma Police,” Radiohead; “Losing My Religion,” R.E.M.; “Vogue,” MadonnaScreenshot: Fatboy Slim; Radiohead; Remhq; Madonna (YouTube)

In a post-MTV world, it’s easy to write off the music video as an eternally lost art. While that may be true in some ways,...

Following a captivating halftime performance at the Super Bowl and the release of his latest studio album Coming Home, renowned R&b star Usher is set to embark on his highly anticipated “Past Present Future” tour this summer.

The dynamic 24-city tour will commence on August 20 in Washington D.C., with stops planned in Brooklyn, Miami and Atlanta, as well as a special inaugural performance at Los Angeles’ Inuit Dome. The tour will culminate with two nights of shows at Chicago’s United Center on October 28-29.

Usher’s Coming Home, released on February 9, boasts an impressive lineup of guest appearances, which includes Burna Boy, Latto, H.E.R., 21 Savage and more. Additionally, Usher recently announced his headline appearance alongside Janet Jackson and Backstreet Boys at the highly anticipated Lovers & Friends festival, scheduled for May 4 in Las Vegas.

Usher burst onto the music scene with his self-titled debut album...

Usher announced his upcoming Past, Present and Future Tour, only a few days before his much anticipated Super Bowl Halftime Show.

It seems to have been done on purpose, though, as his stage presence on Sunday incited even more excitement to the annual football championship, providing fans a glimpse of what his 2024 tour will be like.

“I was not exaggerating when I shared with the world that my performance would be a celebration of the past 30 years of my career,” Usher said of his Halftime performance. “I will never forget the energy from the cast and crew, the fans in the stadium, the guest performers and the adrenaline from this monumental milestone in my career.”

“I’m so happy everyone enjoyed it, my goal always is to bring people together and feel good through my music and performance,” the multi-Grammy-winner added.

The tour will kick off in Atlanta and will...

Los Angeles, Feb 14 (Ians) Singer-songwriter Justin Bieber turned down Usher’s offer to perform at the Super Bowl VIII Halftime show.

The ‘R’n’B superstar pulled out all the stops for his performance halfway through the major sporting spectacle at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, reports Female First UK.

He was reportedly keen to get Justin, 29, on board but the ‘Sorry’ hitmaker “wasn’t up for it,” although an insider has insisted there is “no bad blood” between the pair.

A source told PageSix: “There’s no bad blood between Usher and Justin. Justin just wasn’t up for it — he just wasn’t feeling it”. Usher played a major role in the launch of Justin’s career in the late 2000s after record executive Scooter Braun had spotted the teenager singing on YouTube and convinced the ‘Yeah!’ hitmaker to meet with the budding star.

As per Female First UK,...

Usher came to the Super Bowl to celebrate nearly 30 years of making love in this club, and that’s exactly what he did — he turned Allegiant Stadium in Vegas into his own personal seduction lair. His Super Bowl halftime show was a splashy tribute to millennial pop glitz, with a slew of hits from the 2000s and guest stars to match, running from Alicia Keys to Ludacris to will.i.am to the show-stealing Lil Jon. Usher tagged the show to the 20th anniversary of his classic Confessions, without reaching...

Madonna has officially launched the U.S. leg of her The Celebration Tour and we have the setlist from opening night.

The legendary entertainer performed a sold-out show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Wednesday night (December 13) and she added a special song to the set list for the New York City crowd.

The tour launched in London back in October and the start date for the tour was delayed by several months due to Madonna‘s hospitalization earlier this year for a serious bacterial infection.

Madonna‘s setlist for the tour includes more than 25 songs, some of which had not been performed onstage in decades.

Head inside to check out the set list…

Keep scrolling to check out the full set list…

**This set list is representative of the first show and might not be completely accurate for every show.

1. Nothing Really Matters

2. Everybody

3. Into the...

“It’s so great to be home … I mean that in a way that only New Yorkers know,” Madonna, who adopted New York as her hometown in 1978, told the Brooklyn audience present for the North American kickoff of her Celebration Tour on Wednesday. “New Yorkers can identify with just-not-giving-a-fuck motherfuckers. We do shit our way. New York is not for little pussies who sleep.”

Madonna certainly wasn’t tired, and that was the point of the whole show, a tour de force of some of her biggest hits paired with...

It’s been over a month since Madonna began her Celebration Tour in Europe and fans in North America won’t have to wait much longer.

On December 13, Madonna will be back in her home country to perform at the Barclays Center in New York. She’ll then continue to perform for the United States, making a few stops in Canada in between her U.S. tours before making her way to Mexico in mid-April.

The journey to her world tour has been long as Madonna had to reschedule her whole tour when she was hospitalized in June for a bacterial infection.

North America World Tour Dates:

12-13 Brooklyn, NY — Barclays Center

12-14 Brooklyn, NY — Barclays Center

12-16 Brooklyn, NY — Barclays Center

12-18 Washinton, D.C. — Capital One Arena

12-19 Washinton, D.C. — Capital One Arena

01-08 Boston, Ma — Td Garden

01-09 Boston, Ma — Td Garden

01-11 Toronto, Canada – Scotiabank Arena

01-12 Toronto,...

As Olivia Rodrigo prepares for her Guts tour next year, she’s also preparing for iHeartRadio’s annual Jingle Ball.

Stopping in 11 cities across the country this year, Jingle Ball is set to begin and end in Florida. Sabrina Carpenter, Nicki Minaj, Sza, Usher, Niall Horan, OneRepublic and Big Time Rush, among other top artists, will join Rodrigo in the holiday festivities.

Jingle Ball concert dates:

11-26 Tampa, Fl – Amalie Arena

11-28 Dallas/Fort Worth, TX — Dickies Arena

12-01 Los Angeles, CA — Kia Forum

12-04 Chicago, Il — Allstate Arena

12-05 Detroit, Mi — Little Caesars Arena

12-08 New York, NY — Madison Square Garden

12-10 Boston, Ma — Td Garden

12-11 Washington, D.C. — Capital One Arena

12-12 Philadelphia, Pa — Wells Fargo Center

12-14 Atlanta, Ga — State Farm Arena

12-16 Fort Lauderdale/Miami, Fl — Amerant Bank Arena

>Get Jingle Ball Tickets Now!

While a setlist for the shows is unavailable, the list below...

Madonna is making her greatest hits tour a family affair.

The 65-year-old Queen of Pop kicked off her highly anticipated Celebration Tour on Saturday night (October 14) at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom.

During the show, not only was Madonna joined by tons of talented dancers on stage, but five of children!

In one sweet moment, Madonna paid tribute to her daughter Lourdes, who turned 27 that same day, by leading the audience in a singalong of her Ray of Light tribute, “Little Star.”

Keep reading to find out more…

Lourdes would then sit on a stool alongside her mother Madonna as 11-year-old Estere vogued during the “Vogue” section, giving her 10s across the board as the crowd cheered.

17-year-old Mercy James played piano for “Bad Girl,” Stella, 11 appeared onstage during “Don’t Tell Me” and David Banda, 18, played guitar on “Mother and Father.”

Madonna got quite serious at one point about her health,...

Madonna kicked off “The Celebration Tour” with the first of four performances at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday night.

A true retrospective performance, the career-spanning setlist touched on all eras of Madonna’s career and featured numerous songs that hadn’t been performed in decades. The show opened with only the second performance ever of “N0thing Really Matters” from Ray of Light. A few songs later, she dusted off “Live to Tell” from True Blue for the first time since 2006.

Songs like “Justify My Love,” “Bad Girl,” and “Rain” were performed for the first time sine 1993, while “Bedtime Story” was dusted off for the first time since 1995. Other noteworthy performances included “Like A Prayer,” in which she was accompanied by topless dancers, an acoustic cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” and “Like a Virgin,” which was interpolated elements of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”

Get...

Madonna has officially kickstarted her Celebration Tour, and it was well worth the wait!

The 65-year-old Queen of Pop took the stage on Saturday night (October 14) at The O2 Arena in London, England for the first date of her long-awaited tour. The start date is several months later than expected after Madonna was hospitalized earlier this year for a serious bacterial infection.

With a discography that spans 40 years, there were so many songs that fans were hoping to hear from the superstar as she travels the country.

Now that opening night has come and gone, we can reveal that she delivered an evening full of beloved hits and two surprise covers!

Head inside to check out the setlist from opening night of Madonna’s Celebration Tour…

@justjared @madonna kicks off the #CelebrationTour ♬ original sound – Just Jared

Madonna‘s setlist for opening night included 28 songs, some of which had not been performed onstage in decades.

If you plan to attend Usher's "My Way" Las Vegas residency, you'll want to arrive early because you don't want to miss the preshow dance party courtesy of his unmatched fans. As I walked into the Park MGM arena for the show I was attending in late June, my ears were greeted with classic R&b and hip-hop songs like Tevin Campbell's "Can We Talk" and Miguel's "Adorn You" as a DJ encouraged us to stand, dance, and sing along with the rest of the audience. Usher's dancers even came out and interacted with the audience, inviting some lucky attendees to dance with them on stage. The vibes felt more like a house party with all of my best friends than a concert surrounded by strangers. So much so that I didn't even realize the show was starting.

While the title of Usher's residency, "My Way," may...

The ninth season of “The Masked Singer” ended on May 17, 2023 with Medusa winning the coveted Golden Mask over Macaw. (Read our minute-by-minute live blog.) Medusa’s true identity is British singer Bishop Briggs, making her the sixth woman to win the show, compared to only three men. For a refresher on all nine past champions, scroll through our updated photos above (or click here for the direct link) to see “The Masked Singer” winners by season. Vote in our poll below to tell us Your favorite of all time.

Every year on “Tms,” a gaggle of secret celebrities in extravagant costumes compete to win the Golden Mask trophy. Fox’s wild and wacky reality TV who-sung-it began as a mild curiosity in 2019, but soon grew to become one of television’s most-watched shows. Fans at home analyze every clue and costume detail as they try to guess who’s hiding behind the masks.

Kim Kardashian got some concert redemption! On Saturday, the “Kardashians” star attended Usher‘s My Way Las Vegas residency. In the clips, shared on her Instagram Story, the 42-year-old reality TV star was joined by her hairstylist, Chris Appleton and his fiancé, Lucas Gage.

In the clips, Kim, Chris and Lucas sing along some of the singer’s biggest hits including, “My Boo” and “Burn”.

“Omg this @Usher concert is [fire emoji],” she wrote over a clip of the performance.

Kim also recorded the portion of the show where the “Glu” singer was joined onstage by Teyana Taylor for a performance of “Bad Girl”.

Kim Kardashian / Instagram

Kim had a special moment as Usher danced over to her section and began to sing “Superstar”, before going into the first verse, the singer gave he Skims founder a special shout-out.

“What up Kim, you made it,” he said has Kardashian waved he hands in the air.

Love to Hate You is a series directed by Kim Jung-kwon starring Kim Ok-bin and Yoo Teo.

Love To Hate You is a comedy that takes on romantic comedies to end up being a romantic comedy… but it does so gracefully and knows how to laugh at clichés and gender stereotypes.

Deep down, this is the usual, but done in a good way and with two lead actors that are close and clumsy it is impossible to not love.

It is not at all a Hollywood comedy, this series knows how to laugh at that and re-interpret in Korean style a genre we believed had little left to offer. If you thought Valentine´s day was for eating ice-cream and feel remorse for lost chances… Love To Hate You offers us the perfect excuse if not to believe in love, but to enjoy ten really funny episodes that will carry...

ViX+, the fledgling Spanish-language SVOD from TelevisaUnivision, is dipping into literary classics once more with the modern retelling of Alexandre Dumas’ popular revenge tale, “The Count of Monte Cristo.”

The news follows the Jan. 20 bow of ViX+’s Anna Karenina adaptation, “Volver a Caer” with Kate del Castillo. Last year, ViX+ unveiled an adaptation of Nobel Prize laureate Mario Vargas Llosa’s “Travesuras de la Niña Mala” (“Bad Girl”).

In an exclusive first look, ViX+ unveils footage of the six-part series, simply titled “Montecristo,” with William Levy (“Resident Evil: The Final Chapter”) playing the enigmatic lead.

Produced by Spain’s Secouya Studios, “Montecristo” follows Alejandro Montecristo, a mysterious figure whose past and considerable fortune are unknown. Montecristo is the founder and CEO of a successful new tech company that has sparked the interest and envy of many, including Fernando Alvarez Mondego, a businessman with close ties to the Spanish aristocracy...

R&b singer Usher has been doing an excellent Vegas residency concert My Way since July of this year, and toward the end of August, he announced that while it would be ending briefly this fall, he would also be returning to do more shows in 2023.

> Get Deals On Usher Vegas Residency Concert Tickets Now!

He has been hyping up the development of Confessions 2, a follow-up to his hit 2004 album Confessions. His last single, “Bad Habits,” came out in 2020, and he also just featured on the City Girls track “Good Love.”

Tickets for Usher’s residency are available here. A setlist and full list of dates are also available below:

Usher My Way Setlist

“My Way”

“She Came to Give It to You”

“Caught Up”

“Love in This Club”

“Party” Chris Brown cover

“Lovers and Friends” Lil John & The East Side Boyz cover

“There Goes My Baby”

“Don’t Waste...

Three mystery celebrities hit the stage for the Season 7 finale of “The Masked Singer” on Wednesday night. Firefly, Prince and Ringmaster all sang their hearts out in hopes of winning the Golden Mask trophy, but it was the winged diva who came out on top. Ultimately Firefly won over the live audience and panelists Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger following performances of “Bad Girl” by Usher and “Lost Without U” by Robin himself. After winning the title Firefly was revealed to be singer, dancer and actress Teyana Taylor.

“I thought this would be something really nice to do and just be able to sing and have fun again,” the entertainer told host Nick Cannon during her unmasked interview. “There’s no judgment. Nobody knows who’s behind the mask, you can just sing your heart out.” Teyana’s husband Iman Shumpert has had reality TV success of his own,...

Spoiler Alert: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 7, Episode 10, of “The Masked Singer,” “Season Finale: I’m Team Good, Thanks for Masking,” which aired May 18 on Fox.

It came down to a battle of the Good in the season finale of “The Masked Singer” but only one could emerge victorious: Singer/actress/dancer Teyana Taylor.

“The Masked Singer” ended its seventh season with three finalists, all from “Team Good,” competing for the Golden Mask trophy. Landing behind the Firefly, “The Goldbergs” star Hayley Orrantia came in second place, as the Ringmaster, while “Call Me Kat” star Cheyenne Jackson earned the bronze as the Prince.

For Firefly, Robin Thicke and Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg guessed right, with Taylor. Nicole Scherzinger thought it was Monica, and Ken Jeong guessed Alicia Keys.

As for Ringmaster, no one guessed Orrantia. Thicke thought it was with Maren Morris, Scherzinger chose Lucy Hale.

A season of The Masked Singer that was equal parts controversy and competition finally has a winner! After months of highs and lows, Firefly, Ringmaster and The Prince battled it out for singing supremacy on the May 18 finale.  To kick off the evening, The Prince was introduced with a "clue campaign" featuring a photo of Ryan Murphy, a Glee Club pin, a cat and a Broadway street sign before a rousing performance of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida." Up next, Firefly's clue campaign included a basketball hoop, a keyboard and a button that read "5, 6, 7, 8" with the 7 in bold. She followed with a seductive version of Usher's "Bad Girl," which involved her...

Host Nick Cannon welcomed the Season 7 finalists to “The Masked Singer” stage on Wednesday night, where Firefly, Prince and Ringmaster sang their hearts out for the Golden Mask trophy. Who joins T-Pain, Wayne Brady, Kandi Burruss, LeAnn Rimes, Nick Lachey and Jewel in “The Masked Singer” Hall of Fame?

See Good, Bad and Cuddly costumes revealed for ‘The Masked Singer’ Season 7

Two weeks ago, En Vogue was revealed as Queen Cobra and became the 12th performers eliminated from Season 7. Their exit was preceded by Duff Goldman as McTerrier, Joe Buck as Ram, Jorge Garcia as Cyclops, Jordan Mailata as Thingamabob, Christie Brinkley as Lemur, Penn & Teller as Hydra, Dog the Bounty Hunter as Armadillo, Jennifer Holliday as Miss Teddy, Rudy Giuliani as Jack in the Box, Kirstie Alley as Baby Mammoth and Shaggy as Space Bunny. Which three celebs will join them in unmasking tonight?

Below, read our minute-by-minute “The Masked Singer” Season 7 Episode 11 recap,...

Monday night on “American Song Contest,” Jewel was eliminated after failing to earn enough votes from the viewers and the national jury. The four-time Grammy nominee and recent “The Masked Singer” winner performed her uplifting original song “The Story” last week on NBC’s reality TV show, but it failed to connect with viewers. Heads up: even though she’s saying goodbye for now, Jewel still has a shot of returning to the program as a wildcard. How does it work?

As revealed in earlier weeks, there will be two “redemption” artists invited back to the show during the Semi-Finals round. “Show ’em love by streaming their music,” host Snoop Dogg said last week, implying the two eliminated acts who earn the most downloads will be the ones that return.

Jewel is in good company. One week ago, Macy Gray was eliminated from “American Song Contest” following her performance of her original tune “Every Night.

NBC has confirmed to Gold Derby the identities of the 11 new participants who will take the stage during the fourth episode of “American Song Contest.” The Crystal Method, a two-time Grammy nominee in the electronic/dance field, is just one of the acts on deck for the Monday, April 11 episode, which airs live from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. The four contestants from this group who receive enough votes from the national jury and the at-home viewers will advance to the all-important Semi-Finals.

Here is your complete “American Song Contest” Week 4 preview:

Allen Stone (Washington)

Alexis Cunningham (West Virginia)

Bri Steves (Pennsylvania)

Bronson Varde (Hawaii)

Jared Lee (Massachusetts)

Las Marias (Arizona)

MARi (New Hampshire)

NËITHER

Savannah Keyes (Utah)

Stela Cole (Georgia)

The Crystal Method (Nevada)

See How to vote for ‘American Song Contest’

This Qualifiers 4 lineup includes mostly solo singers, plus a mariachi duo (Las Marias) and an electronic duo...

“American Song Contest” continued its premiere season with Episode 3 on Monday, April 4. Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg host the NBC reality TV competition that showcased 12 more qualifiers hoping to reach the semi-finals. So which state or region outshined the rest? Below, read our rankings for Season 1 Episode 3 from worst to best.

See Everything to know about ‘American Song Contest’

Representatives from each of the 50 states, five US territories and the District of Columbia will take part in this round-robin tournament to find the best original song in America.

Each locale will be showcased with an original song that will be performed by a home-grown talent, be it a solo singer, duet or band. There will be three rounds: the first five weeks will be qualifiers followed by two semi-finals and the final. Voting will be by both fans and “a jury of music industry professional.”

See ‘American Song Contest’ episode...

Before the academy expanded the Best Picture race in 2010, the winner of that award almost always picked up the Best Director prize as well. But since then, these two awards have aligned at only seven of the dozen ceremonies. We thought that we’d see another case of double-dipping this year with Jane Campion winning for both directing and producing “The Power of the Dog.” But now it looks like “Coda” will claim the top prize of Best Picture, with Campion consoling herself with being the third woman to win Best Director.

Why the change?

When the decision was made to increase the number of nominees for Best Picture, it was also decided to bring back the preferential ballot that had been used by the academy until the mid 1940s. The rationale was that by ranking the nominees, the winner would be the film that had the broadest level of support.

Conrad Nagel, the handsome matinee idol and co-founder of the Academy Motion Picture Arts & Sciences was the host of the fifth annual Academy Awards on Nov. 18, 1932. The evening marked Nagel’s second stint at Oscars host; the then-academy prez had hosted the festivities two years earlier. He turned on the charm in his sophomore outing at the glamorous banquet at the Fiesta Room of the Ambassador Hotel honoring films released between Aug. 1, 1931 and July 31, 1932. (Nagel would later co-host the first televised Oscars with Bob Hope in 1953.)

Eight films vied for Best Picture: John Ford’s medical drama “Arrowsmith”; Frank Borzage’s marital drama “Bad Girl”; Mervyn LeRoy’s examination of tabloid journalism “Five Star Final,” Edmund Goulding’s stylish drama “Grand Hotel”; Ernst Lubitsch’s pre-Code musical comedies “One Hour with You” and “The Smiling Lieutenant”; and Josef von Sternberg’s luscious pre-Code melodrama “Shanghai Express,” starring his muse Marlene Dietrich.

Sensing a potential trend in the possible nominations of three major Oscars categories — best director, actor and actress — we could see a first-time occurrence for the Academy Awards on Tuesday. However, if you read the tea leaves put forth by the nominations for the DGA and SAG, there’s a strong possibility that all three of those categories may not include a first-time nominee — a first in Oscar history.

For best actor, the SAG lineup recognized all former nominees and winners — Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”), Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”), Andrew Garfield, Will Smith (“King Richard”) and Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”). Even the ones on the bubble are once-nominated or crowned, including Mahershala Ali (“Swan Song”), Bradley Cooper (“Nightmare Alley”) and Leonardo DiCaprio (“Don’t Look Up”). The closest first-timers in the running seem to be Golden Globe nominees Peter Dinklage (“Cyrano”) and Cooper Hoffman (“Licorice Pizza...

The Cinema Audio Society (Cas) has announced the nominations for the 58th Annual Cas Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for 2022, as well as the Outstanding Product Nominations.

Among the films, TV shows and animated features nominated are “West Side Story,” “Dune,” “No Time to Die,” “Mare of Easttown,” “Succession” and “Encanto.”

As previously announced, Paul Massey will receive the Cas Career Achievement Award, and Ridley Scott will receive the Cas Filmmaker Award.

The awards are designed to educate and inform audiences that effective sound is achieved by a creative, artistic and technical blending of diverse sound elements.

“This year’s nominees display incredible skill and craftsmanship,” says Cas President Karol Urban. “We received submissions reflecting a myriad of narrative styles and technical approaches. The ingenuity and storytelling expertise of our sound mixing community is truly spectacular.”

The ceremony will return to an in-person event on March 19 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.

The short life and brilliant career of Hong Kong singer, actress and social activist Anita Mui is celebrated in the middling biopic “Anita,” starring 31-year-old model Louise Wong in her film debut. This handsomely decorated and lushly filmed portrait nails the look and electric atmosphere in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry during its 1980s and ’90s heyday but only fitfully captures the sassy energy and fearless spirit that made Mui an adored figure who became known as the “Madonna of the East” and the “Daughter of Hong Kong.” Archival footage of Mui sprinkled throughout the film highlights the difference.

“Anita” joins a long list of productions about Mui (Miu Yim-fong), who died from cervical cancer in Dec. 2003 at the age of 40. Among these are the lengthy Chinese TV series “Anita Mui Fei” (2007) and “Dearest Anita” (2019), a fact-based drama inspired by members of the Mui Nation online fan club. This big-budget...

‘Unabashed, unfettered romanticism’ runs wild in Frank Borzage’s golden-age masterpiece of a runaway wife and the crazy Frenchman who pursues her. Long lost to awful, ragged 16mm prints, the newly restored gem will dazzle fans of delirious love stories, where the right people get together despite distance, time, and the interference of jealous husbands, misunderstandings, accusations of murder and natural disasters. All the above figure in this mini-epic, yet the movie never seems like a genre mash-up. Jean Arthur skips the squeaky line deliveries, Charles Boyer drops the gloom act, Colin Clive is more frightening than in his horror movies and Leo Carillo steals the show with one of the most endearing characters of the 1930s.

History is Made at Night

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 1072

1937 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 97 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date April 13, 2021 / 39.95

Starring: Charles Boyer, Jean Arthur, Leo Carrillo, Colin Clive, Ivan Lebedeff,...

David Fincher has firmly established himself as a master of blending art and commerce. It’s especially impressive considering his output has been uniformly dark, moody and disturbing, with flashes of wit and satire thrown in. The Netflix film “Mank” has brought him back to the Oscars in the Best Director category. Let’s take a look back at all 11 of his films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1962, Fincher cut his teeth at special effects house Industrial Light and Magic, working on such films as “Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi” (1983) and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984). He left to pursue a career in directing, making his mark with a commercial for the American Cancer Society that depicted a fetus smoking a cigarette. He co-founded Propaganda Films, a production house for music videos and commercials that employed future filmmakers Spike Jonze, Michael Bay, Antoine Fuqua, Alex Proyas,...

Sylvain Sylvain, a punk guitar icon best known for his work with the New York Dolls, died Wednesday from cancer, according to a Facebook post by his wife.

“As most of you know, Sylvain battled cancer for the past two and 1/2 years,” wrote Wendy Mizrahi, in a statement on his Facebook page. “Though he fought it valiantly, yesterday he passed away from this disease. While we grieve his loss, we know that he is finally at peace and out of pain. Please crank up his music, light a candle, say a prayer and let’s send this beautiful doll on his way.”

The New York Dolls released its self-titled 1973 debut album to little acclaim, and were generally far outside the mainstream.

But the band and its album grew in stature as the world caught up, with Rolling Stone...

Sylvain Sylvain, the punk icon and guitarist for New York Dolls whose riffs bridged the gap between punk and glam, died Wednesday. He was 69. The musician, who also contributed bass, piano and songwriting to the groundbreaking band’s first two albums, had been battling cancer.

“As most of you know, Sylvain battled cancer for the past two and 1/2 years,” his wife, Wanda O’Kelley Mizrahi, wrote in a statement on his Facebook page. “Though he fought it valiantly, yesterday he passed away from this disease. While we grieve his loss,...

7 random things that happened on this day, November 18th, in showbiz history...

1932 The fifth annual Academy Awards are held at the Ambassador hotel honoring the films released between August 1931 and July 1932. Grand Hotel wins Best Picture. It's the only Best Picture ever to win the top prize that was only nominated for that one Oscar and won of only three top winners to win only one statue (the others were Broadway Melody at the 2nd annual Oscars and Mutiny on the Bounty at the 8th Oscars). As we've said multiple times, it's too bad there weren't supporting Oscars back then because Joan Crawford sure was more than worthy in the all star ensemble. The only film to win multiple Oscars that night was the pre-code relationship drama Bad Girl which took Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. (The next ceremony would have a long eligibility period because Oscar wanted to...

The movie’s name is perhaps its sole stroke of genius: Just hearing the words “Chick Fight” immediately body-slams expectations to the mat, after which Paul Leydon’s anodyne comedy manages to just about put them in a submission hold. Dude, one can almost anticipate saying, it’s called “Chick Fight,” what did you expect? On the other hand, the very crowd attracted by the R-rating and promisingly un-pc title may feel cheated. Instead of the cleavage, hair-pulling and Jerry Springer antics it teases, “Chick Fight” serves up a blandly formulaic and scrupulously inoffensive tale of female empowerment.

Anna (Malin Akerman) is having the kind of overkill Bad Day that beautiful women in Hollywood movies tend to have as proof that they’re just as much of a screw-up as you are, lol. Sitting on the toilet, brushing her teeth, the pointedly non-sex-having Anna rolls her eyes at her neighbor’s loud,...

Frank Woodley.

Many producers fear the Federal Government’s sweeping media reforms will spell the death knell of Australian features, forcing them and some writers and directors to focus on content for streamers or free-to-air broadcasters.

Lowering the Producer Offset for films to 30 per cent from July 2021 will leave a gap of at least 25 per cent of the budgets which most producers will find impossible to fill, according to producer/distributor Sue Maslin.

“The exceptions will be largely foreign-financed films or local films with cast led by foreign actors making the most of Australian financial incentives, cast, crew and locations. That or extremely low budget films with little hope of competing in the cinema market,” the Film Art Media principal tells If.

“I find this summary dismissal of Australian cinema devastating and will be forced to relegate all feature films currently in development to the bottom drawer until we see...

Last week, Gabrielle's Angel Foundation gave donors the chance to relive the Studio 54 days at a Virtual Disco Party.

Olivia Newton-John at Gabrielle's Angel Foundation's Virtual Disco Party

Guests raised over $1 million to fund critical cancer research as host DJ Cassidy kept them dancing all night.

In keeping with the theme of the evening, guests were treated to performances by an incredible lineup of disco legends. Gloria Gaynor had viewers at home singing along to “I Will Survive;” Chaka Khan belted her iconic hits “Ain’t Nobody” and “I Feel For You;” Patti Labelle had everyone on their feet for her performance of “Lady Marmalade;” Marti Gould Cummings performed “Bad Girl,” and Nile Rodgers and Kathy Sledge had everyone on their feet at the end of the night with “We Are Family.” The evening also featured special appearances by Olivia Newton-John, Clive Davis, Pat Cleveland, Star Jones, Ethan Zohn and...

Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer Rodney Jerkins, whose credits include songs by Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé, is no stranger to working with nervous artists in the studio. But having actress Tracee Ellis Ross in the vocal booth presented a different kind of challenge.

“Any artist would feel intimidated when you’re Diana Ross’ daughter,” says Jerkins, executive music producer of “The High Note.” “The role of Grace Davis in the movie is this big, iconic, legendary singer, so there’s pros and cons with that. On one hand — you grew up with that so you would know exactly what that needs to look like. The other part of it, is it’s a lot of pressure. My job was to make her as comfortable as possible.“

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the film co-starring Dakota Johnson and Ice Cube is headed to video-on-demand on May 29. Jerkins...

The High Note starring Dakota Johnson and Tracee Ellis Ross will premiere at home on demand May 29th.

Wamg is giving away to three lucky winners FandangoNOW Promotional Codes.

To enter: Leave your name and email address in our comments section below.

1. You Must Be A Us Resident. No Duplicate Entries

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This summer’s feel-good comedy about the dazzling world of the La music scene starring Dakota Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Ice Cube, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Diplo

Starting on May 29th, The High Note will be available on demand for a 48-hour rental period for $19.99.

Visit https://www.focusfeatures.com/the-high-note/on-demand/

Republic Records and Focus Features announce the release of The High Note Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on May 29, 2020. The soundtrack will arrive the same day as the film, which will be available on at home on demand.