Since 2014, Hrishikesh Hirway has been sitting down with musicians to talk about how they imagined and created their biggest hits on the Song Exploder podcast. Now, Hirway and Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville have turned the podcast into a docuseries that will premiere on Netflix next month. In the trailer released today (Sept. 17), Alicia Keys will break down “3 Hour Drive;” Lin-Manuel Miranda will talk about the birth of “Wait for It,” from the award-winning Broadway hit Hamilton; Ty Dolla $ign will discuss the inspiration behind “LA” and Michael Stipe will talk about the R.E.M. hit “Losing My Religion.” “‘Losing My Religion’ was kind of a mistake,” Stipe said in the trailer. “The fact that it became what it became is still puzzling to all of us.” The R.E.M. singer a...
The original cast of Hamilton reunited alongside members of The Roots and Jimmy Fallon to perform “Helpless” as part of Saturday’s “Global Goal: Unite for Our Future”. The benefit concert, which also saw Miley Cyrus cover The Beatles’ “Help!” from an empty football stadium, raised money for the coordination and development of COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines, and to ensure equitable access to citizens across the globe. Phillipa Soo took the lead on “Helpess”, reprising her role as Eliza Schuyler Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda popped in to deliver his rap verse, while other original cast members including Renee Elise Goldsberry, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Leslie Odom Jr., and Daveed Diggs also joined in. For their part, The Roots and Jimmy Fallon played along with real and househo...
Disney is fast-tracking the release of a film version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning musical, Hamilton, starring the original cast. Originally, the film was set to hit theaters in October 2021, but with millions of Americans currently stuck at home in quarantine, the studio is now altering those plans. Not only will Hamilton be released 15 months early — July 3rd, 2020, to be exact — but it’ll be streaming exclusively on Disney+. “In light of the extraordinary challenges facing our world, this story about leadership, tenacity, hope, love and the power of people to unite against the forces of adversity is both relevant and impactful,” Disney chairman Bob Iger said in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring this phenomenon to Disney+ on the eve of Independence Day, and we hav...