music blog
R.I.P. William Hurt, Oscar-Winning Actor Dead at 71
William Hurt, the acclaimed actor who received an Academy Award for his performance in 1985’s Kiss of the Spider Woman, has died at the age of 71. Variety was first to report news of Hurt’s passing. According to his friend Gerry Byrne, Hurt passed away Sunday (March 13th) from natural causes. Hurt also received Oscar nominations for his work in the films Children of a Lesser God, Broadcast News, and A History of Violence. His other notable roles included films like Body Heat, The Good Shepherd, and Into the Wild. He also portrayed General Thunderbolt Ross in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Advertisement Related Video A Juilliard-trained actor, Hurt received acclaim from the very beginning of his storied career. His debut performance in the 1980 film Altered States earned him a Golden Globe ...
SXSW Review: Dolly Parton Doc Still Working 9 to 5 Chokes on Its Own Ambition
This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 SXSW Film Festival. The Pitch: More than 40 years ago, 9 to 5 burst onto movie screens with a deceptively winning formula for 1980: Take three women at the top of their game — actress/producer/activist Jane Fonda, top-tier comedienne Lily Tomlin, and country music superstar Dolly Parton — and throw them together in the dreary workplaces of Carter-era America with a chauvinistic boss (Dabney Coleman) you’d just love to see tied up and tortured. It may have played like a lark, thanks in no small part to a whip-smart script from Patricia Resnick (3 Women) and fanciful direction from Colin Higgins (Harold and Maude), but it had feminist teeth underneath the laughs, which led it to box-office success and decades of appreciation. Decades ...
SXSW Review: DMZ Creates a Compelling New World, But Only Feels Like the Beginning of the Story
This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 SXSW Film Festival. The Pitch: The timing of DMZ is maybe not the greatest, depending on whether or not you’re up for engaging with a story about urban warfare at a time when that sort of literal real-life horror is headline news. But the new HBO Max original series, based on the DC comics series and executive produced by Ava DuVernay, still stands out for its compelling premise and dynamic cast, despite a few issues largely stemming from its format. New World Order: When we first meet Alma Ortega (Rosario Dawson) in the not-too-distant future, she’s working as a medic in an intake facility for those who have tried illegally to enter the United States of America — not to be confused with the Free States of America, because seven years ago, a ...
PRIEST Feat. Former Members Of GHOST: ‘Techno Girl’ Music Video Released
Following up on the triumphant “A Signal In The Noise”, released at the end of 2021, PRIEST, the synthwave act featuring former members of the Grammy Award-winning Swedish rock act GHOST, has just unleashed a follow-up single, “Techno Girl”. The track trades the distorted guitars of PRIEST‘s former gig for icy synths and throbbing drums to craft a memorably melodic ode to female badassery. To promote the song, the band decided to create its biggest, most elaborate music video to date, collaborating with in-demand filmmaker and videographer Vicente Cordero (Industrialism Films), who has helmed videos by CRADLE OF FILTH, SKOLD, 3TEETH, QUEENSRŸCHE and others. Cordero pulls out all the stops for “Techno Girl”, saturating the screen with neon colors an...
DAVID ELLEFSON’s Former Business Partner Explains Why Their Album Of All-Original Material Will ‘Probably’ Never See Light Of Day
David Ellefson‘s longtime business partner Thom Hazaert was a guest on a recent episode of the “Talk Louder” podcast, hosted by veteran music journalist “Metal Dave” Glessner and lifelong hard rock/metal vocalist Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS). Speaking about what he has been doing in the nine months since he announced that he was retiring from the music business, Thom said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I just kind of laid low the last year. I didn’t really fucking do anything. I spent all this time doing all this Ellefson shit that just went in the fucking toilet. I wrote a whole another record. I got an investor to give us a ton of money to pay for ‘No Cover’ [the ELLEFSON band’s collection of covers] and to record a w...
KORN’s BRIAN ‘HEAD’ WELCH: ‘We’re Just Overflowing With Gratefulness To Do This All These Years Later’
In a new interview with Terrie Carr of the Morristown, New Jersey radio station 105.5 WDHA, KORN guitarist Brian “Head” Welch spoke about the personal chemistry between him and his bandmates, a little over a month after the release of their fourteenth studio album, “Requiem”. “It really is a good time [for KORN right now],” Welch said. “You can feel the energy. Everything’s synchronizing really well. Everyone’s done with the B.S. with the music industry. If there’s a hiccup and disagreement, and there is problems, everyone’s been humbled enough to know that we’re not gonna end up like — no judgment — but one of these… like a QUEENSRŸCHE or a RATT and all this ugliness. We’ve had our share of lawsuits and stuff li...
ACCEPT’s MARK TORNILLO: How I Got Involved With GOTHAM Covers Band
ACCEPT singer Mark Tornillo spoke to the “Nothing Shocking” podcast about GOTHAM, his cover band with Scott Metaxas (PROPHET) on bass, Paul Crook (MEAT LOAF, ANTHRAX) on guitar, and Craig Scoppa on drums. Regarding how he got involved with the project, Mark said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Well, GOTHAM was actually a band that they had in the ’90s. I’m guessing it was Paul and Scott Metaxas from PROPHET. And I don’t remember who the singer was at that point; I’m not sure of his name. Craig Scoppa was the drummer [and] still is. And it was just an industrial thing that they did; it was all [covers of MARILYN] MANSON and ROB ZOMBIE and KORN — you name it; really, really, really heavy stuff. And they hadn’t played for years. And Scott...
SXSW: Lizzo Calls Texas’ Anti-Abortion, Anti-Trans Laws ‘Atrocious’
Lizzo declared she was strongly against Texas’ laws targeting abortions and trans rights, calling the laws “atrocious” during a keynote session at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. “The abortion ban is atrocious,” the artist said on Sunday (March 13) to a packed room in the Austin Convention Center. “Mind your business. Stay out of my body.” Explore Explore Lizzo See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Last year, Texas signed into a law one of the most restrictive abortion measures in the country, effectively criminalizing abortions occurring as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Though abortions rights advocates have fought against the legislation, a decision from Texas’s Supreme Court on March 11 essentially shut down a federal law...
2022 BAFTA Awards: Complete List of Winners
Harnessing the power of the sandworms of Arrakis, Denis Villeneuve’s grand sci-fi spectacle Dune sucked up the majority of honors at the BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday (March 13) in London. But it was Jane Campion’s gothic Western The Power of the Dog that took home the top prize. Explore See latest videos, charts and news As expected, Dune — which went into the ceremony with 11 nominations — dominated the craft categories, winning five awards in total, including for cinematography, special visual effects, sound, original score and production design. The Power of the Dog, which had eight nominations, won best film and best director. Also claiming two wins was CODA — for best supporting actor (Troy Kotsur) and best original screenplay — and West Sid...
Fans Choose Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa’s ‘Sweetest Pie’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa‘s “Sweetest Pie” tops this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (March 11) on Billboard, choosing the pair’s collaborative track as their favorite new music release of the past week. “Sweetest Pie,” which arrived this week alongside a trippy music video from the superstar duo, brought in more than 67% of the vote. “Oh, it’s the ride of your life/ Hold on ’cause I might just give you a bite/ Of the sweetest pie,” Lipa sings in the chorus. Lil Durk‘s latest project, his new 7220 album, came in second on the poll, with more than 17% of the vote. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below. [embedded content] [flexi-common-toolb...
Barack Obama Tests Positive for COVID-19
Former President Barack Obama said on Sunday (March 13) that he had tested positive for COVID-19, though he’s feeling relatively healthy and his wife, Michelle, tested negative. “I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise,” Obama said on Twitter. “Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news Obama encouraged more Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, despite the declining infection rate in the U.S. There were roughly 35,000 infections on average over the past week, down sharply from mid-January when that average was closer to 800,000. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 75.2% of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated and 47.7% of the fully vaccinated have received a boo...
Rosalía Performs “Chicken Teriyaki” and “La Fama” on SNL: Watch
Rosalía served as the musical guest on this weekend’s episode of Saturday Night, performing opposite episode host Zoë Kravitz. In support of her upcoming album, MOTOMAMI, the Spanish singer performed “Chicken Teriyaki” and “La Fama.” Catch the replay below. MOTOMAMI is set to arrive on March 18th via Columbia Records. Earlier this week, she made her late night television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she discussed the record and laughed about a wrong-number text from Harry Styles. Rosalía also recently teamed up with Arca to curate her own radio station within the Grand Theft Auto universe. Elsewhere on last night’s episode of SNL, Kravitz starred opposite Bowen Yang in a sketch about a marching band version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believi...
