‘Twin Peaks’ composer Angelo Badalamenti dies at 85
December 13, 2022 GMTAngelo Badalamenti, the composer best known for creating otherworldly scores for many David Lynch productions, from “Blue Velvet” and “Twin Peaks” to “Mulholland Drive,” has died. He was 85.
He died of natural causes on Sunday, his family said in a statement.
Review: Julia Bullock walks her own path in solo album debut
December 2, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — “Walking in the Dark,” Julia Bullock (Nonesuch)
No one who has followed Julia Bullock’s career will be surprised that her first solo album is made up of unconventional and deeply personal choices.
In ‘Summer of Soul,’ a lost history reborn to play loud
June 30, 2021 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — “Like a rose coming through the concrete” is one description of 1969’s Harlem Cultural Festival heard in Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s exuberant, illuminating documentary “Summer of Soul (...or: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’).”
New this week: ‘No Sudden Move’ and ‘The Tomorrow War’
June 28, 2021 GMTHere’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.
MOVIES
— Questlove's “Summer of Soul (...or When the Revolution Could not Be Televised)” would certainly sound and look best on the big screen with a thumping sound system.
Chlöe, Shahidi, Cordae part of Disney EP honoring Black life
June 16, 2021 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Disney is celebrating this year’s Juneteenth with a new EP about the Black experience featuring actor and activist Yara Shahidi, Chlöe Bailey of Chloe x Halle and rapper YBN Cordae, who is donating his proceeds to students attending historically Black colleges and universities.
Questlove uncovers ‘Black Woodstock’ in his hit Sundance doc
January 29, 2021 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Questlove responded with incredulous disbelief when he was first told about the footage...
North Carolina home of Nina Simone gets permanent protection
September 9, 2020 GMTTRYON, N.C. (AP) — The childhood home of iconic musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone will be indefinitely preserved in North Carolina...
Review: Bettye LaVette’s ‘Blackbirds’ celebrates Black women
August 27, 2020 GMTBettye LaVette, “Blackbirds” (Verve)
The wise intuition and emotional commitment of Bettye LaVette’s interpretative skills find an ideal setting on “Blackbirds,” a collection of songs mostly associated with Black women, from Nina Simone to Billie Holiday...
Review: Reissue of 1982 Nina Simone disc a work of contrasts
April 2, 2020 GMTNina Simone, “Fodder On My Wings” (Verve/UMe)
Nina Simone's “Fodder On My Wings” is an album of contrasts and extremes — personal traumas and world sounds, joy and despair, harmony and defiance, the carnal and the spiritual...
Hasty Pudding roasts Ben Platt, youngest Man of the Year
February 8, 2020 GMTCAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Award-winning actor and musician Ben Platt took a quick jab at President Donald Trump late Friday while being honored by Harvard University’s famed Hasty Pudding Theatricals as its 2020 Man of the Year...
‘Black Panther’ wins top honor at SAG Awards, ‘Maisel’ soars
January 28, 2019 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — "Black Panther" took the top award at Sunday's 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards, giving Ryan Coogler's superhero sensation its most significant awards-season honor yet and potentially setting up Wakanda for a major role at next month's Academy Awards...
Rock Hall 2018 class: Nina Simone, Bon Jovi, the Moody Blues
December 13, 2017 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Iconic singer Nina Simone and New Jersey rockers Bon Jovi lead the 2018 class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, which includes four first-time nominees...
Off-duty officer killed in Vegas shooting left funeral notes
October 20, 2017 GMTHENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — A Las Vegas police officer and U.S. Army veteran who was among 58 people killed in the worst mass shooting in modern U...
Grammy Awards salute ‘Philly Sound’ legend Thom Bell
October 13, 2017 GMTKimberly C. Roberts Producer and songwriter Thom Bell, a pioneer of the world-renowned “Philly Sound,” is among a stellar group of musical icons being honored when “Great Performances,” in collaboration with the Recording Academy, presents “Grammy Salute to Music Legends 2017, the second annual all-star concert offering a primetime spotlight for the academy’s 2017 Special Awards recipients.