By Chris Willman Taylor Swift has celebrated one year passed since the release of her Grammy-winning “Folklore” album by giving fans an anniversary gift: an alternate, “original” version of bonus track “The Lakes” that has a more elaborate arrangement by co-writer/co-producer than the previous recording did. “It’s been one year since we escaped …read more
By Patrick Frater Tencent Music Entertainment has been fined by Chinese regulators and ordered to terminate its exclusive content supply deals with major global music suppliers. The company is the largest online music group in China and is a majority owned subsidiary of China’s Tencent Group. Its shares are separately listed on the …read more
By gmaddaus Tom Barrack, the founder and former CEO of Colony Capital and longtime advisor to Donald Trump, was released on Friday on a whopping $250 million bond, three days after being arrested on charges that he acted as an unregistered foreign agent and lied about it to investigators. Barrack, 74, was …read more
By Owen Gleiberman The serial-killer thriller is a genre that, by now, has used up all its natural resources. It feels like there’s nothing left to discover in it — which is why last year’s “The Little Things,” for all its star power and ostensible ambition, seemed to be poking around under rocks …read more
By Brian Steinberg Sportscaster Maria Taylor has moved into a new role at NBC Sports, where she made her first appearance Friday during the network’s Olympics coverage. The move comes days after Taylor exited ESPN following controversy that erupted over remarks made about her by a fellow employee. The popular sportscaster, who parted …read more
By Kate Aurthur With his reputation and his future Austin restaurant on the line — along with, presumably, important elements of his personal life — Gabe Erales, the winner of the recently concluded Season 18 of “Top Chef” has delivered a lengthy apology on Instagram. Erales’ win, after a triumphant season of the …read more
By Jem Aswad Not surprisingly, there have been all kinds of reactions to Lil Nas X’s latest very unsubtle video, for “Industry Baby.” Like many of his other recent videos and TV appearances, the jail-themed clip includes multiple eye-popping homoerotic scenes, particularly one of Nas and his dancers gyrating naked in the shower. …read more
By msravindran Customers of streaming service BritBox, which specializes in British content, couldn’t keep calm and carry on after receiving an eye-watering monthly bill nearing $800. Paul Sonnenberg subscribes to BritBox for his teenage daughter, who is “really into British television.” The monthly fee for the BBC and ITV-backed streamer, which launched …read more
By Mónica Marie Zorrilla Damon Lindelof (“The Leftovers”), Matt Reeves (“The Batman”) and Oscar Sharp — who co-created the first film with a script entirely written by AI (“Sunspring”) — are teaming up to develop a fantastical medical drama for HBO Max. The magical-realist original series, titled “The Human Conditions,” follows a young British …read more
By Chris Willman Recent Oscar winner and late-night star Jon Batiste is premiering a new track, “Sweet Loraine,” that serves as the leadoff single from an upcoming benefit album, “Relief: A Benefit for the Jazz Foundation of America’s Musicians Relief Fund.” Variety has the song’s exclusive debut, below. The album comes out on …read more