1. Aretha Franklin Begs Halle Berry to Reconsider Biopic Role

    January 26, 2011 2:50 PM EST Areth Franklin Halle Berry has said she couldn't play Aretha Franklin in a biopic about her life because she can't "carry a tune." Not a problem for Franklin, who has said she wants the Oscar winner to portray her. "Many a ...

  2. Jay-Z Partners with Will and Jada Smith For 'Annie' Remake Starring Willow

    January 26, 2011 1:34 PM EST The Knowles-Carters & Pinkett-Smiths (Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage) Will Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith and their partners at Overbrook Entertainment have formed a joint-venture with Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter to develop and produce major motio ...

  3. The Big Business of 'Glee': Live Nation Tours, $300K Ads, Super Bowl Lead-In

    January 26, 2011 11:44 AM EST Glee (Photo: Matthias Clamer/FOX) The note was practically a high "A-sharp"; the cacophony of voices blended perfectly to form an instantly recognizable tone, striking the right balance of volume and shrill while conveying contagious ent ...

  4. Hans Zimmer 'Cannot Believe' Christopher Nolan's Oscar Snub for 'Inception'

    January 25, 2011 12:00 AM EST Hans Zimmer is as pleased, if not moreso, with his best original score Oscar nomination for "Inception" as any of his past accolades -- "I'm particularly proud of 'Inception," the composer tells Billboard.biz. "S ...

  5. Trent Reznor: Oscar Nom 'Amazing and Flattering'

    January 25, 2011 12:00 AM EST "Completely surreal" is how composer Trent Reznor describes his best original score nom for "The Social Network," adding that he almost missed the announcement thanks to some technical difficulties at home. "It was panic t ...

  6. Reznor, Rahman, Zimmer & More React to Their Oscar Nominations

    January 25, 2011 12:00 AM EST As the "Academy Award-nominated" descriptor starts to sink in for 2011's newly anointed Oscar nominees , Billboard.biz gathered reactions from the following composers and songwriters recognized in the music categories of best origin ...

  7. Trent Reznor Nominated For Oscar, Along With Songs Sung By Gwyneth Paltrow, Dido And (Of Course) Randy Newman

    January 25, 2011 12:00 AM EST Nominations for the 83rd Academy awards, which take place on February 27, were announced today and included the music categories Best Original Score and Original Song. Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor received a nomination for Best Original Scor ...

  8. 'American Idol' Ratings Drop Second Night

    January 21, 2011 12:00 AM EST The second episode of American Idol continued yesterday's downward trajectory. Averaging 22.9 million viewers with a 7.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic, Idol was down 9 percent among total viewers and 15 percent in the demo, compared to the ...

  9. Beyonce to Star in Clint Eastwood Remake of 'A Star Is Born'

    January 21, 2011 12:00 AM EST Clint Eastwood is in early negotiations to direct the long-gestating remake of A Star Is Born for Warner Bros. Eastwood and his producing partner Rob Lorenzo will likely produce along with Bill Gerber, Jon Peters and Basil Iwanyk. Warners has long ...

  10. 'American Idol' Ratings Down 13 Percent From Last Year's Premiere

    January 20, 2011 12:00 AM EST Initial ratings show interest is down in "American Idol" and its new team of judges. The Nielsen Co. says 26.2 million people saw the two-hour season premiere Wednesday night of television's most popular show. That's down 13 pe ...

  11. Viacom Promotes Robert Bakish to New International CEO Position, Network Focusing On Foreign Markets

    January 19, 2011 12:00 AM EST Viacom is looking to deliver on its hopes to further grow its international TV business. The company has promoted Robert Bakish to the newly created position of president and CEO of Viacom International Media Networks. He was previously president ...

  12. Bernie Finkelstein Resigns As MuchFACT Chair

    January 18, 2011 12:00 AM EST After 27 years, Toronto's Bernie Finkelstein has resigned as chair of MuchFACT (formerly known as VideoFACT), the Canadian music-video-funding organization he co-founded with Moses Znaimer and launched in tandem with Canada's first music ...

  13. Diane Warren Dedicates Her First Golden Globe Award to Ronni Chasen

    January 17, 2011 12:00 AM EST Diane Warren dedicated her Golden Globe to her late friend and publicist Ronni Chasen. "I loved Ronni," Warren said backstage after winning best original song for Burlesque's "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me." "T ...

  14. Watch: Colbert Skewers Glut of Indie Rock Bands Licensing Music To Commercials, Officiates 'Sellout Off' Between Black Keys and Vampire Weekend

    January 12, 2011 12:00 AM EST If the best comedy contains a grain of truth, then a satirical sketch on last night's Colbert Report on the surfeit of indie rock bands licensing their music to TV commercials was like a documentary. The skit (video below) featured the Black ...

  15. David Fincher Reteams With Trent Reznor for 'Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' Movie

    January 11, 2011 12:00 AM EST Will lightning strike twice for David Fincher? The director of the critically acclaimed "The Social Network" will reteam with Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor for the screen adaptation of Stieg Larsson's bestselling crime novel ...

  16. 'American Idol' TCA Panel Reveals: 20 Semifinalists, Longer Hollywood Week, 'Helpful' Judges

    January 11, 2011 12:00 AM EST The big "American Idol" roll-out officially kicked off this morning when host Ryan Seacrest, judges Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler, in-house mentor Jimmy Iovine, Fox president of Alternative Programming Mike Darnell, and ...

  17. Eminem Eyeing Another Movie Role in Fox Crime Thriller

    January 07, 2011 12:00 AM EST Nine years after making his film debut in "8 Mile," Eminem could be returning to the big screen. The rapper plans to star in a crime thriller, "Random Acts of Violence," for 20th Century Fox, The Hollywood Reporter has confirme ...

  18. K'Naan, the Low Anthem, Josh Ritter, St. Vincent, Guster Announced For 2011's Sundance ASCAP Music Cafe

    January 07, 2011 12:00 AM EST The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) today announced its lineup of events for this year's Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah. The eclectic slate of musicians performing at the publishing society's Sunda ...

  19. 'American Idol': Behind the Scenes of TV's Big Gamble

    January 06, 2011 12:00 AM EST There's a saying in the music business that you're only as good as your last hit. If that were true of television, then American Idol might have been dropped after last season. With falling ratings, to the tune of 9 percent, lack of star ...

  20. Home Movie Spending Holds in 2010

    January 06, 2011 12:00 AM EST U.S. consumer spending on home entertainment dropped 3% in 2010, according to numbers released by movie business trade group Digital Entertainment Group . Revenue spent on packaged and digitally delivery movies was estimated to be $18.8 billion, j ...

  21. Barbra Streisand Eyeing Mama Rose Role in New 'Gypsy' Adaptation

    January 05, 2011 12:00 AM EST Barbra Streisand is in talks to star in "Gypsy," a new film adaptation of the 1959 Broadway play. The project is set up at Warner Bros., which made the 1962 adaptation that starred Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood, and is in the early s ...

  22. How the Music of 'Jimmy Fallon' Whips Its Late-Night Competition

    January 03, 2011 12:00 AM EST When Bruce Springsteen decided to crash late night and whip his hair in November, it was as sure a sign as any that "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" has emerged as a highly coveted platform for musical guests. Since the Nov. 16 episode tha ...

  23. 'American Idol' Hires Ray Chew as New Music Director

    December 30, 2010 12:00 AM EST Among the changes for the upcoming tenth season of American Idol (premiering Jan. 19 on Fox) is a new music director to fill the seat Rickey Minor vacated when he left to lead The Tonight Show band at the end of Season 9. The Hollywood Reporter ha ...

  24. 9,000 Michael Jackson Fans Sign Petition Asking Discovery Not to Air Autopsy Special

    December 30, 2010 12:00 AM EST Michael Jackson's estate has fired off an angry letter to Discovery Communications over an upcoming TV special that re-enacts the late singer's autopsy, TMZ reports. Fans have already protested the special, with more than 9,000 signing a ...

  25. Dispute Between Time Warner & Sinclair Broadcast Group May Jeopardize Broadcast of Bowl Games And 'Glee' (Gasp!)

    December 28, 2010 12:00 AM EST Time Warner Cable Inc. customers from Portland, Maine, to Pensacola, Fla., could lose access to one of their network TV stations because of a contract dispute with Sinclair Broadcast Group. The dust-up between Sinclair and Time Warner is one of a ...

  26. Latest Hit For 'Spider-Man': Injured Actress Quits Show

    December 28, 2010 12:00 AM EST In the latest disappointment for the ambitious Broadway production of "Spider-Man," one of the lead actresses who suffered a concussion during its first preview performance is quitting the show. Natalie Mendoza, who plays the villainess ...

  27. Success Of 'Glee' Based On iPod Generation's Eclectic Music Tastes & Hollywood's Golden Age

    December 23, 2010 12:00 AM EST Who knew Darren Criss was a soothsayer? The singer-actor, who currently appears on Glee and recently ASCAP's 400,000th member, talked about the Fox staple and why he wasn't surprised the show found success, but not before discussing the ...

  28. Pauly D Inks Deal With MTV For 'Jersey Shore' Spin-Off

    December 23, 2010 12:00 AM EST It's spin-off time. MTV announced Wednesday it signed a deal with "Jersey Shore" disc jockey Paul "DJ Pauly D" DelVecchio to star in his own spin-off based on footage filmed of the self-proclaimed "guido" in Sept ...

  29. Comcast/NBC Universal Deal Delayed, Still Awaiting FCC & DOJ Approval

    December 22, 2010 12:00 AM EST Comcast Corp's NBC Universal purchase will be delayed until at least next month, with federal regulators taking longer than the companies had hoped to sort through the deal. NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker, who will leave the compan ...

  30. Too Hot For MTV: 10 Music Videos That Got Banned

    December 22, 2010 12:00 AM EST Too Hot For MTV: Ten Controversial Music Videos That Got Banned Did you hear? Julianne Hough's new video for "Is That So Wrong" was banned by CMT for being too revealing. At least that's the rumor -- that she apparently started ...

  31. 'Sing-Off' Winners Committed Releasing Album This Spring

    December 22, 2010 12:00 AM EST After five weeks of singing secular music, the Alabama gospel group Committed is vowing to stay true to its roots after being named the second-season winner of NBC's "The Sing-Off" reality competition Monday night (Dec. 20). "W ...

  32. DirecTV to Launch Targeted Ad Service in 2011

    December 22, 2010 12:00 AM EST It may finally be time for targeted ads to take over personal television set. The Wall Street Journal reports that DirecTV will be rolling out what they call "addressable ads," which will allow advertisers to reach almost 10 million home ...

  33. Disney Denied Appeal of $319 Million In 'Millionaire' Verdict

    December 22, 2010 12:00 AM EST We broke the news on Dec. 8 that the federal judge overseeing the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire trial had tentatively denied Disney's appeal of the massive $319 million jury verdict in favor of producer Celador Intl. Federal judges don't ...

  34. Drunk On Christmas: Late Night's Jimmy Fallon Selling Original Music Content On iTunes

    December 21, 2010 12:00 AM EST Jimmy Fallon is known for performing memorable duets with music stars on NBC's "Late Nigth with Jimmy Fallon" ("Whip My Hair" with Bruce Springsteen and "A History of Rap" with Justin Timberlake, to name a couple ...

  35. MTV Allegedly Programming More Rock & Roll In 2011

    December 21, 2010 12:00 AM EST Rock is dead? Long live rock. The Who sang it in 1974, but they might have been talking about 2011, at least according to MTV. The cable TV music channel on Monday releases its "2011 Artists to Watch" list of the next big acts in music, ...

  36. The Apple TV Juggernaut: Sales Expected To Reach 1 Million This Week

    December 21, 2010 12:00 AM EST Apple Inc forecast sales of Apple TV would climb to 1 million this week and said that iTunes users are now renting and buying more than 400,000 TV shows and more than 150,000 movies per day. In September, Apple introduced a new version of Apple TV ...

  37. Fourth Actor Injured During Performance of 'Spiderman,' the Most Expensive And Dangerous Show On Broadway

    December 21, 2010 12:00 AM EST Monday's night performance was stopped short after an unidentified performer -- either the actor playing the title character or his stunt double -- fell about eight to 10 feet during the final moments of the show, the New York Times reported. ...

  38. Mexico's Televisa and Univision Ink Billion-Dollar Extension Through 2025

    December 21, 2010 12:00 AM EST Mexico's Televisa and its stateside partner Univision have closed a billion-dollar deal that extends their long-term program license agreement to 2025. Additionally, the Spanish-language media titans said Monday that they have agreed to a PLA ...

  39. Oprah Winfrey Offered U2's Bono a TV Show on OWN

    December 20, 2010 12:00 AM EST Oprah Winfrey recently chatted up U2's Bono at a dinner -- and then propositioned a business deal. "Would you like a TV show?" she asked him, according to the New York Times. "I look at everything now through the prism of,  ...

  40. `Tron: Legacy' Uploads at Number 1 with $43.6 Million Opening Weekend

    December 20, 2010 12:00 AM EST LOS ANGELES - Jeff Bridges' sci-fi sequel "Tron: Legacy" has leaped to the top of the box-office grid with a $43.6 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Disney release reboots the story line started in B ...

  41. NBC's Late Night Fiasco Tops Associated Press 2010 Entertainment Stories Of The Year

    December 20, 2010 12:00 AM EST NEW YORK - What began as a grand, highly promoted experiment in late-night, ended in a fiasco that made NBC a laughing stock and captivated the country. In January 2010, NBC sought to displace their newly crowned "Tonight Show" host, Con ...

  42. 'Tron' Sequel Set To Hit $40 Million At Box Office

    December 17, 2010 12:00 AM EST Hollywood is once again overstuffing the Christmas stocking with films of all shapes and sizes, hoping to benefit from the most lucrative and intense stretch of the year at the box office. Among the four new wide releases, Disney's 3D tentpol ...

  43. Tron Earns $3.5 Million at Midnight Showings

    December 17, 2010 12:00 AM EST Disney's Tron: Legacy grossed roughly $3.5 million in midnight runs, with Imax theaters providing a record percentage of the gross, according to early estimates. Imax locations grossed roughly $1 million. That number could shift upwards once ...

  44. Daft Punk Pull Back the Curtain on 'Tron: Legacy' Soundtrack

    December 16, 2010 12:00 AM EST Few musical groups have the power to bring worlds together like robot helmet-wearing French beatmasters Daft Punk. In the '90s they merged the disparate worlds of techno and rock, the following decade, they created a dance floor quake that wa ...

  45. Business Matters: Best Buy Shares Sink After Disappointing Earnings Results

    December 14, 2010 12:00 AM EST Best Buy's Comp Store Revenue Drops -- U.S. retail sales fared well in November, but Americans aren't rushing to big screen TVs at big box retailers like they did last year. Best Buy's comp store revenue dropped 5% in the quarter en ...

  46. Manager Johnny Wright Sounds Off On The State Of The Music Industry

    December 14, 2010 12:00 AM EST If the name Johnny Wright has been synonymous with one thing, it's screaming girls. The Orlando-based music manager has played a key role in the careers of Britney Spears, Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake (and previously 'NSync), Backst ...

  47. 'Glee,' 'Burlesque,' Reznor Score Golden Globe Nominations

    December 14, 2010 12:00 AM EST "Glee" picked up five nominations for the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards Tuesday morning (Dec. 14), while "Burlesque," the movie musical co-starring Christina Aguilera and Cher, earned three nods and Carrie Underwood Trent Rez ...

  48. Gwyneth Paltrow Returning to 'Glee'

    December 13, 2010 12:00 AM EST Gwyneth Paltrow and "Glee's" matchup was so nice, they've decided to do it twice. The Oscar-winning actress has confirmed that she'll appear on a second episode of the Fox show, reports Access Hollywood , who caught up wit ...

  49. NBC, Mark Burnett to Launch 'Idol' Rival

    December 13, 2010 12:00 AM EST NBC is teaming with Mark Burnett and John de Mol to launch a new singing competition program that takes aim at Fox's American Idol and its upcoming series The X Factor. The broadcaster has acquired the rights to The Voice of Holland, a format ...

  50. Michael Jackson Fans Protest Autopsy TV Special

    December 13, 2010 12:00 AM EST Michael Jackson fans have launched a petition to keep the Discovery Channel from airing Michael Jackson's Autopsy: What Really Killed Michael Jackson next month in the U.K. The MJ Justice Project and MJ Children group has received about 1,500 ...

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