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With her seventh album as the Weather Station, singer-songwriter Tamara Lindeman gets dangerously close to making the 2020s version of Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark that so many modern indie artists dream of coming up with. It’s an album that beautifully mixes pop, folk, rock, jazz, and ambient music, taking on moments of personal crisis, transition, and catharsis with engrossing poetic resolve.

On the Weather Station’s widely acclaimed 2021 album, Ignorance, Lindeman focused many of her lyrics on the impending doom of climate change. This time the challenges are closer to home.

The last time Jesse Malin performed in New York, in March 2023, he jumped off the stage at Webster Hall, waded through the crowd, and ended up singing atop the bar at the rear of the venue in a punk-rock display of sweaty artist-fan communion. Malin’s sold-out performance Sunday night at the Beacon Theatre — his first public concert since suffering a paralyzing spinal stroke last year — looked a little different than past gigs but bristled with that same punk spirit and sense of community.

After wrapping up the night with...

Jesse Malin has released the new single “Argentina,” written while the singer-songwriter was rehabbing from his spinal stroke in Buenos Aires. Additionally, actor-comedian Fred Armisen, filmmaker/musician Jim Jarmusch, Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hutz, and more have been added to one of Malin’s upcoming benefit concerts at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.

Malin, a staple of the NYC punk scene over the past three decades as a solo artist and as frontman of D Generation, was paralyzed from the waist down when he suffered the spinal stroke at a restaurant in May of 2023.

He has since started walking with the aid of a walker, but still has a long way to go in his recovery. He returned to perform last month on CBS Saturday Morning, where he gave “Argentina” its live debut. Now, he has released the official studio version.

“This might be one of my most personal songs,...

At a time when mystique can be in short supply in pop, leave it to Justin Vernon to revert to the age-old tradition of being a little more mysterious. Start with Sable, the new record by his band Bon Iver, their first new release in five years. Other than Beyoncé’s gap from Lemonade to Renaissance, how many major acts take that long between records?

Then, notice that Sable is an EP consisting of only three tunes. We’ve lately seen a trend toward relatively compact 10-or-so-song albums (Dua Lipa,...

Exclusive: Following a Tony season in which it collected 28 nominations and a number of notable wins, UTA has upped Patrick Herold and Rachel Viola to co-heads of its theater practice.

Based in the agency’s New York office, the pair will oversee day-to-day operations of the department and report to Jay Gassner, partner and co-head of talent; and Allan Haldeman, partner and co-head of TV lit.

Herold joined UTA in 2022 after nearly 20 years at ICM, where he was a partner and head of theater. His previous roles in the industry have included owning literary agency Helen Merrill Ltd. and holding the posts of associate general manager of Lincoln Center Theater, director of development at New York Theatre Workshop and trustee of Dramatists Play Service.

Herold’s clients include the estates of Arthur Miller, Eugene O’Neill, Sam Shepard, Horton Foote, Moss Hart, Tina Howe, Christopher Durang, and Wendy Wasserstein. He...

Jesse Malin, the New York punk legend who was left paralyzed from the waist down after suffering a spinal stroke last year, has booked a hometown comeback show December 1st at the Beacon Theatre with an all-star roster of special guests.

The D Generation frontman will be joined on the bill by Lucinda Williams, J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), Jakob Dylan (The Wallflowers), Rickie Lee Jones, Adam Duritz and David Immerglück (both of Counting Crows), and Alejandro Escovedo. Actors Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) and Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) will serve as hosts, with more guests to be announced.

Tickets will benefit the Sweet Relief fund set up to help Malin out with his medical and rehabilitation bills. Premium and VIP tickets will be available via Sweet Relief beginning Wednesday (June 26th) at 10 a.m Et. A pre-sale for regular tickets launches at the same time via Ticketmaster using the code Patronsaints, before...

Jesse Malin gave his last headlining public performance on March 25, 2023, at Webster Hall in New York. Less than two months later, he suffered a rare spinal stroke that affected the use of his legs. Now, after more than a year of intense and ongoing physical therapy and treatment, Malin will return to the stage with a roster of all-star friends and guests.

Set for Dec. 1 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, the lineup features Lucinda Williams, Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz and David Immerglück, Rickie Lee Jones, Jakob Dylan of the Wallflowers,...

The music of Crosby, Stills, and Nash was celebrated with a tribute concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall on Monday night. The lineup included Todd Rundgren, Steve Earle, Yola, Grace Potter, Guster, Rickie Lee Jones, Shawn Colvin, A.C. Newman, Iron & Wine, Real Estate, and several others. Graham Nash wasn’t officially on the bill, but he came out at the end of the night to perform a moving rendition of “Our House.”

“Let’s give a big round of applause to the 20 incredible artists that performed tonight,” he said.

Pearl Jam kicked off their 2024 tour in Vancouver on Saturday night with a rousing 25-song performance.

The show kicked off with “Wash” from their Lost Dogs compilation and was followed by performances of “Low Light,” “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town,” and “Given to Fly.” From there, Pearl Jam showcased material from their new album, Dark Matter, with “Scared of Fear,” “React, Respond,” “Wreckage,” and “Dark Matter,” and then dusted off “Leatherman” at the request of drummer Matt Cameron for the first time in eight years.

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The second half of Pearl Jam’s set consisted of songs like “Corduroy,” “Red Mosquito,” a cover of Mother Love Bone’s “Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns,” and “Porch,” with the encore featuring performances of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down,” “Black,” “Do the Evolution,” “Something Special,” “Alive,” Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,...

Michael Dorf Presents is thrilled to announce the exciting addition of esteemed artists to the already stellar lineup for the 19th annual Music Of tribute concert, honoring the legendary Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Taking place on May 13, 2024 at Carnegie Hall, this exceptional evening of tribute music promises to be an unforgettable experience for music enthusiasts while raising proceeds to support music education for underserved youth.

Steve Earle, Guster, A.C. Newman (of the New Pornographers), and Sarah Jarosz are set to join the already-announced lineup of Todd Rundgren, Grace Potter, Taylor Meier of Caamp, Yola, Iron & Wine, Rickie Lee Jones, Joseph, Shawn Colvin, Real Estate, Aoife O’Donovan, Neal Francis, and Sammy Rae of Sammy Rae & The Friends. These acclaimed artists will bring their unique talents to the rich catalog of Crosby, Stills and Nash, as well as selections from the band members’ solo careers, with each performer enriching the tribute with their diverse musical styles.

More than a year after the death of David Crosby, the music he made with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash will be saluted in a tribute concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall this spring.

Set for May 13, the show — simply titled “The Music of Crosby, Stills and Nash” — will present interpretations of both group and solo songs by an eclectic lineup, including genre-fluid singer Yola; classic rock visionary Todd Rundgren; singer-songwriters Shawn Colvin, Rickie Lee Jones, and Aoife O’Donovan; indie rockers Iron & Wine and Real Estate; and jam-rock vanguard Grace Potter.

Keith Richards takes on the Velvet Underground’s classic “I’m Waiting for the Man” for an upcoming tribute album dedicated to the music of Lou Reed.

Arriving a day before what would have been Reed’s 82nd birthday, Richards also shared a new video of studio footage from the recording of his rendition, which puts his trademark Rolling Stones riffage on the Velvet Underground & Nico track.

“To me, Lou stood out. The real deal!” Richards said in a statement. “Something important to American music and to All Music! I miss him and his dog.

Light in the Attic Records has announced a new Lou Reed tribute album. Titled The Power of the Heart: A Tribute to Lou Reed, it’s out on April 20th, but Keith Richards’ cover of “I’m Waiting for the Man” is out today in celebration of Reed’s birthday, which falls on March 2nd.

In addition to Richards, The Power of the Heart also features contributions from Angel Olsen, The Afghan Whigs, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Rosanne Cash, and Lucinda Williams, among others. See the artwork and full tracklist below.

The Power of the Heart will be available on silver nugget vinyl exclusively for this year’s Record Store Day in addition to CD and digital platforms. All physical formats will include photos of Reed taken by Mick Rock and Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, as well as liner notes penned by the album’s producer, Reed’s close collaborator Bill Bentley.

The wait is officially over: The biggest night in music is finally here! On Sunday, the top names in music gathered for the 66th Grammy Awards.

The competition is fierce this year, with Sza leading all nominees this year with nine. Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Victoria Monét are also among the artists set to vie for the top prizes. Most of those artists will compete in the Album of the Year category, including Sza (Sos), Swift (Midnights), Rodrigo (Guts), Miley Cyrus (Endless Summer Vacation), boygenius (The Record), and Jon Batiste...

The Mountain Goats, Los Lobos, and Rickie Lee Jones are among the acts set to appear at the always intriguing Big Ears Festival, returning to Knoxville, Tennessee, from March 30 through April 2, 2023.

The 2023 festival — which is held at a variety of venues around Knoxville — will also feature performances from Andrew Bird, Iron and Wine, Devendra Banhart, the Weather Station, Kvin Morby, Bonny Light Horseman, and Son Lux. Famed banjo player Béla Fleck will also be on hand, as will jazz artists Charles Lloyd, Christian McBride, and William Parker.

Additionally, Big Ears...

One of the greatest remaining bastions of Hollywood’s golden age, Musso & Frank has been beloved of everyone from Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe to Tom Waits and Rickie Lee Jones. The latest star to call herself a regular at the storied restaurant is North America’s premiere whistler, Molly Lewis. It’s a fitting match, as Lewis’s unique, wryly camp confection of tiki-bar blues is quite unlike anything else that’s been released since the heady days of the 1950s exotica boom. Lewis’s high-pitched birdsong is endlessly fascinating, sounding not unlike ear-piercing coloratura soprano Yma Sumac, who was the whistle-toned Ariana Grande of her day. Want a musician who seems like they might soundtrack Quentin Tarantino’s next movie? Molly Lewis is your woman.

I meet Lewis on a sticky summer’s evening at the infamous Los Angeles hideaway, ahead of the release of her second EP,...

Sarah Beth Tomberlin has only lived in New York for a short time, but she leads the life of a native. The artist, who performs as Tomberlin, owns a Honda Civic, but she usually leaves it parked near her Brooklyn apartment, choosing instead to wander the boroughs by foot — sometimes 10 to 14 miles a day — while listening to music on her headphones.

“I’m super-content,” says Tomberlin, who was born in Florida and raised in Kentucky and Illinois. “Which is wild, because I had no plan to ever live here.”

Tomberlin,...

Donald Fagen has denied Aimee Mann’s claim that she was dropped as the opening act for Steely Dan’s new tour because, as she speculated, “they thought their audience wouldn’t like a female singer-songwriter.”

In a statement to Rolling Stone, Fagen explained, “Well, first of all, the idea that I would make any decision based on the gender of a performer is ridiculous. That’s something that would never even occur to me.”

Fagen also noted that female singer-songwriters like Phoebe Snow and Rickie Lee Jones had served...

Epix announced that its upcoming adventure series “Billy the Kid” will premiere on April 24.

The series follows famous outlaw William H. Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid (Tom Blyth), from his Irish roots to his cowboy days on the American frontier, including his role in the Lincoln County War.

The news came via Epix’s presentation at the Television Critics Association’s 2022 winter press tour, during which they also released a new trailer.

Epix also announced three newly greenlit docuseries: “Women Who Rock,” Season 2 of “NFL Icons” and “The Making of a Haunting: The Amityville Murders.” “Women Who Rock” is a tribute to female pioneers in the music industry and features artists including Nancy Wilson, Chaka Khan, Pat Benatar, Mavis Staples, Sheila E, Macy Gray, Rickie Lee Jones, Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Tori Amos, Kate Pierson, Tina Weymouth and Nona Hendrix. The four-part series is from Network Entertainment. John Varvatos,...

Epix is continuing to rock with new music documentaries and is throwing some scares into the equation.

The MGM-owned cable network has ordered the four-part series Women Who Rock, exec produced by John Varvatos, who was behind its Punk series.

It is the latest music-focused series for the network, which recently aired Mr. A & Mr. M: The Story of A&m Records and has put a slew of titles into development (see the list below).

It has also ordered docuseries The Making of a Haunting: The Amityville Murders and renewed NFL Icons for a second season.

Women Who Rock will feature interviews with the likes of Nancy Wilson, Chaka Khan, Pat Benatar, Mavis Staples, Sheila E, Macy Gray, Rickie Lee Jones, Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Tori Amos, Kate Pierson, Tina Weymouth and Nona Hendrix. It will pay homage to the legion of female pioneers in music who have stormed...

Amid the mounting pressure on Spotify over allegations of Covid misinformation presented on its Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the show’s host made an apology of sorts — “if I pissed you off, I’m sorry” — and garnered support from Dwayne Johnson, Kevin James, Jewel, Jamie Kennedy, Tulsi Gabbard, Troy Aikman, Kat Von D, Domanic Monaghan, Candice Owens, Jillian Michaels, Tomi Lahren and Andrew Dice Clay.

All of those boldfaced names responded in the comments section of the Instagram video that Rogan posted Monday in which he said he just likes to have “interesting conversations with people that have differing opinions,” but admitted he doesn’t “always get it right” and promised to “do better.”

He did so in response to criticism from Neil Young and Joni Mitchell aover what they called “fake information about vaccines” presented on his show. Rogan did not go so far as to characterize views expressed on his show as “fake.

Joe Rogan offered up a response to the ongoing controversy surrounding his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, and its role in spreading Covid-19 misinformation after artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell took their music off Spotify in protest.

In a video shared on Instagram, Rogan attempted to cover himself from every angle. He said he wasn’t trying to “promote misinformation,” but defended his decision to book vaccine-skeptic guests like Dr. Robert Malone and Dr. Peter McCullough by touting their credentials. And while he did not note how easily...

Michael Lang, one of the co-creators of the legendary Woodstock Music & Arts festival series, has died at 77 of a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City, according to his publicist.

In 1967, Lang dropped out of New York University and headed to Miami. There, he ran a head shop and promoted a series of concerts. including the 1968 Miami Pop Festival, which drew 25,000 attendees and saw performances by Jimi Hendriz, Frank Zappa, John Lee Hooker and more. .

He moved to Woodstock, New York and met Artie Korfeld, brainstorming the idea of a massive music festival that would celebrate the culture. That led to Woodstock, which was held at Max Yasguar’s farm in the Bethel, New York area from Aug. 15 to 18, 1969. The show attracted the cream of that era’s musicians, but was overwhelmed by the sheer number of attendees, estimated at 400,000. Traffic backed up and eventually,...

Chuck E. Weiss, a longtime presence on the Los Angeles music scene and the subject of a Top 5 hit for Rickie Lee Jones, died Tuesday at age 76. Details on his death were not immediately available, but friends said he died after a long illness.

A staple performer on Mondays at The Central nightclub on the Sunset Strip for 11 years with his band, The Goddamn Liars, Weiss convinced friend Johnny Depp to help revive it when it fell on hard times. It became the Viper Room, one of the hottest music venues in the city. He also became associated with the Kibitz Room, an offshoot of Canter’s Deli on Fairfax Avenue, where a booth was named in his honor for his presence at the room’s frequent jams.

An outpouring on social media came as news of Weiss’s death spread. “Please let people know he was so much more than the title of a song,...

Foo Fighters, Stevie Nicks, Dead & Company, the Black Crowes and Lizzo are among the hundreds of artists that will welcome the Jazz Fest back to New Orleans this October following its pandemic off-year.

Demi Lovato, H.E.R., Brandi Carlile, the Beach Boys, Isley Brothers, Nile Rodgers and Chic, Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Jimmy Buffett, Norah Jones, Randy Newman, Wu-Tang Clan with Soul Rebels and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue will also be on hand for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, returning to the Fair Grounds Race Course from October 8th to 17th.

By 1983, Rickie Lee Jones had had her share of surreal experiences. Her debut album, 1979’s Rickie Lee Jones, had transformed her into America’s leading boho pop star, thanks to its hit “Chuck E.’s in Love.” She’d made the cover of Rolling Stone, and her followup record, 1981’s Pirates, was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of that year. She was also in an on-again, off-again relationship with fellow songwriter Tom Waits and had begun using heroin.

In the summer of 1983, at age 28, Jones’ life appeared to be settling down.

Billie Eilish hasn’t been famous for very long, but when you see her in “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” R.J. Cutler’s two-hour-and-20-minute but never boring documentary hang-out movie, you see why she’s already the quintessential pop star of the 21st century.

The film, which shows you more or less everything you want to know about Billie Eilish (it drops on Feb. 26 on Apple TV Plus), might be described as fan service of a high order. Since I’m a fan, though, I’d put it differently. I’d call it a deftly sincere and canny portrait, one that works precisely because it takes the time to sweat the small stuff: Billie hanging out at home with her parents, who are eager and supportive and very cool; Billie flashing her dimples and having fun like the precocious teenager she is; Billie passing her driving test and getting her dream car,...

Chris Collingwood met Adam Schlesinger in the mid-1980s, when they were both freshmen at Williams College. Over the next 25-plus years, they would be each other’s closest creative partners, forming the band Fountains of Wayne and recording five acclaimed albums of wise, witty music between 1996 and 2011. The work was truly collaborative; both of them wrote songs, and Collingwood sang them as the band’s lead vocalist.

After Schlesinger’s death at age 52 from coronavirus complications on April 1st, Collingwood shared his memories of his late friend in correspondence with Rolling Stone.

The Who, Stevie Nicks, Dead & Company, Foo Fighters, Lizzo, and Lionel Richie are set to perform at the 2020 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

The 51st annual festival will take place over two weekends: April 23rd through 26th, and April 30th to May 3rd. The first weekend will kick off on Thursday, with the Beach Boys, Maggie Rogers, and Nile Rogers and Chic performing. Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Lenny Kravitz, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band are among the acts for Friday, April 24th.

The Who will headline the first weekend,...

The CW is in early stages of development of The Horses, a scripted series based on the life of singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones. The CW President Mark Pedowitz revealed the project following the network’s TCA executive session when asked about potential successors of its popular female-lead series Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which both ended their runs this season.

The Horses, named after one of Jones’ singes, is currently looking for a writer.

Born in Chicago, Jones and her family moved to Arizona. She grew up riding horses, studying dance, and practicing swimming. When she was 10 years old the family moved to Olympia, Washington, where her father abandoned them. As a teenager, she ran away to her father’s in Kansas City and dropped out of high school.

Jones, who started her career playing in La bars at age 19, went on to become is a two-time Grammy Award winner.

In December of last year, guitarist Shane Theriot got into his car and drove to Mac Rebennack’s New Orleans house with a completed version of the record he had just produced for the Hall of Fame pianist, singer-songwriter and producer ubiquitously known as Dr. John. Rebennack’s health was declining by that point; his walking had slowed to the point where it had become an effort for him to leave his house. Six months later, his family would announce his death as a result of a heart attack.

But...

Malcolm John Rebennack Jr., who died Thursday at age 77, was a onetime Catholic schoolboy who remade himself into a bona fide high priest of funk — and a lifelong ambassador of gritty, glittery New Orleans groove.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, Dr. John — the name and characterization he adopted in 1968 with the release of the landmark Gris Gris album, based in part on stories of a 19th-century voodoo priest — earned 15 Grammy nominations and six wins during a career that spanned more than 50 years. He beat drug addiction,...

Six-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Dr. John has died. His death was announced on his official Facebook page by his family.

“Towards the break of day on June 6, 2019, iconic music legend Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr., professionally known as Dr. John, passed away of a heart attack,” said the post. “As a Rock N Roll Hall of Fame inductee, six time Grammy winner, songwriter, composer, producer, and performer, he created a unique blend of music which carried his home town, New Orleans, at its’ heart, as it was always in his heart. The family thanks all whom have shared his unique musical journey, and requests privacy at this time. Memorial arrangements will be announced in due course.”

Dr. John, once a constant tour presence, had cut back drastically on public appearances in the last two years. He was honored in 2017 by the New Orleans City...

Everybody Works, the 2017 debut album from Jay Som (a.k.a. singer-songwriter Melina Mae Duterte) was “bedroom-pop” that made her own private world seem like a expansive biosphere, fusing influences from Ariel Pink-style L.A. chillwave to Carly Rae Jepsen-aware Eighties-loving bubblegum, confessional indie-rock to yacht-y Eighties R&B. The songs were immediately catchy, though they often unfurled their mysteries in the slow deliberate logic of a dream being realized or a vague impulse coming into bright focus. “Take time to figure it out,” she sang on the...

“Why do we build the wall, my children?” asked folksinger Greg Brown, playing the character Hades, on the 2010 recording of Anaïs Mitchell’s “folk opera,” Hadestown.

“We build the wall to keep us free!” answers the chorus, over ghostly pedal steel.

“Who do we call the enemy, my children?” he continued.

“The enemy is poverty, and the wall keeps out the enemy, and we build the wall to keep us free!” his subjects respond, circular logic building in concatenate phrases until it reaches the rub: “We have work and they have none,...

World premiere of Us spy thriller to open independent film festival.

Raindance Film Festival (Sept 23 - Oct 4) has unveiled the programme for its 23rd edition, with 90 features and nearly 200 short from 48 countries set to screen at London’s Vue Piccadilly.

The festival will open with the world premiere of Us spy thriller, Newcomer, starring Screen Star of Tomorrow James Floyd (My Brother The Devil) and Anthony Lapaglia, directed by Kai Barry.

Raindance’s international programme this year includes the world premiere of Rickie Lee Jones: The Other Side of Desire, a portrait of the poet-musician and rock star; the UK premiere of Mexican film Alice in Marialand, starring new Bond girl Stephanie Sigman; and new titles from upcoming British filmmaking talent.

Films dealing with the digital age feature prominently throughout the programme, with highlights including Alex Winter’s Deep Web, narrated by Keanu Reeves; Digital Dissisents, a documentary looking at the “warriors of the digital age” featuring...

Damien Lawson, a Tsa officer from Los Angeles, sang the Boyz II Men classic "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" on Monday's season premiere of The Voice. But judging by his performance, it might be easier than he could have dreamed to let go of the past. Lawson, 35, was one of the standout talents on the season 7 premiere, and his song choice certainly seemed like a metaphor for his future - which hopefully includes fewer pat-downs and many more stages. His elegant, tearjerking performance drew chair-turns from veteran coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton as well as newbies Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani.

Damien Lawson, a Tsa officer from Los Angeles, sang the Boyz II Men classic "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" on Monday's season premiere of The Voice.

But judging by his performance, it might be easier than he could have dreamed to let go of the past.

Lawson, 35, was one of the standout talents on the season 7 premiere, and his song choice certainly seemed like a metaphor for his future – which hopefully includes fewer pat-downs and many more stages.

His elegant, tearjerking performance drew chair-turns from veteran coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton as well as newbies Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani.

Damien Lawson, a Tsa officer from Los Angeles, sang the Boyz II Men classic "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" on Monday's season premiere of The Voice. But judging by his performance, it might be easier than he could have dreamed to let go of the past. Lawson, 35, was one of standout talents on the season 7 premiere, and his song choice certainly seemed like a metaphor for his future - which hopefully includes fewer pat-downs and many more stages. His elegant, tearjerking performance drew chair-turns from veteran coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton as well as newbies Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani.

I’m too lazy to Google it, but I’m pretty sure Jim Carrey had movie maybe 10 years ago where his character said “yes” to everything, all the time, immediately.

Somehow, that same madcap spirit seems to have infiltrated Season 7 of The Voice — where Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and newcomers Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani were slapping their buttons and turning their chairs not just from the opening three notes, but in some instances from the first pre-performance throat-clearance.

Related American Idol Judges on Season 14: J.Lo Wants Less Cruelty, Adam Lambert Seeks Artistry, Harry Flinches at ‘Geek’ Label

Seriously,...

The Grammys are on Sunday, so let’s investigate its most bizarre category: Best New Artist. Both Christopher Cross and Esparanza Spalding have one. That’s real. And that’s why we’re counting down the ten best winners and the five worst losers. Because maybe we’ll learn something! That’s what I’ll go with.

10. Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee may not have had as gigantic a Billboard career following her Best New Artist win as some of the other stars here, but her debut album is such an assured, unpretentiously poetic, rich listening experience. “Chuck E.’s in Love” and “Young Blood” are whimsical and catchy while “Night Train” and “The Last Chance Texaco” are crackling, despairing portraits. She was also so rad, and that made her bohemian folksiness so much fresher than you’d expect.

9. Sade

If timelessness is a criterion for the music and musicians who win Best New Artist,...

Vision Films, a worldwide distributor of independent films, has announced today that it has picked-up worldwide rights to the inspirational documentary Femme, which is directed by Emmanuel Itier (The Invocation, The Midnight Hour), and executive produced and narrated by Sharon Stone (Casino, Basic Instinct).

Femme features interviews with many internationally recognized speakers including Sharon Stone, Marianne Williamson, Gloria Steinem, Nobel Peace laureates Shirin Ebadi and Maired Maguire, Maria Bello, Angela Davis, Maria Conchita Alonso, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Mary Buffett, Rickie Lee Jones, Jean Houston and Dr. Sue Morter. The soundtrack of the film includes music and songs from well-known artists such as Annie Lennox, Yoko Ono and Rickie Lee Jones. Femme, which has played at numerous international film festivals, is currently available for worldwide release. Vision Films will be introducing the documentary for the first time at the upcoming Marché du Film in Cannes.

Femme is a Celebration of Women...

Vision Films has announced today that it has picked up worldwide rights to the inspirational documentary Femme , which is directed by Emmanuel Itier ( The Invocation , The Midnight Hour ), and is executive produced and narrated by Sharon Stone ( Casino , Basic Instinct ). Femme features interviews with many internationally-recognized speakers including Sharon Stone, Marianne Williamson, Gloria Steinem, Nobel Peace laureates Shirin Ebadi and Maired Maguire, Maria Bello, Angela Davis, Maria Conchita Alonso, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Mary Buffett, Rickie Lee Jones, Jean Houston and Dr. Sue Morter. The soundtrack of the film includes music and songs from well-known artists such as Annie Lennox, Yoko Ono and Rickie Lee Jones. Femme , which has played at numerous international film...

At 38, Jewel has plenty of life experience to draw from and even speaks in what sounds like verses to a poem she once wrote. Humbled by a moment when she heard her own song, "Hands," on the radio after America had been attacked on that chilling day in 2001, the once homeless four-time Grammy award nominee still remembers a time when she was just a teenager, convinced she "was going to end up in [her] car again."

Jewel is not afraid to wear her stories on her sleeve, and perhaps it's that conscious honesty and authenticity that allows her to sing from a different place. Whatever power it may be, it was bestowed once more on an intimate group of fans at an exclusive iHeartRadio Live show Tuesday night to promote her new "Greatest Hits" album.

One track on her album is a new rendition of her 1997 hit "Foolish Games," on which...

If you still don't know who Carrie Preston is, you're just not trying. The busy actress currently has featured roles on three high-profile shows, including HBO's "True Blood," in which she plays outspoken Merlotte's waitress Arlene Fowler, the girlfriend of Terry Bellefleur (Todd Lowe).

"We have not seen the last of Patrick, played by Scott Foley, who came on at the very tail end of Season 4 and cast a shadow on Terry's past," she tells Zap2it. "We weren't sure whether he was going to be benevolent or malevolent or what his reason for being there was, but you could tell Terry definitely had mixed feelings about it. And this season is very much about Terry's past."

Preston garnered even more attention this past season when she reprised her recurring guest role as Elsbeth Tascioni, the kooky but brilliant attorney who saved Will's (Josh Charles) bacon in "The Good Wife.

Cee Lo Green never uses 10 words when he can use 1,300, but on tonight’s semifinal results telecast of The Voice, there was a very direct message in the middle of his intergalactic free-verse poetry. The cat-strokin’ dude was correct: It’s been well documented that his team contained ”two of arguably the best contestants on this show” — and it totally blew that one of ‘em had to go home under the “one finalist per coach” rule that continues to be the absolute worst aspect of NBC’s fledgling singing competition. (Yes, even worse than Christina Milians and Milians of Inane Questions from the Sprint Lounge!

American Idol's drop from Top 6 to Top 5 is always pivotal. The show enters a sudden death phase, every song choice is critical, and every remaining wannabe becomes a candidate for the crown. What I'm trying to say: The losers should be gone by now (unless we're talking about season nine, in which Aaron Kelly, Michael Lynche, and unfortunate winner Lee DeWyze still remained at the final 5). This makes the question of last night's eliminated contestant a vital one: Was it Joshua Ledet, the dancing R&B child whose best days are probably behind him? What about Elise Testone, the cool Rickie Lee Jones proxy who's been waiting to wilt for weeks? And what of Phillip Phillips, who still hasn't hit the bottom three yet? Scroll down to see who the sixth place sistah/brothah is.

Elise Testone. My girl! Our girl.

Legacy: No two ways about it, Elise had...

The chicks and chavs of American Idol wailed two jams this week: one post-2000 anthem and one "soul" song in the tradition of Soul Train, the most phenomenal music series of all time. (Sorry, Dick Clark! I still watch $25,000 Pyramid reruns every day, so no disrespect.) Though it was awkward when Don Cornelius' son Tony appeared in the audience not two months after his father's self-destruction, much of the night was a splendid musical spectacular. Hot. And a couple of beleaguered contestants rebirthed and came alive for the first time in weeks. Wee!

Now, if I were performing this week, I'd have chosen "Work It" by Missy Elliott (I love inventive vagina slang!) and "Ease on Down the Road" from The Wiz. Both would feature Timbaland in a scarecrow costume, if that helps you to understand my vision. Onward to our rankings!

7. Colton Dixon, Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" and Earth,...

American Idol dropkicked another contestant back to the Six Flags circuit this week, and I'm assuming it's not who you wanted. Because it's not who I wanted. And I know you agree with me! Truly, we should chat about Idol on Skype all day while our bosses wag their mean index fingers disapprovingly.

We had ten contestants left, but now we're down to nine. Who went home? Was it Heejun (for his asthmatic rendition of "My Life"), Joshua Ledet (who fumbled this week with his not-gay-enough version of "She's Got a Way" -- please stay gay, J.L.!), or Hollie Cavanagh (who's a fine singer, but her ballad thing has expired, Toscano*-style).

Nope, this week's loser is...

Damn, it's the feisty and super-talented Erika Van Pelt! If booting the handsome female contestant right as she adopts Rosie O'Donnell's post-Taboo hairdo isn't a hate crime, then I don't understand anything.

Everett A scene from the 1970 documentary “Gimme Shelter” with Mick Jagger.

The Rolling Stones’s greatest-hits package “Hot Rocks,” released in late 1971, provided the music for an all-star charity event held last night at a sold-out Carnegie Hall. Twenty-one acts ranging in quality and invention covered the 21 songs on “Hot Rocks,” all but two of which were written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

As the event began to unfold, it seemed only good will would carry the evening: Following...