City Austin Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Elon Musk welcomed Twitter’s new CEO into the fold as he held court at Tesla’s annual meeting in Austin today, sounding genuinely relieved to offload some of the burden of running the beleaguered social media company he reluctantly acquired last fall.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Vertical has acquired U.S. rights to the sci-fi comedy “Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out” from Visit Films. The film world premiered at Sundance in January and was presented to international buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin. Vertical has slated a summer release for the pic. “Aliens” centers on Itsy Levan, who is devastated by her parents’ decision to leave the city and buy a fixer upper in the middle of nowhere. Her life seems over until she meets her space-obsessed neighbor Calvin Kipler, who has spent most of his life awaiting the next arrival of Jesper’s Comet— partly because of his obsession with astronomy, but mostly because the last time it came, aliens abducted his parents. Calvin is now preparing to finally get abducted with them.

Morgan Wallen has announced new tour dates just days after he canceled six weeks of shows after getting "bad news" from his doctor that he had injured his vocal cords. His canceled May and June dates for his "One Night at a Time" tour have been rescheduled to dates between Aug. 30, 2023, and June 7, 2024.

K.J. Yossman Frank Kozik, the iconic graphic artist behind album covers including The Offspring’s “Americana” and Queens of the Stone Age’s self-titled debut, has died. He was 61 years old. Kozik’s death was confirmed by his wife Sharon, who did not give a cause of death but said his passing was “unexpected.” In a statement she said: “We are devastated to inform you that Frank Kozik passed away unexpectedly this past Saturday. Frank was a man larger than himself, an icon in each of the genres he worked in. He dramatically changed every industry he was a part of. He was a creative force of nature. We are so beyond lucky and honored to have been part of his journey and he will be missed beyond what words could ever express.”

Hunter Ingram SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for “The Never Dry,” the fifth episode of “The Last Thing He Told Me,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Most people would run in the other direction if they found out their family had credible ties to the mob. Unfortunately, Bailey Michaels didn’t get the memo. In this week’s fifth episode of Apple TV+’s “The Last Thing He Told Me,” Bailey (Angourie Rice) and her stepmother Hannah (Jennifer Garner) continued their search in Austin for answers about why her father Owen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) disappeared four days earlier.

We’ve got our first look at Denis Villeneuve’s Dune sequel, with Warner Bros. sharing a new teaser and official poster for the pic Tuesday afternoon.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Sydney Chandler has been cast as a lead in Noah Hawley’s “Alien” series currently in the works at FX, Variety has learned. Plot and character details are being kept under tight wraps on the project, which was first announced in December 2020. The only detail that has been confirmed is that the show will take place on Earth in the not-too-distant future. The role brings Chandler back to FX, as she previously made her network television debut in the cabler’s 2022 limited series “Pistol” from Danny Boyle, which told the story of the legendary band The Sex Pistols. Chandler starred in the series as Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders. Chandler’s other credits include the film “Don’t Worry Darling” and the Facebook Watch series “SKAM Austin.” She is also set to appear in the upcoming Apple series “Sugar” opposite Colin Farrell.

Imax and Evo Entertainment announced today during their presentation at CinemaCon that they have entered into a partnership to open eight new Imax locations throughout Florida and Texas, including ones in Houston and Austin, marking the largest agreement for new Imax locations in a decade.“As we continue to expand, we remain committed to being at the forefront of cutting-edge spaces,” said Mitch Roberts, CEO of Evo Entertainment Group in a statement. “This partnership with Imax allows us to further enhance our state-of-the-art facilities and provide our guests with the ultimate movie-going experience.

This week, Alex Lee Thomson is approving some artists he checked out at last month’s SXSW showcase festival in Austin.The exceptionally promising Prima Queen made quite an impression with their honest and beautiful set at SXSW, which charmingly showcased their Transatlantic roots. Their evocatively resonant performance at the British Music Embassy venue showcased their undeniable talent, as their voices blended in perfect harmonies, filling the courtyard with irresistible guitar strokes.Their latest single is ‘Back Row’ – taken from the upcoming debut EP ‘Not The Baby,’ which is out on 3 May.

This week, Alex Lee Thomson is approving some artists he checked out at last month’s SXSW showcase festival in Austin.Northern Ireland’s Dea Matrona provide a sound that blends the best of 60s and 70s bluesy riffs with 80s rock vocals. They’re inspired by the rock music of yesteryear, but expertly apply that heritage for modern ears.Their show at SXSW had snarling ZZ Top and AC/DC-like guitars at its foundation, paired with otherworldly vocals and drive that you’d expect from Fleetwood Mac at their most mystical.It’s late night bar music for dancing, tinged in dusty, greasy Americana, offering up exactly what a new generation of folk and blues fans are seeking out.

This week, Alex Lee Thomson is approving some artists he checked out at last month’s SXSW showcase festival in Austin.If hard work breeds success then Enjoyable Listens are onto something. This band seemed to be everywhere at SXSW last month, and that’s no mean feat.They certainly don’t disappoint when it comes to their name – just one of their self aware tactics to dazzle you with showmanship and suck you into their odd world.

A bond like no other. Austin Butler and Ashley Tisdale have formed a friendship that’s lasted more than a decade.

The world premiere of FX’s Justified: City Primeval is among the events scheduled for Opening Night of Season 12 of the ATX TV Festival, which runs June 1-4 in Austin.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic During the opening monolog at Sunday night’s CMT Music Awards, broadcast from Austin on CBS, there was a comedic bit in which Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown exchanged anniversary presents to celebrate their cohosting of the show for the third consecutive time. Brown gave Ballerini a cowboy hat, and she reciprocated by giving him a pink hat to put on in return. At least a few audience members shared a joke about the exchange: By wearing pink, would Brown be breaking Tennessee’s recently passed law that some believe would ban most drag performances in the state, if they were back home? Viewers whose minds went there during that silly opening were just kidding — but Ballerini really went there later in the three-hour telecast, when she chose four “RuPaul’s Drag Race” queens to perform with her as she sang “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too).” That song, off her 2022 album “Subject to Change,” is Ballerini’s anthem of female friendship — and, with the way the CMT Awards routine played out, she very much seemed to be counting drag performers as among those friends. The performance was playful and ostensibly non-political, and in a different year might not have raised very many shaved or unshaved eyebrows. In spring 2023, it was hard to read it as anything other than a statement of: If drag queens are brought down, the rest of us will be dragged down with them.

The CMT Music Awards 2023 proved to be a big night for Jelly Roll who topped the night as the most-awarded artist taking home three trophies.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic A couple of members of a fresh generation of country music — Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson — came away as the top victors at Sunday night’s CMT Music Awards, broadcast live from Austin for the first time. But the biggest winners may have been CMT and CBS, putting the three-hour telecast on the map as a show packed with enough performance firepower that it does merit having made the move from a cable platform to major broadcast premiere as of last year. However much the official winners may delight a core country crowd happy to see young radio and streaming favorites get rewarded, the big draw for the CBS audience was likely a series of collaborations between country stars and their pop or rock counterparts, as has been the custom for years on the rival CMA Awards. Most notable were the all-female collabs that had Carly Pearce dueting with Gwen Stefani on No Doubt’s “Just a Girl,” or Alanis Morissette trading lines with a slate of young female artists that included Lainey Wilson, Ingrid Andress, Morgan Wade and Madeline Edwards. The all-star teamings spread to those who presented, too, with Megan Thee Stallion providing the most enthusiastic introduction imaginable for “my new besty,” Shania Twain.

Date night at the CMT Music Awards! Several stars brought dates to the red carpet in Austin on Sunday, April 2, including both cohosts, Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini.

Body-ody-ody! Megan Thee Stallion had all eyes on her at the 2023 CMT Music Awards. 

Bigger in Texas! Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown return to host the 2023 CMT Music Awards on Sunday, April 2.

Chad Michael Murray is taking a trip down memory lane!

Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar got engaged on the season finale of The Bachelor, which aired last night, but don’t expect them to get married anytime soon.

Still going strong? After handing out his final rose, Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar gave an update on their relationship — revealing that they are moving in together in Austin this summer.

Tamar Herman South Korean alt-rocker Loren (stylized LØREN) has written songs for Blackpink and G-Dragon, appeared at South By Southwest and recently partnered with 88Rising, leading to a performance at the influential collective’s summertime Head in the Clouds festival — all before he released his first album. Out Friday (March 24), the EP “Put Up a Fight” is the result of a years-long effort while working at the Black Label, a prominent South Korean record company associated with Blackpink’s home YG Entertainment. According to the singer-songwriter, a full-length follow-up is almost finished.  Loren, born Lee Seung-joo, hopes to ingest a bit of punk and grunge to South Korea’s rock scene, and “Put Up a Fight” is his call to arms to like-minded music fans. Even amid waning popularity worldwide, and especially in South Korea where only the occasional indie or pop-rock band makes registers a blip, Loren is undeterred. 

Schiffer added. The forced reduction or ending of remote work is becoming a higher priority not only for Apple but for a range of entertainment and media companies – from Disney, where Bob Iger’s return heralded more demands to get bodies back at desks four days a week, to Amazon, which has told staffers they must show up three days a week starting May 1, to Warner Bros.

The FADER and Porsche's first-ever collaboration took place in Austin last week for SXSW, and the collision of our iconic brands was one for the books. The Porsche X venue was home to new, one-of-a-kind reinterpretations of classic Porsche cars as well as musical performances from Big Boi, Kelela, Madison McFerrin, MorMor, Sudan Archives, and sadie.

Rory Culkin leaves nothing to the imagination during a scene in “Swarm”, the new Prime Video series co-created by Janine Nabers and Donald Glover (“Atlanta”).

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor The first real SXSW in four years wrapped up this weekend, but it’s likely what went down this year will be looked at in the future as another transitional year. After a mid-pandemic return in 2022 that was intentionally less high-profile than past editions, this year’s South By was supposed to be a return to form of the citywide takeover that’s made SX a staple in the calendar for decades for musicians and execs alike. In practice, though, the music portion of SXSW still felt under-attended, and the current wave of music just on the fringe of popularity under-represented. Even the former Spring-break hub intersection of Sixth Street and Red River was a ghost town on Friday night, and lines to get into showcases across town were essentially nonexistent. On top of that, many of the highest-profile showcases were postponed or shut down following a massive lightning storm on Thursday night. Perhaps it’s post-Covid malaise, perhaps it’s the heightened cost of touring, maybe people were waiting to see how this year went — but something in the Topo Chico has changed, hopefully not for forever.