Chris Willman Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Chris Willman Music Writer“Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street” has the good fortune to be arriving with about a hundred more built-in advantages than most documentaries. Offering up vintage backstage footage of Jim Henson and Frank Oz operating the Muppets feels a little like Henry Houdini coming back to reveal all his secrets.

Chris Willman Music Writer“Pass the Mic,” meet “Pass the Presidency.” DJ Cassidy has the distinction of being the only musical participant in Wednesday’s inaugural festivities to be featured as part of two separate events, for which he’s produced a pair of segments of his popular “Pass the Mic” series in honor of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris getting their own mic-pass.The first appearance, in the virtual inaugural parade in the afternoon, will be focused on the classics.

Chris Willman Music Writer“I like it better when we’re intertwined,” Dua Lipa sings in her song “Cool,” maybe speaking for all of us who are doing Thanksgiving weekend and pretty much every other weekend of 2020 unentangled from most human beings.

Chris Willman Music Writer“Wildflowers” may be the most aggressively beloved of Tom Petty’s albums among his most serious fans, and no one has been more passionate about it than Adria Petty, the elder of the late musician’s two daughters.

Chris Willman Music Writer“Savage Mode II,” a joint album from Metro Boomin and 21 Savage, debuted atop the Rolling Stone album chart this week, with 166,400 album units.

Chris Willman Music Writer“‘Forrest Gump’ with a mantra” — that’s the underlying premise, in a nutshell, of “Meeting the Beatles in India,” which has filmmaker Paul Saltzman recounting the week he spent hanging with the Beatles under the tutelage of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi during their famous sojourn to the ashram in 1968.

Chris Willman Music Writer“Linda and the Mockingbirds,” a documentary about Linda Ronstadt making a journey to Mexico to explore her musical roots there, has been picked up for worldwide rights by Shout! Studios, the distribution and production division of the Shout! Factory home video company.The film was originally slated to premiere at the Telluride Film Festival over Labor Day weekend.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterVariety‘s Chris Willman won entertainment journalist of the year at the 62nd Annual Southern California Journalism Awards, held virtually Saturday evening amid the ongoing pandemic.Willman also won in the music criticism category for his reviews, as well as in the music and theater news or feature category for “Interview with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke.”Variety was awarded eight prizes in total at this year’s awards, including best in-house or corporate publication for

Chris Willman Music Writer“You see your whole life flash in front of you in an hour and some minutes, and then it’s like, wow, did all that really happen? Because I always felt I’m in somewhat of a dream to begin with,” says Herb Alpert, subject of a new documentary about his life from director John Scheinfeld (“Chasing Trane,” “Who Is Harry Nilsson”). It’s a dream that now has a release date: “Herb Alpert Is…” is hitting theaters and VOD on Oct.

Chris Willman Music Writer“It’s shocking that they don’t just stay until they figure it out,” says Audrey Fix Schaefer of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), speaking about Congress adjourning Thursday without taking up federal legislation to relieve businesses hardest hit by the pandemic.

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterVariety has been nominated for 56 Southern California Journalism Awards, including three for entertainment journalist of the year and two for in-house/corporate publication.The awards, given out by the Los Angeles Press Club, honor outstanding journalism in the region across print, digital, radio and broadcast platforms.Variety’s chief TV critic Daniel D’Addario, chief film critic Owen Gleiberman and feature editor Chris Willman are vying for entertainment

Chris Willman Music Writer“Live From Here With Chris Thile,” the weekly radio show that began as a continuation of “A Prairie Home Companion” before taking on its own name and identity, has been canceled, American Public Media Group announced Tuesday.The St.

By Chris Willman

By Chris Willman

By Chris Willman

By Chris Willman

By Chris Willman

Alison Ellwood's two-part documentary on the L.A. rock of the late '60s and early '70s will be pure bliss for anyone who believes golden ages can take shape in woodsy bungalows.

Thanks to the county cutting drive-ins a break like neighboring areas have, the Paramount reopens this weekend, and the Vineland is set to follow by a few days.

By Chris Willman

By Chris Willman

By Chris Willman

By Chris Willman

By Chris Willman

Polo G and Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit joined Future in having albums debut in the top 10.

The moody and pseudonymous recording was featured on an episode of "Killing Eve."

The Christian music artists have embraced the novelty of tours that play only under the big screen in the great outdoors.

The Christian music artists have embraced the novelty of tours that play only under the big screen in the great outdoors.

By Chris Willman

By Chris Willman