I took a look at the history of the Barbra/Judy "Get Happy"/"Happy Days Are Here Again" mashup that Ariana and Cynthia performed on the "Wicked" special tonight, coming up with some other examples of duet partners who've tried to recreate it in the 62-year interim... variety.com/2025/music/n...

How an 1802 letter from Thomas Jefferson found its way onto "Saturday Night Live," in song... What Was Brandi Carlile Reciting on ‘SNL’? How Thomas Jefferson’s Proclamation About Separating ‘Church & State’ Made It Into a Blazing Rock Song variety.com/2025/music/n... via @variety

Loved talking with Cameron about a book exploring the stuff that brought him to the dance... Cameron Crowe on ‘The Uncool,’ Memoir of His Teen Journalist Years, and How Patti Smith Inspired Its Prose — Also: What to Expect From His Joni Biopic

Here's the most popular musician I will interview all year, probably: Dieter Ruehle!... Dodgers Organist Dieter Ruehle on His Witty, Spontaneous Song Picks and Keeping Up With the Series’ Epic Game 3: ‘The Game Isn’t Scripted — What’s Better Than Live Accompaniment?’ variety.com/2025/music/n...

I talked to Brad Paisley this afternoon about his unbroken streak of performing National Anthems before World Series games that go into overtime, including last night's epic... "I’m available also for football. I’d like to see that go into more quarters, as well.” variety.com/2025/music/n...

Love this album even more than I thought I would, and I thought I'd love it... Lily Allen’s ‘West End Girl’ Is a Stunner — A Divorce Album That Feels Like a Stage Drama Unfolding in Real Time, but With Bops: Album Review variety.com/2025/music/a... via @variety

Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska '82" is one of the most rewarding retrospective projects he's put out. If nothing else, thank you to Scott Cooper for maybe having finally forced his hand!

This, for me, was one of the most fascinating interviews I've done in a long time, talking with Elizabeth Weber about her marriage and career with Billy Joel, the HBO documentary and what her life is like now. If you saw the documentary, I know you'll enjoy reading this. variety.com/2025/music/n...

Scoop: Trump has started demolishing the White House's East Wing facade to build his ballroom. The president had claimed construction of the $250 million building wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure. /W @ddiamond.bsky.social wapo.st/4hqBNiU

Halsey continues to be underrated, to my mind... variety.com/2025/music/c...

It’s like they fed a bunch of mobster movies into ChatGPT and then beat it with sticks until it shat out the most garbled mafia boss preening imaginable

"Blue Moon," with Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart, is at the Century City/Burbank AMCs; goes wider next week. Urge you to see it; it was my favorite film out of Telluride and the best screenplay I've seen put to film all year. I'll repost a Q&A I did with Hawke at Telluride that got into "Blue Moon" ...

Wishing everyone a safe #NoKings. On behalf of @freedom.press I’m on lookout for reports of press rights violations nationwide. DMs should be open. Or tag me in a reply if you see concerning post. Most incidents are by police/DHS/ICE, but I want to hear if by protesters or counterprotesters too.

“Kids”

"Taylor Swift has lost the plot"

here are 14 albums that turned 50 this year that you might dig www.dontrocktheinbox.com/14-essential...

I interviewed Ken Sharp about this labor-of-love Raspberries tribute, which had me reliving my not-misspent-enough youth through all 37 tracks... Raspberries Mania Finally Goes All the Way With ‘Play On,’ a Tribute Album Giving the Power-Pop Greats Their Full Due variety.com/2025/music/n...

I wish I was surprised that Deadline claims it asked questions that were actually asked by me and other journalists at this James Gunn press conference. No one from Deadline even *submitted questions* for it (and I know, because I moderated). This is just brazen and sad.

I got deep into it with Amanda Shires... which is always a very good place to go. She was as bold, funny and perceptive as always when we had a long conversation backstage at the Opry. variety.com/2025/music/n...

I reviewed Paul McCartney's tour opening at the Santa Barbara Bowl. variety.com/2025/music/c...

Shit...

I had such a good time seeing "Eureka Day" at the Pasadena Playhouse. Here's my endorsement...

Jimmy Kimmel for President. (See: Ukraine 🇺🇦)

The Kimmel monologue was 18 minutes of extraordinary, raw television that will be hated by the people who wanted him off the air for good. Trump and Brendan Carr lost this one as badly as it's possible to lose.

Jimmy Kimmel: "He's gunning for our journalists too ... They want to pick and choose what the news is. I know that's not as interesting as muzzling a comedian, but it's so important to have a free press and it is nuts that we aren't paying more attention to it." Direct link. Watch these 60 seconds:

So many coverups. Release the Epstein files. Release the Homan tapes. Release the Venezuelan fishing boats evidence.

Eleven hours of “Twin Peaks: The Return” down, only eight to go at the ⁦‪American Cinematheque‬⁩’s weekend marathon.… I was afraid this might not hold up, after not having seen any of it since first airing, but it does—I wish everyone could experience it in one fell theatrical swoop.

My review of the Who at the Hollywood Bowl: variety.com/2025/music/n...

I recommend the new Lilith Fair documentary, out today on Hulu... variety.com/2025/music/r...

Natalie Weiner's piece looking back at "Nashville" is a great read... though you may not like it so much if you believe the movie is an unassailable masterpiece.

My review of a terrific Neil Young show at the Bowl... Neil Young Plays Favorites and Shows ‘Em How Protest Music Is Done in an Ideally Balanced Hollywood Bowl Show: Concert Review variety.com/2025/music/c... via @variety.com

I spent years covering "NCIS" at TV Guide, and "Tiva" most of all, since we put Michael and Cote on the cover more than anyone else. It felt like old-home week reviewing this spinoff show...which I was nervous to watch after all this time, but found completely delightful. variety.com/2025/tv/revi...

This is a great interview, and I'm looking forward to both of these movies.

Here's my Q&A with Ethan Hawke from Telluride about the two movies he had here, on Merle Haggard and Lorenz Hart, both of them great. variety.com/2025/film/ne...

Bruce Springsteen Tells Telluride Why He Gave the Go-Ahead to Exploring His Darker Side in ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere’: ‘Because I’m Old and I Don’t Give a F— Now’ variety.com/2025/music/n...

Bruce Springsteen at Telluride

My review of Ethan Hawke's wonderful Haggard documentary, which just premiered at Telluride yesterday. variety.com/2025/music/r...

Had fun reviewing (and really just listening to) this one... Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Man’s Best Friend’ Is One of the Year’s Best Pop Records — and Almost Certainly the Funniest: Album Review variety.com/2025/music/a...

If you're in L.A., come to Book Soup Tuesday night to see me interview Barry Mazor, author of an outstanding new Everly Brothers biography that is a must-read for music fans. www.booksoup.com/event/barry-...

Yeah, criminals are definitely stealing radios right out of new cars, that's absolutely something that happens today in 1987.

Happy 71st birthday, Elvis. One year ago, I did this ranking of 70 favorite songs of his (feeling like I was barely scratching the surface of his catalog, and I'm sure I'd make a lot of different choices today)... variety.com/lists/elvis-...

So glad to have spent some quality time talking with the wonderful Ashley Monroe about her new album, "Tennessee Lightning," which is out today, and her new "Moth" video, and what's been going on with her in her time away. variety.com/2025/music/n...

Veteran Christian Music Stars Like Phil Keaggy, Russ Taff, Amy Grant Unite for Livestream Benefit for Cancer-Stricken Journalist variety.com/2025/music/n...

As a "JCS" head from way back, I caught the final night of "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Bowl and wrote it up... variety.com/2025/music/c...

I wrote about why I enjoy this Lady Gaga tour so much... Why Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball Matters: Breaking Down a Tour That’s the Ultimate Tonic for 2025