Billie Jean: Last News

Michael Jackson’s album ‘Thriller’ is underway, with Sony Music Entertainment and Jackson’s estate on board to produce the project.As reported by Deadline, the as-yet-untitled documentary is being directed by music historian and filmmaker Nelson George, and will chronicle the meteoric success of the late pop star’s record-breaking sixth studio album. The film will feature never-before-seen footage and interviews, and will trace the album’s culture-shifting music videos.Speaking of the documentary’s focus in a press statement, George said that ‘Thriller’ “redefined Michael Jackson” and took “him from teen star to adult superstar”.

Filmmaker Cristina Costantini is leaving the Sundance Film Festival with an award and with distribution already secured for her documentary Sally, about the late astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Very few television programs have the iconic history of musical guests that Sesame Street does: Over the years it’s featured everyone from Stevie Wonder to Tony Bennett, Erykah Badu to the Fugees, Patti Labelle to R.E.M., and clever interpretations like odes to the letter U from both One Direction (“What Makes U Useful”) and Smokey Robinson (“U Really Got a Hold on Me”), and opera singer Marilyn Horne trilling an operatic version of “C Is for Cookie,” and much more. That legacy continues in the show’s 55th season, which launches on Max with Renee Rapp on Jan.

For the 98th year, NBC will again broadcast the Rose Parade live from Pasadena, CA. The 136th Rose Parade, presented by Honda, will air live Wednesday, Jan. 1 from 8-10 a.m. PT (11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET), and will be simulcast on Peacock.

Michael Jackson‘s ‘Beat It’ was initially much more metal-oriented before Quincy Jones suggested it be changed, his ‘Thriller’-era guitarist has said.Jackson’s session musician Steve Lukather spoke to The Guardian in a feature about Jones’ influence to commemorate his passing aged 91 earlier this month.Knowing Eddie Van Halen was already going to be on the track, Lukather took inspiration from his contributions. However, Jones later reminded him they were trying to create something for pop radio.“I played a bunch of really wild guitar parts, because I knew Eddie’s solo was on it,” said Lukather.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Hello Sunshine has entered into a first-look deal with Ross Greenburg Productions to develop and produce unscripted content centered on female sports, Variety has learned exclusively. Hello Sunshine, a Candle Media company, will work with RGP to add to their existing roster of unscripted female sports projects like “Surf Girls” at Amazon and “F1 Academy” at Netflix.

Joey King sits front row with her bright and bubbly orange drink at her first US Open Tennis Tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center on Friday (September 6) in Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York City.

Addie Morfoot Contributor ESPN Films has greenlit a “30 for 30” documentary about Billie Jean King, which is now in production with Ridley Scott Associates and Story Syndicate, in association with Elton John’s Rocket Sports. The docu is being touted as “the unfiltered, untold story of how King broke the rules and proved her critics wrong.” The film is told in King’s own voice and centers around one year that brings her life and career into focus: 1973.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Now that Olympic tennis has concluded, with Serbia’s Novak Djokovik taking home the gold on Sunday, the U.S Open is near. The summer competition returns to New York City’s Billie Jean King Tennis Center from Aug.

Four beloved BBC shows are set to be taken off air in a huge TV schedule shake-up. With Wimbledon kicking off on Monday, 1 July, the broadcaster has had to make room in its schedule for daily coverage of the tournament. Extended coverage of Wimbledon will be fronted by Clare Balding, 53, across BBC One and BBC Two.The likes of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will compete in the highly anticipated tennis tournament this year.

Bob Iger and his wife, Willow Bay, are closing in on an investment in Angel City FC in a deal that would make the pro soccer team the most valuable franchise in women’s professional sports.

Avram Glazer, a part-owner of Manchester United, has reportedly been unsuccessful in his attempt to become the controlling shareholder of National Women's Soccer League club Angel City.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Global talent, entertainment, sports and advisory company UTA has signed composer Laura Karpman for representation in all areas. The signing comes on the heels of her Oscar-nominated score for best picture nominee “American Fiction.” In a statement, Karpman who has won five Emmys said, “While I’m at my core a musician and composer, there are so many things that spark me creatively.

EXCLUSIVE: Goodfellas is adding a new sports-focused sales label to its growing roster of genre-based companies and themed sales strands.

Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant has said that the duo’s performance at Glastonbury in 2022 was the “worst moment” of his life.The electronic duo’s performance on The Other Stage on the Sunday of the festival was marred by technical difficulties which saw Tennant have to perform solo for six songs.Although they also delighted fans by bringing out Olly Alexander to perform ‘It’s A Sin’, Tennant has now reflected on how difficult that moment was in a new interview.“In our show there’s a screen and the screen goes up briefly, Chris and I appear and walk forward,” he told BBC Breakfast. “Glastonbury of course is live on television, we were headlining the Other Stage on the Sunday night, there’s 70,000 people there.“And the screen rose by about 10 inches and stopped and we just looked at each other and we couldn’t talk because you have the music in your headphones then.“So we both made a dash for it and ran around the front, Chris couldn’t get to his front keyboard in time so he went to a second keyboard positioned at the back and suddenly I run around and I think “I’m here by myself on live on television”.’He continued: “I didn’t know what had gone wrong, no one tells you and I had to do the first six songs by myself with an empty keyboard next to me.”“There’s was a real adrenaline rush off that.

Pet Shop Boys‘ Neil Tennant has admitted that he finds Taylor Swift‘s music “disappointing” following the release of her new album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’. Despite Swift’s massive success in recent years, with her new double album becoming the fastest-selling of 2024, Tennant said in a Guardian Live event An Evening with Pet Shop Boys that he thought the quality of her music didn’t hold up to her popularity.“What is Taylor Swift’s ‘Billie Jean’?” he asked.

slammed Taylor Swift on the heels of her “The Tortured Poets Department” album release.“She fascinates me as a sort of phenomenon because she is so popular,” Tennant, 68, said while speaking at the Guardian Live event “An Evening with Pet Shop Boys” in London on Monday, per The Independent.“I sort of like the whole thing but then think, ‘Where are the famous songs? What is Taylor Swift’s Billie Jean?'”He went on: “‘Shake it Off’? Is it though? I listened to that the other day and it is not ‘Billie Jean.’”Swift, 34, dropped her 11th studio album on April 19, which included a whopping 31 new songs seemingly about multiple ex-boyfriends, including Joe Alwyn, Matty Healy and John Mayer.Swift’s fans often theorize who she’s writing about with her lyrics and Easter eggs. She and Healy, 35, briefly dated last summer after her six-year relationship with Alwyn, 33, ended.

Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys has taken a pop at Taylor Swift, saying her tunes don't match up to classic hits from superstar Michael Jackson.

Jack Dunn The University of Southern California has chosen to “release our outside speakers and honorees from attending this year’s [commencement] ceremony,” which is set to take place May 10. This includes “Wicked” director Jon M.

William Earl QVC is bowing to the prevailing demographic trends with the launch of a massive business and programming initiative targeted women over the age of 50. The home shopping stalwart steered is introducing “The Age of Possibility” marketing and programming campaign highlighting female celebrities and leaders age 50 and over who are demonstrating the third act that modern women are experiencing. The list includes such boldface names as Martha Stewart, Queen Latifah, Naomi Watts, Christina Applegate, Billie Jean King, Patti LaBelle and Sherri Shepherd and prominent executives such as Dentsu’s Diane Epstein and Liberty Media’s Renee Wilm.

EXCLUSIVE: Mainstay Entertainment is producing a documentary on professional tennis player Aleksandra Krunic. Norman Aladjem and Madeleine Buisseret are producing for Mainstay along with sports documentarian Natalie Jowett, who wrote and directed an Emmy-winning documentary on the tragedy of the 1972 Munich Olympics and was nominated for an Emmy as a producer on the NFL Network documentary America’s Game and the Iran Hostage Crisis.

Paris Jackson was one of thousands in attendance at Madonna’s Celebration Tour at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on March 12. The daughter of Michael Jackson and her friend Mikiel Benyamin looked like they had an amazing time watching the iconic singer perform.There are many epic moments during Madonna’s show, but she also includes a tribute to Paris’ father.