David Byrne: Last News

It’s that time of year again. The time when Academy membership dreams are met or (in some cases) crushed.

It’s that time of year again — the break between Cannes and the fall festivals, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences makes its membership invitations. The Oscars group said today that it has extended offers to 398 artists and execs — one more than last year — who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to motion pictures.

Jon Burlingame Three months from now, the Weeknd might just have an Emmy to place alongside his four Grammys and his Oscar nomination. That’s because he joins a dozen other music superstars — including Dolly Parton, Common, Ryan Tedder, “Weird Al” Yankovic and Meshell Ndegeocello — who have entered work in this year’s Emmy competition. Voting began yesterday in the seven music categories. Approximately 550 members of the Academy’s music branch (composers, songwriters, music directors, orchestrators or music supervisors) will cast ballots, although viewing the hundreds of entries before voting ends on June 26 is an impossible task, Academy officials privately concede.

In hindsight, it’s quite amazing that anyone could watch Adrienne Shelly’s final film as a director and see it as anything but a movie. It was a good one, a simple story about a small-town woman who falls pregnant by her abusive lover and complicates matters by having an affair with her gynecologist. Starring Keri Russell, the film was funny, romantic, frankly feminist and pulled no punches when it needed to, and its modest success of the box office made it all the more tragic that Shelly, murdered in her own apartment by a construction worker in 2006, would never make another.

David Byrne has reached an agreement with a musicians union over his Here Lies Love Broadway musical.The musical is based Byrne and Fatboy Slim‘s double album of the same name, which was released in 2010 and documents the life of Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines.It was previously held at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in 2012, New York’s Public Theater in 2013, London’s National Theater in 2014, and the Seattle Repertory Theater in 2017.But a new Broadway production, which is set to premiere on July 20 with previews beginning next weekend, received an objection from the American Federation of Musicians’ Local 802 last month over the show’s plan to use pre-recorded music.The union claimed that it violated a contract clause requiring that at least 19 musicians are hired for all musicals staged at the Broadway Theater. Responding to criticism in The New York Times, a spokesperson for the production claimed that the decision to use pre-recorded music was “part of the karaoke genre inherent to the musical and the production concept.”At the time, Byrne issued a statement of his own defending the production choices, explaining the “dance club track-act immersion” as part of the show’s nontraditional staging.But it has now been agreed that the production will go ahead with 12 musicians, all of whom are union members.We are proud to announce that “Here Lies Love” will have live music in the form of 12 musicians.

Thania Garcia “Here Lies Love,” the new David Byrne musical that’s set to begin previews on Broadway starting June 17, and the American Federation of Musicians’ Local 802 have reached an agreement over the inclusion of live musicians in the production. The show will be continuing with 12 musicians, according to a statement from Local 802 shared with Variety. “Broadway is a very special place with the best musicians and performances in the world, and we are glad this agreement honors that tradition,” commented Tino Gagliardi, Local 802’s president and executive director in the announcement. Producers of the musical also issued a statement: “On behalf of our entire cast, company and creative team, we have reached an agreement with Musicians Union Local 802, per the collective bargaining agreement. We look forward to welcoming audiences to experience the revolutionary musical experience that is Here Lies Love at the Broadway Theatre beginning on Saturday, June 17.”

Twelve musicians will be included in the upcoming Broadway production of the David Byrne-Fatboy Slim musical Here Lies Love, an agreement reached today in a labor dispute over the use of pre-recorded music tracks.

Here Lies Love,” advertising a score by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim and direction by the ground-breaking Tony winner Alex Timbers. The show’s logo is superimposed over a mirror ball, literally reflecting the production’s highly unusual immersive nightclub setting, a semi-ironic counterpoint to a sobering story about the rise and fall of fascistic Filipino power couple Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. The tag line above that disco totem: “The Revolutionary Music Experience.” It’s a revolution that the union representing Broadway musicians would like to stop in its tracks, at least in its current form. And with the show set to open for previews in less than two weeks, the production and the Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians remain at loggerheads about how “Here Lies Love” will, or should, proceed.

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St Vincent and David Byrne have performed a cover of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Chemical Love’ together live – watch the moment below.The pair, who have collaborated together frequently in the past, performed the rendition of Wonder’s song at the Brooklyn Academy of Music earlier this week (May 10). The event was held to honour Byrne, filmmaker Spike Lee and real estate lawyer, Claire Wood.St Vincent, aka Annie Clark, performed a short set of songs at the event including ‘New York’, ‘Los Ageless’ and ‘Dancing With A Ghost’ from her 2018 album ‘Masseduction‘ before joining forces on stage with Byrne to cover ‘Chemical Love’ from the Jungle Fever soundtrack – a film directed by Lee.Speaking about their decision to cover the song, Byrne said: “We kind of wanted to tie Spike into this somehow, so this is a song from Jungle Fever, specifically ‘Chemical Love’ by Stevie Wonder,” he explained.“It takes a little bit of nerve for us to do it,” Byrne added.

The day has arrived and all the celebs are making their arrivals on the red carpet at the 2023 Met Gala

Chris Frantz Sire Records co-founder Seymour Stein was indisputably one of the greatest music executives of all time, with a career that spanned six decades and a rare ear for talent that led Madonna, Talking Heads, Lou Reed, Ice-T, Depeche Mode, the Pretenders, the Smiths, and many others to his label. Stein, who died on April 2 at the age of 80, is remembered here by Chris Frantz, drummer of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, who, with Tina Weymouth (now his wife), Jerry Harrison and of course David Byrne, signed with the label late in 1976.  Seymour told this story many times. His first visit to CBGB’s on the Bowery was to see the Ramones. His wife Linda insisted that he see them because they were something new and fabulous and she thought he should sign them, which he did. He was standing outside the club on the sidewalk speaking with [Patti Smith’s longtime guitarist] Lenny Kaye, waiting for Ramones to go on when he heard the support band begin to play. “When my love stands next to your love….”

Talking Heads’ bassist Tina Weymouth has described frontman David Byrne as “insecure” in a series of essays in the Sunday Times.Alongside drummer and husband Chris Frantz, who released a memoir titled Remain In Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina in 2020, she opened up about their complicated relationship with Byrne.“I recently described David Byrne as Trumpian, which didn’t go down well with everybody,” Weymouth wrote. “What I meant was that, from my experience, everything with David is transactional – he will use you until he has no more use for you.“He always seemed very insecure about himself and would often try to blame other people if things went wrong. Chris and I loved him dearly and we did our best to overlook these disastrous character flaws, but it seemed obvious that Talking Heads wasn’t going to last.”She continued: “In interviews David always says he’s happy and I’d like to believe that.

A new restoration of Jonathan Demme’s one-of-a-kind 1984 Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense is underway via A24, the production company announced Thursday (March 16). It hits theaters August 18, alongside a deluxe reissue of its soundtrack (via Rhino) featuring previously unheard takes from the four December 1983 L.A.

Talking Heads‘ Stop Making Sense documentary is returning to cinemas 39 years on from its original release.The film, directed by Jonathan Demme, captured the band at the height of their powers in 1983. Stop Making Sense was shot in Hollywood at the Pantages Theater, with the band touring in support of their fifth album, ‘Speaking in Tongues’.The entire concert was a tightly choreographed production and something unique at the time.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter A24 has acquired worldwide rights to the classic Talking Heads concert film “Stop Making Sense.” A 4K restoration of the movie will be released in theaters globally later this year. Jonathan Demme, the acclaimed filmmaker of “Silence of the Lambs” and “Philadelphia,” directed the 1984 film, which is regarded as one of the greatest concert films ever.If the suit still fits… This year, we’re bringing Jonathan Demme’s groundbreaking 1984 Talking Heads concert film STOP MAKING SENSE (newly remastered in 4K!) back to theaters worldwide. #StopMakingSense2023 pic.twitter.com/Kh2Nevaf2X “Stop Making Sense” stars core band members David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison along with Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir, Steve Scales, Lynn Mabry and Edna Holt. The live performance was shot, roughly 40 years, ago over the course of three nights at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December of 1983 and features Talking Heads’ most memorable songs, including “Burning Down the House” and “This Must Be the Place.”

In the wake of delivering Talking Heads frontman David Byrne his second Oscar nomination with Everything Everywhere All at Once, A24 has acquired worldwide rights to his former band’s 1984 cult hit concert pic, Stop Making Sense, for theatrical release later this year.

John Mulaney’s latest standup special will premiere next month on Netflix. John Mulaney: Baby J debuts globally April 25 on the streamer.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter John Mulaney’s newest standup special, titled “John Mulaney: Baby J,” will premiere April 25 on Netflix. It marks Mulaney’s third Netflix standup special following 2015’s “The Comeback Kid” and 2018’s “Kid Gorgeous.” One of his earlier comedy hours, 2012’s “New in Town,” is also available on Netflix. He also worked with the streamer on the Emmy-nominated children’s variety special “John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch” in 2019. Alex Timbers directed “Baby J,” which features music from David Byrne of Talking Heads. It was filmed in Boston’s Symphony Hall in February 2023.

The Oscars brought the star power AND the spectacle when it came to the Best Original Song performances!

This year’s Oscars featured one of the more eclectic nights for musical performances in the recent history of the telecast. Not only did you have the massive A-listers, but there was also a Bollywood song, one of the most decorated songwriters, and David Byrne rounding out the night.