Donna Summer: Last News

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Kanye West’s innovative use of samples was one of the hallmarks of his early hits — his slowed-down snippets of songs from Chaka Khan, Ray Charles, Daft Punk and more set a sonic path that countless artists would follow from that point on. But in recent years, as West’s behavior became more unpredictable and often aggressive, so too did his adherence to the legalities of samples, interpolations and straight covers of copyrighted songs and sounds.

Queen Latifah gave a salute to movie music icon Quincy Jones, who died at 91 from pancreatic cancer last November.But there were even more queens involved before Latifah perfromed a rousing rendition of “Ease on Down the Road” from “The Wiz,” which Jones brought from the stage to the screen in 1978.Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey — who both got big breakthroughs in 1985’s “The Color Purple” thanks to Jones — were reunited to honor their mentor.“Quincy was love lived out loud in human form,” said Winfrey. “And he poured that love into others and into his work.”“So tonight we honor the true American legend whose music and movies continue to inspire us all,” added Goldberg.Latifah and Jones go back to when the rapper-singer and Oscar-nominated actress appeared on his 1995 album “Q’s Jook Joint.” And Latifah played the Wiz herself in “The Wiz Live!” on NBC in 2015.As well as being a legendary producer of everyone from Frank Sinatra and Lesley Gore to Michael Jackson and Donna Summer, Jones was a giant in the film world, scoring such classic movies as “The Pawnbroker” (1965), “In the Heat of the Night”(1967), “In Cold Blood” (1967), “The Italian Job” (1969) and “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice” (1969).

Thania Garcia The Weeknd’s “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with a staggering 490,500 equivalent album units, making it the biggest debut of 2025. That marks the largest week for any album since Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” debuted at No.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Ariana DeBose won’t be crying for Argentina. The Oscar winner was in talks to star in Jamie Lloyd’s revival of “Evita” at the London Palladium, but sources tells me things didn’t work out “due to scheduling.” The musical is scheduled to run June 16-Sept. 6.

Jack Waddell, a former opera singer who became a beloved and revered vocal coach for such Broadway stars as Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jessica Vosk and Brandon Victor Dixon, died January 1 at his home in Bloomington, Illinois, under the care of friends. He was 83.

Richard Perry, a music producer behind hits like Carly Simon‘s “You’re So Vain,” has died. He was 82.

Season one of the new Prime Video series Cross is now streaming and we caught up with actress Samantha Walkes amid the release!

the old Hollywood bob continues to reign supreme. Case in point: Michelle Yeoh and her super glamorous take on the trend.The Everything Everywhere All at Once star didn't just cut her hair though: Much like fellow beauty icons Yeoh leaned in and went for a bold new hair color too.The Oscar winner showed off a whole new look, complete with voluminous , at the Los Angeles Premiere of Wicked at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on November 9.

proved this herself at the . Attending in support of her mother, , even Beyoncé couldn’t help but ) during her mom’s acceptance speech.

Last Days Of The Space Age.Created by David Chidlow, the series follows three families in Perth in 1979 as the city gears up to host the year’s Miss Universe pageant.Other cast members include Deborah Mailman, Linh-Dan Pham, Iain Glen, George Mason, Vico Thai, and Thomas Weatherall.All eight episodes of the series were released on Disney+ in the UK on October 2.The show’s score is by Caitlin Yeo, whose past credits include Australian films such as The Rocket, All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane, and 2010’s Jucy.The series features many songs from the era, including tracks by the Bee Gees, Chic, and Donna Summer.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Here’s one cake that didn’t get left out too long in the rain: the eternal pop pastry that is “MacArthur Park.” The song’s epic length and unusual structure haven’t kept it from turning into a decades-spanning perennial, one that is just finding yet another new life as a result of its extensive use in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which scores a full-on movie-musical climax with actor-singer Richard Harris‘ original 1968 version before switching to Donna Summer’s disco remake for the end credits. Jimmy Webb is one of the indisputably greatest songwriters of all time, known for undying classics like “Wichita Lineman,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Galveston” and “Highwayman.” “MacArthur Park” is undoubtedly his most polarizing song, but that could be part of the reason for its shelf life, against all odds.

Jack Dunn In partnership with Warner Brothers’ WaterTower Records, online physical media boutique Waxwork Records is releasing the soundtrack to “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” on vinyl. Featuring Donna Summer, Bee Gees, Tess Parks and original orchestral cues from Danny Elfman, the music from Tim Burton‘s horror comedy sequel will be available Sept.

Franz Ferdinand have announced their brand new single ‘Audacious’ will be released later this week.The Scottish rock band took to their official social media accounts to share a video teaser of their new track which sees Miaoux Miaoux – real name Julian Victor Corrie, the band’s keyboard and synthesizer player – turn the left as he looks at something that completely grabs his attention and leaves him in a state of surprise.‘Audacious’ is set for release this Wednesday (September 11) and is available to be pre-saved here. Along with the new single, the indie icons are also expected to release a new album in the near future.Audacious – New SingleWednesdayPre-save here: https://t.co/ypT4u25Gwt pic.twitter.com/W0Wxdb9PJX— Franz Ferdinand (@Franz_Ferdinand) September 9, 2024The band’s last full-length release was 2018’s ‘Always Ascending’.

Plenty of bananas and a gruesomely gorgeous wedding cake get praise in musical moments in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Several 80s artists like Donna Summer, Jimmy Buffet and The Bee Gees have songs featured in the film, which is a followup to the 1988 original starring Michael Keaton as the ghost with the most, Winona Ryder as goth girl Lydia Deetz and Catherine O’Hara as Lydia’s stepmother Delia Deetz.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is in cinemas now, but what songs are included on the long-awaited sequel’s soundtrack? See the full list below.The film is the follow-up to the 1988 cult goth comedy horror, and sees director Tim Burton and stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara return to the franchise alongside newcomers Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe and Monica Bellucci.Ortega plays the rebellious Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Ryder’s Lydia, as the Deetz clan return home to Winter River following the death of Charles Deetz. See the film’s trailer below.Ortega recently sparked memories of one of her on-screen mother’s iconic looks from the film by recreating it during the press tour.The Wednesday star also spoke about the fast friendship she formed with Ryder on the set of the movie.

Coronation Street star Claire Sweeney has been encouraged to 'keep going' as she shared a positive update with her fans and followers. The actress has recently been soaking up the last of the summer in Spain.

Kanye West and Donna Summer‘s estate have finally reached a settlement over the alleged “illegal” use of ‘I Feel Love’ on the rapper’s ‘Vultures 1’ album.A copyright infringement lawsuit was filed against both West and Ty Dolla $ign back in February by Summer’s husband Bruce Sudano, claiming that the two rappers did not have permission to sample the 1977 disco hit on their collaborative album.It was alleged at the time that representatives for West – had asked for permission to use the sample on his track ‘Good (Don’t Die)’, but were turned down by the late singer’s estate as they “wanted no association with West’s controversial history”.Sudano also claimed that West and Ty then approached Summer’s record label, Universal Music Enterprises, in a bid to be granted permission, but were denied once again. From there, he alleged, the two rappers “shamelessly” included re-recorded parts of the hit that were “instantly recognisable” on the ‘Vultures 1’ cut.Shortly after the lawsuit emerged, ‘Good (Don’t Die)’ was removed from Spotify and other streaming services.Last month, it was reported that a settlement had been reached and now in new court documents, it has been confirmed that the case has been dismissed with prejudice, according to Pitchfork.The documents did not reveal the terms of the settlement and all parties are yet to comment on the outcome.This wasn’t the only claim of infringement that arose following the release of ‘Vultures 1’.

Amber Riley is putting her incredible vocals to work in a new cover of Donna Summer‘s classic song “MacArthur Park” and JustJared.com has the exclusive premiere of the music video!

, has blessed us with yet another larger-than-life—yet somehow, still low-key—hairstyle: The modern-day bouffant blowout.The “ has been having a beauty renaissance of sorts, pioneering the return of va-va-voluminous hairstyles like and referencing beauty icons past like , , and even her younger self. Well, the last one may not have been intentional, but Cyrus' return to her natural shade of brown was .Cyrus has since made the color and length her own in the present day, as proven by new promo photos for the fifth season of 's My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman.In the photos, Cyrus is rocking a look that can only be described as the classic sky-high bouffant meets a bouncy, ‘90s-inspired blowout.

Donna Summer estate has reportedly reached a settlement with Kanye West over the alleged “illegal” use of ‘I Feel Love’ in the rapper’s ‘Vultures 1’ album.A lawsuit was filed against both West and Ty Dolla $ign back in February, claiming that the two rappers did not have permission to sample the 1977 disco hit on their collaborative album.The copyright infringement lawsuit was filed in federal court in Los Angeles, California on February 27 by Summer’s husband Bruce Sudano in his role as executor of the estate.It alleged that representatives for West – who now goes by Ye – had asked for permission to use the sample on his track ‘Good (Don’t Die)’, but was turned down by the late singer’s estate as they “wanted no association with West’s controversial history”.Sudano also claimed that West and Ty then approached Summer’s record label, Universal Music Enterprises, in a bid to be granted permission, but were denied once again.From there, he alleged, the two rappers “shamelessly” included re-recorded parts of the hit that were “instantly recognisable” on the ‘Vultures 1’ cut.Shortly after the lawsuit emerged, ‘Good (Don’t Die)’ was removed from Spotify and other streaming services.Now, outlets including Rolling Stone have reported that Donna Summer’s family have reached a settlement with Ye and Ty.In a status report filed yesterday (May 15) in Los Angeles’ federal court, a lawyer representing Summer’s estate said that the parties involved came to a “global settlement” on May 3 and began gathering signatures to officially resolve the lawsuit this week.“Plaintiff anticipates that the final settlement agreement can be executed shortly, and soon thereafter, the parties will be in a position to file a stipulation for dismissal of

Kanye West has announced that ‘Vultures 2’ – his highly anticipated second collaborative album with Ty Dolla $ign – will be out next week.Back in February February, Ye and Dolla $ign released the long-awaited debut collaborative project ‘Vultures 1’ – which featured verses from the former’s daughter North West, YG, Playboi Carti, Freddie Gibbs, and more. The LP was the first instalment in the ‘Vultures’ trilogy, with the two sequels originally set to be released March 8 and April 5, respectively.This week, West sat down with social media icon Justin Laboy for the first-ever episode of The Download – a new podcast exclusively on the Yeezy website.