William Earl It: Last News

William Earl It’s become a cliché, but it’s hard to imagine “Jerry Springer” airing in 2023. The tabloid talk show — which debuted in 1991 and aired 4,969 episodes during its 27-season run — was known for outrageous guests and NC-17 situations that soared over the boundaries of good taste. But the heart of the program was the good-natured host, a former newscaster and Cincinnati mayor who was a ringmaster to the circus that played out onstage every day. Springer, who died on April 27, was known in the industry as a loyal friend and a kind boss. He also had an impish sense of humor. He was the first to joke about the craziness of the show that made him nationally famous. But he also defended it and embraced the unique moments that only happened on his stage.

William Earl It’s hard to believe that a movie as wild as “Touch Me,” premiering Tuesday as part of Sundance’s Midnight slate, could be autobiographical. After all, a quick logline — two friends grow addicted to the heroin-esque touch of an alien and end up in a throuple with him — doesn’t even scratch at the surface of the genre-bending horror-comedy. Yet the film is quite personal to writer-director Addison Heimann.

William Earl It’s been 13 years since post-hardcore band Thursday released its most recent album, “No Devolución,” but the group has finally dropped a new song. The track, titled “Application for Release From the Dream,” came to streaming services after the band debuted the song live at a concert in Albany, NY.

William Earl It’s hard to believe that Jenny Lewis has been an indie rock mainstay for almost 25 years. She first burst onto the scene as lead singer and guitarist of Rilo Kiley, and since the release of their debut EP in 1999, she’s been dashing through genres and writing songs about love and heartbreak. After Rilo Kiley’s 2013 breakup, Lewis was prolific with new material and touring, releasing solo albums as well as collaborative work with Johnathan Rice, The Watson Twins and her supergroup Nice as Fuck. After spending much of 2021 playing arena shows opening for Harry Styles, Lewis is back on the road solo again promoting her breezy new album “Joy’All.” Her energetic show Tuesday night at New York’s The Rooftop at Pier 17 brought a great bounce to the new music from her fourth solo album and added a cheery sheen to her older material.

William Earl It goes without saying that Variety’s Power of Women New York event is taking place at an exceptionally difficult and divisive time — and while we are gathering to celebrate the formidable achievements of women in entertainment and the charities they generously support, it also goes without saying that there is still a very long way to go, and the importance of having women in power in entertainment is more vital than ever.On the positive side, there are more women in C-suites and positions of power in the music industry than ever before — as Variety noted earlier this year, even the traditional boys’ club of major-label A&R has seen several female executives made heads of those departments. But as the latest USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative report shows, the music industry has a lot of work to do.

William Earl It’s been more than two decades since Björk’s once-maligned, now-revered Marjan Pejoski “swan dress” became the talk of the 73rd Academy Awards red carpet, and since then her way-left-of-center proclivities have become more and more commonplace. Kanye West wearing a mask while performing the seismic Yeezus Tour? Lady Gaga’s meat outfit? Katy Perry’s singing, phallic mushrooms during her Vegas residency and latest “SNL” performance? All seem directly sprung from the Icelandic singer’s performance art universe.