The Weeknd Hits the Dancefloor With ‘Take My Breath,’ New Song and Video

Coronation Street star Simon Gregson is in talks to host a motoring show.The soap star - who has played cabbie Steve McDonald in the ITV show since 1989 - and his pals, Wheelers Dealers host Mike Brewer and Salvage Hunters presenters Paul Cowland and Drew Pritchard, are in discussions about a new series focusing on his passion for cars.He said: “I’m very good friends with Mike Brewer and Paul Cowland and Drew Pritchard, who all do car shows, of course.“And we’re actually in talks at the moment about possibly getting something off the ground.“So fingers crossed.”As well as creating a new car show, Simon, 47, has set his sights on presenting Top Gear one day.He said: “I’d absolutely love to [host Top Gear]. Ever since I could push a little car around the carpet they have been a huge passion of mine.“And yeah, it’s just the best job in the world to present that show.”Simon had some time away from the Corrie cobbles when he starred in ITV’s I’m A Celebrity...

Manchester United at present is their inability to put together a run - but with Cristiano Ronaldo in their side, anything is possible.Speaking ahead of United’s Premier League encounter against Brighton, the former defender spoke about the problems currently plaguing the northwest club.Via BT Sport, the 43-year-old spoke about the side’s lack of consistency - but stated that Ronaldo still offers a threat going forward despite the attacker’s recent slump."That's the problem, the inconsistency,” he said.“Worrying about what Man Utd are going to turn up, what United team is going to come out in the first half compared to the second half, actually.“I keep saying the same thing, Jeckel and Hyde performances with each half. They've got to find some consistency.“This man here [Ronaldo]...

Oscars 2022 which is decided by a public vote.The Academy announced on Monday (February 14) that people can vote on Twitter for their favourite film of 2021 using the #OscarsFanFavorite hashtag or by casting a ballot on the Oscars Fan Favorite website. Voting closes on March 3.The winner from the public vote will be announced during the ceremony at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles on March 27.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJust days after Jay-Z and Roc Nation took part in a $325 million investment in the Fanatics sports e-commerce platform, the rapper, along with Fanatics onwer and Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin have applied for a New York gaming license to form Fanatics Sportsbook. The news was first reported by TMZ and ESPN and confirmed by Variety.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMadonna, the top-selling female artist of all time, will bring her entire catalog of recorded music under the Warner Music umbrella as part of a career-spanning global partnership announced Monday. The singer, who launched her career with Warner, has sold more than 300 million records worldwide, won seven Grammys and dozens of other major awards, including 24 ASCAP Pop Music awards, MTV VMAs, Brits, Ivor Novellos, Junos and more, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorYoung veterans are nothing new in the music biz, but it still feels odd that Jade Bird is just 23: Her label, Glassnote, began showcasing her five years ago and she soon followed with an EP and, in 2019, a solid debut album. But her new release, “Different Kinds of Light,” is the proverbial big step forward, the one that conjures words like “maturity” and finds her becoming a seasoned performer, songwriter and especially singer.It’s almost like hearing a different artist, particularly on the opening “Open Up the Heavens” and the tracks that immediately follow — her smooth yet powerful delivery hasn’t necessarily changed, but there’s a subtlety and emotional depth that wasn’t there before.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorUniversal Music Publishing is disputing wording by Hipgnosis Songs in a statement released Monday announcing Hipgnosis’ acquisition of a song catalog from Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac, one of the most commercially successful groups of the past 50 years.The disagreement stems from Hipgnosis’ unusually worded announcement, which can be seen as implying that Hipgnosis has acquired the entirety of a 115-song catalog from McVie, although that is not the case.In a statement to Variety on Thursday, UMPG emphasizes that it owns and administers “the vast majority” of McVie’s catalog, although its statement does not mention the upstart music-rights company, which has spent more than $2 billion acquiring song catalogs

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLegendary singer Tony Bennett — who celebrated his 95th birthday just last week, performing with Lady Gaga at two-sold out shows at New York’s Radio City Music Hall — has canceled his Fall 2021 tour dates.The tour — consisting of pre-pandemic shows dates had been rescheduled — was slated to begin in September. The affected dates include New York, Maryland and Connecticut as well as Oklahoma and Canada.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSometimes, when an artist makes a featured appearance on another artist’s song, you can tell that it’s just a payday — the featured artist got a nice check to add credibility to another artist that they don’t really know or maybe even respect. (No examples are necessary — we see them every week.)Then there are the features where you can tell the artists not only like but genuinely admire each other and have a real personal chemistry — which  definitely seems to be the case with Jack Harlow and Lil Nas X on their tag-team “Industry Baby” and its controversial video.Of course, barely a month has passed this year where Lil Nas hasn’t released a “controversial video” of one kind or another.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJustin Bieber and Megan Thee Stallion led the nominations for MTV’s 2021 VMAs, which were unveiled by the network Wednesday. Bieber leads with seven nods, Megan is next with six, and several artists followed with five: Billie Eilish, BTS, Doja Cat, Drake, Giveon, and two of this week’s Variety cover stars, Lil Nas X and first-time nominee Olivia Rodrigo.The 2021 VMAs return to New York City this year, airing live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Sunday, September 12 at 8PM ET/PT, airing across MTV’s linear and digital platforms in 180 countries and territories.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTwo years after R. Kelly was jailed on multiple sexual assault and misconduct charges, his trial in New York begins with jury selection after months of Covid-related delays.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorKanye West has apparently removed a remix of his song “Nah Nah Nah” featuring DaBaby from streaming services. The remix, which was released last year and also featured 2Chainz, was disappeared from Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal over the weekend and was first reported by HotNewHipHop.DaBaby is entering a third week of negative reaction to homophobic comments he made onstage at the Rolling Loud Miami festival on the weekend of July 23.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie has sold her 115-title song catalog to Hipgnosis, the fast-growing music company that has spent more than $2 billion in three years acquiring rights to a vast number of popular songs.McVie, who first joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970, is the writer of many of the long-running group’s biggest hits, including “Don’t Stop,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Over My Head,” “Songbird,” “Say You Love Me” and others.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAnother week, another blown Kanye West release date — this time, for a second time, with his long-delayed “Donda” album. First it was coming out last July, then July 23, then August 6, now it’s apparently August 13 — or maybe August 15! — according to eagle-eyed sleuths who spotted the dates change on iTunes and Apple Music a few hours after it failed to arrive yet again this past Friday.Of course, an album drop is never JUST an album drop for Kanye.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter unveiling it during a performance at Boston’s Fenway Park on Tuesday, Guns N’ Roses have released “Absurd,” their first official new song since their 2008 album “Chinese Democracy.”However, to call the song “new” is a relative term: The song, formerly called “Silkworms,” has been knocking around for two decades and was reportedly written during the years of sessions for “Chinese Democracy.”The fast-paced track features Axl Rose singing with an almost comical British-tinged accent, along with several vintage shrieks.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMost fans have a favorite Beatle, but there’s not much debate about which Beatles solo album is the best: George Harrison’s epic “All Things Must Pass.”Released in November 1970, just seven months after the group’s breakup was belatedly confirmed, it has become synonymous with the concept of suppressed brilliance. Since he first landed a composition on a Beatles album with “Don’t Bother Me” in 1963, Harrison had battled, largely unsuccessfully, to place his songs on the group’s records, eventually securing one per LP and finally one per vinyl side.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOlivia Rodrigo, whose ‘Drivers License’ single and ‘Sour’ album have made her the breakout music star of 2021, has signed with Sony Music Publishing, the company announced on Wednesday (August 4). It is her first publishing deal.While she was already well-known for her role as Nini on “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” Rodrigo’s career quickly lofted into the stratosphere with the release of her ubiquitous song “Drivers License” in January and her debut album, “Sour,” in May.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Weeknd’s video for his new song “Take My Breath” — which has been previewed in an Olympics ad and on social media this week — was scheduled to air in Imax theaters before “Suicide Squad” this week, but has been pulled due to epilepsy warnings regarding to the “intense strobe lighting” in the clip, a source close to the situation tells Variety.The song, the first leading up to the Weeknd’s follow-up to his blockbuster “After Hours” album, will be released on Friday at 12 a.m.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter a long break, Grammy-winning singer Lizzo is returning with a new single called “Rumors” on August 13, with an album presumably on the way,  although reps did not immediately respond to requests for further information. Sources tell Variety the song is “very different.”It is available for pre-order in a dizzying array of formats here.The song comes in advance of several live performances by the singer, including her stint as the first woman to ever headline Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorA day after DaBaby was dropped from the Lollapalooza lineup for his homophobic comments last week, New York’s Governors Ball canceled his performance at the festival, which takes place in September.In a tweet labeled “Stay tuned for a lineup addition,” the festival’s promoter wrote in a social media message: “Founders Entertainment does not and will not tolerate hate or discrimination of any kind. We welcome and celebrate the diverse communities that make New York City the greatest city in the world.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Weeknd teased new music early Monday morning in a snippet posted on social media called “The Dawn Is Coming” and talked generally about it in a new GQ article, calling it “the album I’ve always wanted to make.”The song has a heavy electronic dance groove reminiscent of “Alive 2007”-era Daft Punk, but with the Weeknd’s haunting, echo-laden melody soaring over it.The Weeknd teased the song with three days of hints (a wiped Instagram account followed by a new post and a song snippet), but new music has been expected for some time, especially since the long series of remixes, features and new songs that were released in the months following his blockbuster “After Hours” album came to an end with 2020.He’s also