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      5 Things to Do This New Year’s Weekend

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best ComedyBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest MoviesBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyweekend roundup5 Things to Do This New Year’s WeekendOur critics and writers have selected noteworthy cultural events to experience virtually.Dec. 31, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ETDanceMaking the Old NewKenneth Shirley of Indigenous Enterprise in a scene from a short film that is streaming on the Joyce Theater’s website until Sunday.Credit…Danny UpshawSince September, the Joyce Theater has been offering a free virtual fall season that is as good as some of its best in-person ones. The secret has been surprise and an avoidance of the usual suspects. If that is a little less true of the latest batch of videos — available through Sunday at joyce.org/joycestream — the variety still provides plenty of spice.The connecting theme might be “tradition reimagined.” Indigenous Enterprise captures the beauty of Native American dances in urban settings. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo revives parts of the 19th-century ballet “Paquita” with an all-male cast. Streb Extreme Action does daredevil stunts with huge machines; it’s like a carnival side show performed by cool astronauts.Vanessa Sanchez and the group La Mezcla, from San Francisco, mix modern tap and zapateado to celebrate the women of the Zoot Suit Riots of the 1940s. And Rennie Harris Puremovement shows once again how hip-hop can convey both can’t-take-your-eyes-off-it flash and hard-to-watch grief.BRIAN SEIBERTKidsBon Voyage to BoredomA scene from “Journey Around My Bedroom,” an interactive production that will livestream on Zoom through Jan. 10.Credit…New Ohio TheaterA room can be a refuge, but without an easy exit, it can also feel like a jail. For the Frenchman Xavier de Maistre, it was both: While under house arrest in 1790, he wrote “Voyage Around My Room,” a tribute to the creativity his imprisonment unleashed.Now de Maistre’s work has inspired New Ohio Theater for Young Minds’ first virtual presentation, “Journey Around My Bedroom.” Written by Dianne Nora and directed by Jaclyn Biskup, with songs by Hyeyoung Kim, this whimsical 35-minute play emulates Victorian toy theater, in which puppeteers manipulated cutouts on a tiny stage. (Myra G Reavis did the inventive design, assisted by Ana Maria Aburto.) Traveling in a failing dirigible, de Maistre visits Xavi, a contemporary girl who discovers that her own room offers hidden adventure.The production, which livestreams on Zoom Fridays to Sundays through Jan. 10, includes audience participation and a post-show discussion. Children can also follow the journey, though less interactively, in an on-demand video Jan. 11-Feb. 11. Tickets to gain access to these performances are pay-what-you-wish and available at newohiotheatre.org.LAUREL GRAEBERArtTime to Ponder Time ItselfClodion’s “The Dance of Time: Three Nymphs Supporting a Clock” will be the topic of discussion on Friday during the Frick Collection’s “Cocktails With a Curator.”Credit…Claude Michel and JeanBaptiste Lepaute; via Frick Collection; Michael BodycombWhen the Frick Collection introduced its virtual series, “Cocktails With a Curator,” its deputy director and Peter Jay Sharp chief curator, Xavier F. Salomon, described the program as a way to show how the museum’s pieces are “relevant to issues we’re facing today.” That’s especially true for the artwork featured in the next episode: “The Dance of Time: Three Nymphs Supporting a Clock,” by the 18th-century sculptor Clodion with the clockmaker Jean-Baptiste Lepaute. Looking back on 2020, the passage of time has never felt so complicated.There’s also nothing simple about “The Dance of Time.” The three terra-cotta nymphs holding up a globe-encased clock are either witnessing the passage of time or represent it themselves. To find out more, make a metropolitan (or the mocktail alternative, a ginger ale hot toddy; both recipes are on the Frick’s website), and tune in to the museum’s YouTube channel on Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern time to hear Salomon discuss the timelessness of this unique timepiece.MELISSA SMITHPop & RockSummerStage Is Just a Screen AwaySoccer Mommy and her band performed for SummerStage Anywhere in November. The show is available to watch on YouTube.Credit…via City Parks FoundationWhile its recently renovated stage in Central Park sat idle this past season, SummerStage — the nonprofit organization that typically floods the five boroughs with live outdoor music — sprouted roots in virtual space. Its season of free online programming, SummerStage Anywhere, is now complete, but is archived on their YouTube channel for latecomers to enjoy.Offerings are wide-ranging, crossing disciplines, genres and generations. Soccer Mommy, an indie-rock darling, performed her first and, so far, only full-band show in support of her latest album, “Color Theory.” ASAP Ferg joined Fab 5 Freddy, one of hip-hop’s elder statesmen, for a conversation about creativity in the face of racial injustice. Gloria Gaynor and her band revisited hits from her disco heyday (including, of course, “I Will Survive,” a song that has special resonance these days). For those of us yearning for a time when we can once again spread our blankets and take in the sounds at Rumsey Playfield, this series provides a nice stopgap.OLIVIA HORNClassical MusicCatch Up With ‘Density 2036’Claire Chase recently released four full-length CDs for her ongoing “Density 2036” project.Credit…Karen ChesterPreviously, listeners curious about “Density 2036” — the ambitious, 23-year commissioning project that the flutist Claire Chase started in 2013 — have needed to stake out her concerts. (While Chase recorded her interpretations of a couple of the earliest works at the beginning of the project, studio renditions seemed to have taken a back seat to live dates in recent years.)Now four new full-length CDs, released by Corbett vs. Dempsey Records, allow a global audience to catch up with the first half-decade of Chase’s initiative. (They’re also available digitally on Bandcamp.) Highlights abound in each set, thanks to a range of composers that includes Marcos Balter, George Lewis and Pauline Oliveros. And one particularly striking stretch on “Part IV” features a version of Tyshawn Sorey’s “Bertha’s Lair” (with the composer heard on percussion alongside Chase). That fancifully vigorous piece is directly followed by a distinct yet similarly percussive work: “Five Empty Chambers” by Vijay Iyer.SETH COLTER WALLSAdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Fou Ts’ong, Famed Chinese Pianist, Dies of Covid-19 at 86

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      AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyFou Ts’ong, Pianist Whose Family Letters Inspired a Generation, Dies at 86Driven from China during Mao’s rule, Mr. Fou kept up a correspondence with his father that became a beloved book in the wake of the Cultural Revolution.Fou Ts’ong in 1960. He was one of the first pianists from China to win international renown.Credit…Erich Auerbach/Hulton Archive, via Getty ImagesDec. 31, 2020, 4:59 a.m. ETFou Ts’ong, a Chinese pianist known for his sensitive interpretations of Chopin, Debussy and Mozart, and whose letters from his father, a noted translator and writer, influenced a generation of Chinese readers, died on Monday at a hospital in London, where he had lived for many years. He was 86.The cause was the coronavirus, said Patsy Toh, a pianist, who had been married to Mr. Fou since 1975.In 1955, Mr. Fou became one of the first Chinese pianists to achieve global prominence when he took third place in the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, also winning a special prize for his performance of Chopin’s mazurkas.Almost overnight, he became a national hero at home. To China’s nascent Communist-led government, Mr. Fou’s recognition in a well-known international competition was proof that the country could stand on its own artistically in the West. Chinese reporters flocked to interview Mr. Fou, while many others sought out his father, Fu Lei, a prominent translator of French literature, for advice on child-rearing.But the authorities’ good will did not last long.Two years later, Mao Zedong initiated the Anti-Rightist Campaign, during which hundreds of thousands of Chinese intellectuals, including Mr. Fu, were persecuted. Many were tortured and banished to labor camps. Mr. Fou, then studying at the Warsaw Conservatory in Poland, was made to return to China to undergo “rectification” for several months.Not long after going back to Warsaw, Mr. Fou found himself in a quandary. Having witnessed the increasingly tumultuous political climate back home, he knew that if he returned to China upon graduation — as the government expected him to do — he would be expected to denounce his father, an unimaginable situation.So in December 1958, Mr. Fou fled then-Communist Poland for London, where he claimed political asylum.“About my leaving, I always felt full of regret and anguish,” he later recalled in an interview. So many intellectuals in China had suffered, he said, but he had escaped. “I felt uneasy, as if I owed something to all my friends,” he added.After his defection to London, Mr. Fou maintained a written correspondence with his father in Shanghai — a special privilege that was said to have been personally approved by Zhou Enlai, the Chinese premier.Then, in 1966, Mao unleashed the Cultural Revolution, a decade-long period of chaos that upended Chinese society. Militant Red Guards accused Mr. Fu, a prolific translator of writers like Balzac and Voltaire, of having “capitalistic” artistic taste, among other crimes. They humiliated and tortured the scholar and his wife for days until the couple, like many other Chinese, were driven to suicide. Mr. Fou, still in London, did not learn of his parents’ deaths until several months later.In 1981, after China’s post-Mao government posthumously restored the reputations of Mr. Fou’s parents, a volume of letters written by his father, primarily to Mr. Fou, was published in China. Full of advice, encouragement, life teachings and stern paternal love, the book, “Fu Lei’s Family Letters,” became an instant best seller in China.For many, the long disquisitions on music, art and life offered a welcome contrast to the Cultural Revolution years, which saw sons turn against fathers, students against teachers and neighbors against neighbors — all in the name of politics.“If you imagine the environment we grew up with, it was very rigid,” said Xibai Xu, a political analyst who first read the letters in middle school in Beijing. He added, “So when you read ‘Fu Lei’s Family Letters,’ you realized how a decent human life could be — a life that is very delicate and artistic, with real human emotions and not just ideology.”Besides influencing a generation of Chinese, Mr. Fu’s words resonated long after his death with the person for whom they were originally intended.“My father had a saying that ‘First you must be a person, then an artist, and then a musician, and only then can you be a pianist,’” Mr. Fou once recalled in an interview. “Even now, I believe in this order — that it should be this way and that I am this way.”Mr. Fou performing in New York City in 2006.Credit…Nan Melville for The New York TimesFou Ts’ong was born on March 10, 1934, in Shanghai. His father, in addition to being a translator, was an art critic and a curator. His mother, Zhu Meifu, was a secretary to her husband.Under the strict supervision of their father, Mr. Fou and his brother, Fu Min, were educated in the classical Chinese tradition, and they grew up surrounded by both Western and Chinese cultural influences. As a child, Mr. Fou studied art, philosophy and music, frequently making use of his father’s phonograph and extensive record collection.A lover of classical music from a young age, Mr. Fou began taking piano lessons when he was 7. He later studied under a number of teachers, including Mario Paci, the Italian conductor of the Shanghai Philharmonic.But the chaos of wartime China prevented the young pianist from receiving a systematic musical education. In 1948, Mr. Fou, then in his teens, moved with his family to the southwestern province of Yunnan, where he went through what he described as a rebellious period. It was only after returning to Shanghai several years later that he began to dedicate himself in earnest to the piano.In 1952, Mr. Fou made his first stage appearance, playing Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. The concert caught the attention of officials in Beijing, who selected the young pianist to compete and tour in Eastern Europe, Mr. Fou’s first trip abroad.Soon, Mr. Fou moved to Poland, where he studied at the Warsaw Conservatory on a scholarship. To prepare for the fifth Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1955, he practiced so diligently that he hurt his fingers and was nearly cut from the first round of competition.After the deaths of his parents in 1966, Mr. Fou stayed abroad, rising to become a renowned concert pianist on the international circuit. Though he was best known for his interpretations of Chopin, he also received acclaim for his performances of works by Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and Debussy. In a review of a 1987 recital in New York, the critic Bernard Holland wrote in The New York Times of Mr. Fou’s “sensitive ear for color” and “elusive gift of melody.”“We should hear Mr. Fou more often,” Mr. Holland wrote. “He is an artist who uses his considerable pianistic gifts in pursuit of musical goals and not for show.”In 1979, after Mao’s death and the end of the Cultural Revolution, Mr. Fou was granted permission to return to China for the first time in more than two decades, reuniting with his brother to hold a memorial service for their parents.On subsequent visits, Mr. Fou gave performances and lectures; he became known to many Chinese as the “Piano Poet” for his lyrical musical interpretations. Later versions of “Fu Lei’s Family Letters” were updated to include some of Mr. Fou’s letters to his father.Mr. Fou’s death came at a time of resurgent nationalism in China. On Chinese social media, some ultranationalist commentators called him a traitor to the country for having defected decades ago, echoing similar accusations that Mr. Fou faced in the 1950s not long after settling in London.“What would I tell them? There was nothing to say,” Mr. Fou once said of such critics in an interview. “It’s not that I was longing for the West.”“I was choosing freedom,” he added. “It was not an easy situation. There was no other choice.”Many other Chinese honored his memory, including well-known pianists like Li Yundi as well as Lang Lang, who called Mr. Fou “a clear stream in the world of classical music and a beacon of light in our spirit.”Mr. Fou in Chengdu, China, in 2007. The pianist Lang Lang called him “a clear stream in the world of classical music.”Credit…VCG/VCG, via Getty Images“Fou Ts’ong’s legacy was to show people and musicians the importance of integrity, character and music beyond technique,” said Jindong Cai, a conductor and the director of the U.S.-China Music Institute at Bard College Conservatory of Music.Mr. Fou’s first marriage, to Zamira Menuhin, daughter of the prominent violinist Yehudi Menuhin, ended in divorce, as did a brief marriage to Hijong Hyun. In addition to Ms. Toh, Mr. Fou is survived by a son from his first marriage, Lin Xiao; a son from his marriage to Ms. Toh, Lin Yun; and his brother, Mr. Fu.Mr. Fou remained passionately devoted to music in his later years, playing piano for hours every day even as his fingers grew frail. It was a love that he invoked often in interviews, alongside nuggets of wisdom from his father.“When I was very young, I wrote to my father from Poland that I was sad and lonely,” he once recalled. “He wrote back: ‘You could never be lonely. Don’t you think you are living with the greatest souls of the history of mankind all the time?’”“Now that’s how I feel, always,” Mr. Fou said.Amy Chang Chien contributed reporting.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      The Weeknd Hints at Political Album as He Feels 'More Inspired' Than Ever During Pandemic

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      Instagram

      The ‘Blinding Lights’ hitmaker has seemingly suggested that he’s got so much to say about the world in his next studio installment due to the events happening this year.

      Dec 31, 2020
      AceShowbiz – The Weeknd has been “more inspired and creative” than ever this year.
      The singer – real name is Abel Tesfaye – admitted the follow-up record to 2020’s “After Hours” is likely to be more political than his previous albums because he’s got so much to say about the world following the coronavirus pandemic, the divisive state of U.S. politics, and the Black Lives Matter protests that took place around the globe this year.
      “I have been more inspired and creative during the pandemic than I might normally be,” he told Tmrw magazine. “The pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and the tensions of the U.S. election have mostly created a sense of gratitude for what I have and closeness with the people near me.”
      The “Blinding Lights” hitmaker recently branded the Grammy Awards “corrupt” after he was snubbed for any nominations for the critically-acclaimed “After Hours” and revealed he’d been planning to perform at the ceremony until he was overlooked.

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      In a series of tweets, he wrote, “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…”
      “Collaboratively planning a performance for weeks to not being invited? In my opinion zero nominations = you’re not invited! (sic)”
      Following The Weeknd’s initial comments, Grammy bosses insisted they were “surprised” he wasn’t up for a gong, and blamed the lack of nods on there being “fewer” to hand out “than the number of deserving artists.”
      Recording Academy Chair Harvey Mason Jr. said, “We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathise with what he’s feeling.”
      “His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone’s admiration. Unfortunately, every year, there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists. All Grammy nominees are recognised by the voting body for their excellence, and we congratulate them all.”

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      Gemma Arterton Intimidated to Play Dusty Springfield in Movie

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      Justin Bieber to Premiere New Single During New Year's Eve Concert

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      Instagram/Rory Kramer

      The ‘Yummy’ singer is expected to perform his new single live for the very first time during an upcoming online concert to kick off the new year of 2021.

      Dec 31, 2020
      AceShowbiz – Justin Bieber will debut his new single, “Anyone”, during an online concert on New Year’s Eve (31Dec20).
      The pop star teased the track back in April during an Instagram Live video with his wife, Hailey, revealing, “I recorded a really cool song today,” and revealing the title.
      His wife added, “This song, I love this song so much, and I haven’t heard him sing it yet.”
      Bieber announced he would debut the tune on Wednesday as he counted down to his New Year’s Eve livestreamed concert – his first full-length, live performance since 2017.

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      “Oh yeah I’m performing my new single #ANYONE during #BieberNYE tomorrow night justinbieberNYE.com Bieber,” he wrote.
      NYE Live with Justin Bieber will stream from 10.15pm ET here: momenthouse.com.
      The “Holy” star is teaming up with T-Mobile for the upcoming concert. The NYE gig will be followed by two additional airings the following day – at 5 am and 3 pm ET – to allow fans around the globe to enjoy the one-off gig.
      Bieber is pulling out all the stops, with the show set to feature a five-piece live band, his dynamic crew of dancers who have performed with him since 2010’s My World Tour, a state-of-the-art light show, a newly-designed stage and an iconic location – which has yet to be revealed.
      Justin Bieber has been sharing on Instagram a series of pictures and videos that offered a sneak peek of his rehearsals with his band and background dancers. “Gettin ready for this live show on New Years make sure to check it out,” he gushed in one post.

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      Rosie Perez and Ice-T Among Those Mourning Sudden Death of Adolfo ‘Shabba Doo’ Quinones

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      Rita Houston, WFUV D.J. Who Lifted Music Careers, Dies at 59

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      AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyRita Houston, WFUV D.J. Who Lifted Music Careers, Dies at 59From a studio in the Bronx, she introduced listeners to artists from a wide range of genres. She was also a mentor to the stars, and a sometime-confidante.Rita Houston in 1996 at WFUV’s studio at Fordham University in the Bronx. She was one of the station’s best-known personalities. Credit…Linda RosierDec. 30, 2020Updated 6:30 p.m. ETRita Houston, a big-hearted disc jockey with an intoxicating voice who championed artists like Brandi Carlile, Mumford & Sons, Adele, the Indigo Girls and Gomez at the widely followed WFUV-FM in the Bronx, died on Dec. 15 at her home in Valley Cottage, N.Y. She was 59.Laura Fedele, her wife, said the cause was ovarian cancer.Since 2012, Ms. Houston had been program director at WFUV, a listener-supported station licensed to Fordham University. She was also perhaps its best-known personality, hosting a popular Friday night show, “The Whole Wide World,” which was her vehicle for updating the station’s sound, balancing a new mix of indie rock, world music, hip-hop and electronica with the more familiar one of folk, rock and blues.“Rita could pull together all those things and make you feel, ‘Wow what a big world of music there is here,’” Chuck Singleton, WFUV’s general manager, said in a phone interview.“In her music she contained multitudes,” he added.Ms. Houston was also the impresario of in-studio performances — by Tom Jones, Adele and Emmylou Harris, among many others — and musical events in Manhattan at venues like the Bottom Line and the Beacon Theater as well as on the High Line, the elevated park.“I’m a singer girl, I’m a vocal girl, I don’t like when people don’t sing,” she told the musician-artist Joseph Arthur in March on his podcast, “Come to Where I’m From.” “I don’t want everything to sound like Ella Fitzgerald, but I just love a good voice.”One of those was Ms. Carlile’s, the folk and Americana singer-songwriter who credits Ms. Houston with giving her music its first airplay as well as the confidence to talk publicly about being a lesbian.In a remembrance on Facebook, Ms. Carlile wrote, “‘Is that your plus one?’ Rita Houston said to 22-year-old me as a picture of my girlfriend accidentally popped up on my cellphone screen.”Ms. Houston, sensing Ms. Carlile’s uneasiness at confiding to people in the music industry that she was gay, had persuaded her to open up.“I don’t know what it’s like where you’re from, but this is N.Y.C.,” Ms. Carlile recalled Ms. Houston telling her. “We’re going lesbian karaoke singing right now. Do a shot of tequila and get your coat.”Ms. Carlile cast Ms. Houston in the music video for “The Joke,” which won Grammy Awards in 2019 for best American roots song and best American roots performance.Ms. Houston’s recognition of the Indigo Girls had a significant impact on their career as well.“You knew you were doing something right if she played your songs,” Amy Ray, a member of that folk duo, said in an interview. “And she was one of those people we weren’t afraid to be ourselves and be queer with. We could be who we were. She gave us a lot of bravery.”Since earlier this year, Ms. Houston had guided a station initiative, called EQFM, to put more female artists on the air.“WFUV is on the right side of this issue, but we acknowledge there was more work we can do,” she told AllAccess.com, a radio industry news website. “For example, our music mix is 35 percent female-coded. That is higher than most but needs to be at 50 percent for true parity.”She added: “Good songs come from everywhere, across race, age and gender. Good radio should celebrate that, without bias.”Ms. Houston with Paul Simon in 2003. She balanced the station’s offerings between a mix of indie rock, world music, hip-hop and electronica and the more familiar format of folk, rock and blues.Credit…WFUVRita Ann Houston was born on Sept. 28, 1961, in White Plains, N.Y., and grew up in nearby Mount Vernon. Her father, William, was a home heating oil company executive. Her mother, Rita (Paone) Houston, was a waitress.Ms. Houston majored in urban studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, in Geneva, N.Y., but was expelled for tripping fire alarms and tipping over vending machines. “I went out big,” she told Mr. Arthur on his podcast. “I was in the wrong place.”She worked as a waitress before finding work as a D.J. at Westchester Community College’s radio station, then at another station in Mount Kisco, N.Y., for $7 an hour. She left for a job at ABC Radio as an engineer, and worked with the sports journalist Howard Cosell and the talk show host Sally Jessy Raphael. The pay was far better than her low-wage radio jobs, but she missed being on the air. In 1989 she was back behind a microphone at WZFM in White Plains.“Someone said to me, ‘I want to introduce you to the voice of God,’” said Paul Cavalconte, who, as the WZFM program director, hired Ms. Houston. “She was so engaging and charismatic, which worked on the radio and in personal appearances.” (WZFM is now WXPK.)When WZFM’s format shifted from adult album alternative to modern rock in 1993, Ms. Houston was told that she had to adopt on-air name with an X in it. She became Harley Foxx. But, seeking more diversity in the format, she sought refuge a year later at WFUV, of which she had been a fan for some time.“I just called the station and was, like, ‘Hey, can I work here, please?’” she told Mr. Arthur.She started hosting the midday show in 1994, then stepped away from it after a few years to become the full-time music director. She returned to the air in 2001 to host “The Whole Wide World.”In addition to her wife, she is survived by her sister, Debra Baglio, and her brothers, Richard and Robert. Another brother, William Jr., died in October.Ms. Houston recorded her final show from home on Dec. 5, with Mr. Cavalconte, also a D.J. at WFUV, as the co-host. It was broadcast three days after she died.“She was short of breath and aware that her voice was not strong,” said Ms. Fedele, who is the station’s new media director. “I nagged her for a couple of days, I wanted her to think about the playlist. Finally, she asked me to get a pen, and she just reeled off 30 songs.”Her playlist was a distillation of the genres that she had brought to her show and the station. She opened with James Brown (“Night Train”), moved on to artists like Deee-Lite (“Groove is in the Heart”), Emmylou Harris (“Red Dirt Girl”), Los Amigos Invisibles (“Cuchi Cuchi”), LCD Soundsystem (“New York I Love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down”) and David Bowie (“Station to Station”).The finale was the Waterboys’ “In My Time on Earth,” which the group performed last year at a WFUV event at Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan.Given the time she had left, the song resonated with her.“In my time on earth,” it goes, “I will speak the secret / In my time on earth / I will tell what is true.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Ticketmaster Will Pay $10 Million to Put Songkick Criminal Case to Rest

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best ComedyBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest MoviesBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyTicketmaster Will Pay $10 Million to Put Songkick Criminal Case to RestThe concert giant has agreed to pay the fine to resolve charges that it intruded into the computer system of one of its competitors.The criminal charges against Ticketmaster include one count of computer intrusion for commercial advantage and one count of wire fraud.Credit…Paul Sakuma/Associated PressDec. 30, 2020, 5:42 p.m. ETTicketmaster has agreed to pay a $10 million fine to resolve charges that it intruded into the computer system of one of its competitors, prosecutors said on Wednesday, ending a yearslong legal battle over claims that the company illegally interfered in the business of a ticketing start-up called Songkick.More than two years ago, Ticketmaster reached a settlement with Songkick in response to a lawsuit that accused the concert giant of abusing its market power to control the sales of tickets. In addition to settling for $110 million, Ticketmaster acquired some of Songkick’s remaining technology assets and patents for an undisclosed sum.The court battle also involved accusations of corporate espionage that led to an investigation by federal prosecutors in New York.Prosecutors for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York said in court documents that the computer intrusions were spearheaded by a former Songkick employee who left the start-up in 2012 and later started working for Ticketmaster, which is owned by Live Nation. The employee was said to have disseminated Songkick’s login information to other Ticketmaster employees so they could access an app called an artist toolbox, which provided data on purchases of presale tickets through Songkick, the documents said.The employee also was accused of sharing URLs that led to drafts of Songkick’s ticketing web pages. In response to that information, prosecutors said, a Ticketmaster executive wrote that the goal was to “choke off” their competitor and “steal back” one of Songkick’s key clients.The details of the criminal investigation came to light in a federal court in Brooklyn, where Ticketmaster formally agreed on Wednesday to pay the fine as part of a deferred prosecution agreement, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office.In a statement on Wednesday, Ticketmaster said that in 2017, it had terminated the employee who provided the login information, as well as another Ticketmaster employee, Zeeshan Zaidi, who also accessed the computer systems and faced separate charges.“Their actions violated our corporate policies and were inconsistent with our values,” the statement said. “We are pleased that this matter is now resolved.”Last year, Mr. Zaidi, who was formerly the head of Ticketmaster’s artist services division, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit computer intrusions and wire fraud in relation to the case. Court filings from the U.S. attorney’s office said that Mr. Zaidi accessed Songkick’s computer systems on “numerous occasions” between 2013 and 2015. Mr. Zaidi also included screenshots of Songkick’s toolbox for artists in a presentation for executives and solicited “confidential proprietary information” about Songkick from the employee who had worked there, the documents said.A lawyer for Mr. Zaidi, who is awaiting sentencing, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The criminal charges against Ticketmaster, filed on Wednesday, include one count of computer intrusion for commercial advantage and one count of wire fraud. To comply with the deferred prosecution agreement, Ticketmaster must maintain an ethics program intended to prevent similar infractions in the future.The $10 million fine is not a huge sum for a multibillion-dollar company, but the pandemic has already put significant financial pressure on Live Nation, which had to cancel concerts en masse and respond to a flood of demands for refunds.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      Joss Stone Is Jealous of Sia and She Explains Why

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      WENN

      The ‘You Had Me’ hitmaker envies the ‘Chandelier’ hitmaker for being able to hide her face, explaining that she too wanted anonymity when she first signed her record deal.

      Dec 31, 2020
      AceShowbiz – Joss Stone wanted to be a virtual act like Gorillaz to protect her privacy.
      The “You Had Me” hitmaker – who also admitted she is “jealous” of Sia for retaining her anonymity by usually appearing with a wig covering her face – signed a record deal aged 14, and asked the label boss if her music videos could be animated like the cartoon “Clint Eastwood” band, which features real-life musicians Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett, and Remi Kabaka Jr.
      She told the Castaway podcast, “I said to Steve Greenberg, who signed me when I was 14, ‘Steve, if we’re gonna do music videos, can we just do a cartoon like the Gorillaz so nobody knows what I look like?’ ”
      “And he said, ‘I didn’t sign you to hide you’… How jealous am I of Sia?”

        See also…

      Joss, now 33, also opened up on the dangers of fame, after two men planned to rob and kill her in 2011.
      “If you put yourself out there in that way then guess what?” she added. “They’re gonna know what you look like and they might follow you and try to kill you, and they might call you all the names under the sun. Or they might fall in love with you and buy you flowers and turn up.”
      In terms of her music career, Joss’ most recent releases include 2020 singles “Lean On Me” and “Walk With Me”, although she hasn’t released a full length album since “Water for Your Soul” in 2015.
      However, in October (20) the “Super Duper Love” singer confirmed she and her partner Cody are expecting their first baby together.
      Announcing her pregnancy, she said at the time, “Guess what? I am going to have a little baby, too! I am so excited to talk to you (influencer Ella Mills; her guest) because I don’t know many pregnant women. I am week 17 and I just stopped being sick all the time.”

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      How to Stream New Year’s Eve: 25 Shows From Pop, Jazz and Beyond

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best ComedyBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest MoviesBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyHow to Stream New Year’s Eve: 25 Shows From Pop, Jazz and BeyondIt isn’t too late to make (cheap!) plans to welcome 2021 with music. A host of concerts will be streaming around the globe and major stars will take the stage on TV.Jennifer Lopez will headline “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” on ABC.Credit…Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesOlivia Horn, Elysa Gardner and Dec. 30, 2020THE AVETT BROTHERS If your appetite for sentimentality hasn’t been sated by holiday films, this may be the livestream for you. In their strummy folk-rock vernacular and tidy close harmonies, the brothers Scott and Seth Avett sing earnest songs about love and family. A slew of special guests — including Willie Nelson, Brandi Carlile, Norah Jones and Loudon Wainwright III — will bolster the star power of this New Year’s Eve performance (the 17th edition of an annual Avett tradition). At 8 p.m. Eastern, nugs.tv. Tickets start at $40. (Olivia Horn)THE BEST OF RADIO FREE BIRDLAND The pay-per-view virtual concert series has brought live-to-tape performances to pandemic-weary cabaret fans since April. To finally welcome a new year, it will present a compilation of them — all captured on the Birdland Theater stage with three cameras and no audience members — featuring Broadway and cabaret favorites such as Sierra Boggess, Reeve Carney, Nikki Renée Daniels, Darius de Haas, Telly Leung, Eva Noblezada, Laura Osnes, Christopher Sieber and Billy Stritch. Streaming on demand from Dec. 31 to Jan. 3; tickets are $10 at events.BroadwayWorld.com. (Elysa Gardner)Justin Bieber will take the stage to perform a full concert for the first time in more than three years.Credit…ABC, via Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesJUSTIN BIEBER For a pop star, Justin Bieber has become a reluctant performer — often withdrawn when he does appear onstage, and prone to canceling shows altogether. With the pandemic (so far) sparing him the obligation of touring in support of his latest album, “Changes,” this livestreamed show is Bieber’s first full concert in more than three years. The sultry R&B of “Changes” trends mellower than much of his earlier work, making it a suitable soundtrack for an evening in. At 11 p.m. Eastern, justinbiebernye.com. Tickets are $25 (free for T-Mobile customers). (Horn)BIG HIT LABELS’ 2021 NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE Owing to the success of their crown jewel, BTS, Big Hit has contributed substantially to K-pop’s growing global footprint. Their artist roster, which includes lesser-known (in the U.S., anyway) groups like Gfriend and Nu’est, will join forces for this concert, live from Korea. BTS’s past collaborators Halsey, Lauv and Steve Aoki have been tapped to expand the program’s international reach with a collaboration on the so-called “Global Connect Stage.” At 7:30 a.m. Eastern, on the Weverse shop app. The basic ticket option is sold out, but multiview packages are available for about $48. (Horn)BUD LIGHT SELTZER SESSIONS PRESENTS NEW YEAR’S EVE 2021 Post Malone’s ubiquitous, post-genre pop songs can be bacchanalian (for the New Year’s that we want) or brooding (for the New Year’s that we’re getting). At this virtual shindig, streaming live from Las Vegas, he’ll perform a selection with support from Saweetie, the cheeky rapper whose popularity has surged on the back of consecutive TikTok hits. The comedian Lilly Singh will host, with additional performances from Jack Harlow and Steve Aoki. At 10:30 p.m. Eastern, budlight.com/nye and on Bud Light’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. (Horn)BTS will cap a big year by performing at its label Big Hit’s New Year’s extravaganza. Credit…Agence France-Presse/Mtv, via Getty Images‘DICK CLARK’S NEW YEAR’S ROCKIN’ EVE WITH RYAN SEACREST 2021’ If the ball drops in Times Square and no one is around to see it, does 2020 actually end? Despite the absence of the usual crowds, Ryan Seacrest and his fellow hosts, the actors Lucy Hale and Billy Porter, will be on hand to capture the ball’s descent from One Times Square, with Ciara hosting a sister celebration in Los Angeles. Machine Gun Kelly, Miley Cyrus, Megan Thee Stallion, Cyndi Lauper and more will perform; Jennifer Lopez is the evening’s headliner. At 8 p.m. Eastern, on ABC. (Horn)‘CNN’S NEW YEAR’S EVE’ Andy Cohen, who co-hosts this broadcast with Anderson Cooper, described it as “an authentic experience” (a year ago, that authenticity manifested with a peer-pressured Cooper struggling through tequila shots on air). This holiday, the pair will be freewheeling masters of ceremony for a lineup of performers and special guests that includes John Mayer, Patti LaBelle, Kylie Minogue, the Goo Goo Dolls, Jon Bon Jovi and Carole Baskin, of “Tiger King” fame. At 8 p.m. Eastern, on CNN. (Horn)CLUB CUMMING’S NYE BLOWOUT For those willing to brave the elements for a live experience, the East Village night spot is offering an outdoor celebration in a socially distanced setting, hosted by Kareem McJagger. The 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. seatings will include a light dinner, with entertainment provided by the burlesque queen Dirty Martini; Emma Craig, channeling Dolly Parton; and Michael T channeling David Bowie; along with the singers Antony Cherry and Militia Vox, the Richard Cortez Trio, “boylesquer” Richard JMV, the drag squad the Covid Destroyers and the Club Cumming Band. At Club Cumming, Manhattan; clubcummingnyc.com, $80. (Gardner)Saweetie will join Post Malone and other pop stars for a Bud Light Seltzer Sessions event.Credit…Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Boohooman#DANCEAWAY2020 Clear some floor space and consider carb-loading before tuning into this marathon livestream, a 20-plus-hour dance party bringing together an intercontinental lineup of electronic D.J.s. From Melbourne, the longtime techno kingpin Carl Cox will book end the show with sets at 7 a.m. Eastern on Thursday and 3 a.m. on Friday. Other notables on the bill include Honey Dijon (live in Berlin), Tokimonsta (in Los Angeles) and Nicole Moudaber (in Barbados). At 7 a.m. Eastern, on Beatport’s Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. (Horn)NATALIE DOUGLAS The 12-time Manhattan Association of Cabarets Award winner will once again use her supple wit and soulful warmth to kiss today goodbye, this time with an assist from technology. For “A Virtually Natalie New Year 2020,” kicking off at 9 p.m., Douglas and her longtime music director Brian Nash will offer songs old and new, and take requests via Facebook and YouTube. In lieu of a cover charge, viewers are asked to simply pay what they can, at Venmo or PayPal. Streaming live at facebook.com/natalie.douglas.nyc and youtube.com/nataliedouglasmusic. (Gardner)ESCHATON NYE: THE DISSOLUTION The vibe of this interactive theater piece should hover somewhere between spooky cabaret and escape room. Originally conceived as an in-person experience, the Eschaton project nimbly pivoted to digital in the spring, maximizing Zoom rooms’ functionality by presenting a suite of interconnected virtual performance spaces, through which guests can meander. The organizers encourage festive attire. At 11 p.m. Eastern, tickettailor.com. Tickets start at $25. (Horn)Tokimonsta will play music from Los Angeles as part of the 20-plus-hour dance party #DanceAway2020.Credit…Timothy Norris/Getty ImagesHIROMI Among jazz musicians, pianists were among the best equipped to handle the doldrums of isolation this year — there’s a lot you can do with 88 keys, and the piano is the rare instrument that’s often performed solo in a jazz context. Over the past two decades, Hiromi has honed her own relationship to the instrument’s vast possibilities. Last year she released a redoubtable solo album, “Spectrum,” and she had just finished a tour promoting it when the coronavirus struck. She’s likely to draw from that material this week, as she does a run of solo shows at the Blue Note Tokyo; on New Year’s Eve, in a nod to her North American audiences, she will perform a livestream from there at 11 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Passes are $20 at bluenotelive.com. (Giovanni Russonello)JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT Widely regarded as one of Music City’s great storytellers, Jason Isbell writes deftly about world-weary, embattled characters; his songs strike a tone befitting a year that has left many worse for wear. In May, Isbell celebrated the release of his new album with a livestreamed show at an empty Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, with accompaniment from his wife, the singer-violinist Amanda Shires. For the holiday, the pair will return, this time with the full band in tow. At 9 p.m. Eastern, fans.live. Ticket packages start at $25; day of, they jump to $30. (Horn)THE JUNGLE SHOW This blues supergroup, anchored by ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, convenes annually for a New Year’s show at Antone’s Nightclub in Austin, Tex. Gibbons and his compatriots — including the singer-guitarists Jimmie Vaughan and Sue Foley — will forgo an in-person audience to keep the tradition alive this year, delivering rollicking guitar riffs from the empty club via livestream. At 8 p.m. Eastern, jungleshow.tv. Ticket packages start at $25. (Horn)KISS Never ones to skimp on the theatrics, the glam rock titans are plotting to break world records with the pyrotechnics display that will accompany their show at the Atlantis in Dubai. Tune in for hedonistic guitar anthems and, inevitably, a glimpse of Gene Simmons’s tongue. At 12 p.m. Eastern, kiss2020goodbye.com. Ticket packages start at $40. (Horn)The cabaret star Natalie Douglas is asking patrons only to pay what they can for her New Year’s show.Credit…Walter McBride/Getty ImagesMET STARS LIVE IN CONCERT: NEW YEAR’S EVE GALA After scraping together an ambitious at-home gala just weeks into the pandemic — quite the achievement, with only a couple of mishaps — the Met Opera has leveled up the production value on their digital programs. Their year-end celebration is set to broadcast on location at a neo-Baroque theater in Augsburg, Germany, with performances by the sopranos Pretty Yende and Angel Blue and the tenors Javier Camarena and Matthew Polenzani. At 4 p.m. Eastern, metopera.org. Tickets are $20. (Horn)‘NBC’S NEW YEAR’S EVE 2020’ Carson Daly hosts NBC’s addition to the crowded New Year’s prime time market, welcoming musical guests including Chloe x Halle, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, Sting, Bebe Rexha and Doja Cat. At 10 p.m. Eastern, on NBC. (Horn)NEW YEAR’S QUEENS: GOODBYE 2020! Sixteen alumnae of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” comprise the lineup for this New Year’s glitterfest, with hosting duties split between Alaska, Bob the Drag Queen, Katya, Miz Cracker, Peppermint and Trixie Mattel. Can’t get enough? Season 13 of “Drag Race” premiers on New Year’s Day. At 6 p.m. Eastern, sessionslive.com/NewYearsQueens. Ticket packages start at $49. (Horn)PINK MARTINI’S ‘GOOD RIDDANCE 2020’ For most people not named Kardashian, long-distance trips became an untenable risk this year; lucky for Pink Martini, globe-trotting through music — and traveling back to supposedly simpler times — has always been its stock in trade. A little big band that achieved worldwide renown in the late 1990s, its wide repertoire consists of old show tunes, cabaret fare, romantic songs from around the world and original compositions that sound like all of the above. On New Year’s Eve, Pink Martini will present a streaming holiday concert, filmed in its hometown Portland, Ore., that will be broadcast twice: once at 9 p.m. Paris time, and again at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Streaming passes can be purchased for $15 at ourconcerts.live, and can be used to watch the show at any point for the next 48 hours. (Russonello)The pianist Hiromi will perform a livestreamed show from Blue Note Tokyo.Credit…David Wolff/Patrick, via RedfernsCHRIS POTTER Since the 1990s, Chris Potter has been among jazz’s most casually fearsome saxophonists, and left entirely to his own devices during quarantine, he has proved just how deep his virtuosity goes: This month he released “There Is a Tide,” a slinky, coolly funky album for which he recorded every instrument — overdubbing saxophones, clarinets, flutes, bass, drums, guitars and keyboards. Potter has played New Year’s Eve at the Village Vanguard for the past two years, and this week he’ll return to the club for livestream performances on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, at 8 p.m. each time. There will be no live audience, but he’ll be accompanied by a stellar quartet of longtime associates: David Virelles on piano, Joe Martin on bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums. Tickets cost $10 at villagevanguard.com. (Russonello)KT SULLIVAN AND RUSS WOOLLEY KT Sullivan, the ebullient cabaret veteran and champion, and the producer Russ Woolley will present “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?,” a benefit for the Mabel Mercer Foundation, featuring the jazz pianist Jon Weber and the singer and pianists Eric Yves Garcia and Larry Woodard. The virtual festivities, taped live and streaming at 10 p.m., will include a countdown to midnight with champagne, noisemakers and masks. The stream is free of charge, though donations for the fund-raiser are appreciated. At mabelmercer.org. (Gardner)LUCINDA WILLIAMS When she started her own label in 2014, this roots-rock rebel was clear on her artistic mission: To do whatever she wanted. Lately, what she wants is to play covers. In an ongoing virtual concert series that supports independent music venues, Lucinda Williams has devoted full sets to greats like Tom Petty and Bob Dylan. For the sixth and final installment of the series, which coincides with the holiday, she’ll pay tribute to the Rolling Stones. At 8 p.m. Eastern, boxoffice.mandolin.com. Tickets start at $20. (Horn)Lucinda Williams will conclude her covers series with a show devoted to the Rolling Stones.Credit…Jeff Spicer/Getty ImagesYANDEL GOODBYE 2020 This O.G. reggaetonero helped forge a path that artists like J Balvin have followed to mammoth crossover success. With his performing partner Wisin, Yandel came up with the first wave of international reggaeton stars in the early 2000s; two decades after their debut, the pair remain prominent voices in the genre, both together and individually. Their plans for a Vegas-style residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico this month were, of course, scrapped. Instead, Yandel will offer fans this free virtual concert, broadcast live from Miami. At 8 p.m. Eastern, on Yandel’s YouTube channel and the app LaMusica. (Horn)YOUTUBE’S HELLO 2021 Lest any one New Year’s special feel too boilerplate, YouTube’s in-house content studio is producing five different, regionally specific variations, each carried by (mostly) local talent. The “Americas” version will offer urbano courtesy of J Balvin and Karol G, modern country from Kane Brown and disco pop from Dua Lipa. On triple duty, Lipa also features in the U.K. special alongside the pop singer Anne-Marie and the shapeshifting rapper AJ Tracey, and in the Indian edition, alongside the comedian Zakir Khan and the rapper Badshah. At 10:30 p.m. Eastern, on YouTube Originals’ channel. (Horn)JOHN LLOYD YOUNG The Tony Award-winning star of “Jersey Boys” — both the original Broadway production and Clint Eastwood’s 2014 screen adaptation — has in recent years parlayed his affinity for pop and R&B classics into a busy cabaret career. To ring in 2021, John Lloyd Young will lend his robust, rangy voice to such material along with originals and perhaps a show tune or two. Young’s live-streamed, hourlong set, beginning at 11 p.m. Eastern, will be followed at 12:15 a.m. Eastern with a V.I.P. after-party and interview, with the singer answering audience questions submitted in advance. From Feinstein’s at Vitello’s, Los Angeles (and available On Demand for a limited time after the event); 818-769-0905, feinsteinsatvitellos.com, $30 plus $5 for the V.I.P. experience. (Gardner)AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More