Beyoncé, The Weeknd postpone projects amid wildfires, and more of today’s top stories
Gold Derby’s top news stories for Jan. 14, 2025.
Beyoncé, The Weeknd delay projects due to wildfires
Beyoncé and The Weeknd announced Monday evening they are postponing their respective new projects amid the Los Angeles wildfires. Beyoncé, who was set to make an announcement on Tuesday, posted on Instagram that the announcement will be “postponed to a later date” and that her BeyGOOD L.A. Fire Relief Fund has donated $2.5 million to “directly support families who lost their homes and community organizations at the forefront of relief.”
The Weeknd also announced on Instagram that his Jan. 25 Rose Bowl concert has been canceled, while his new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, will now be released a week later on Jan. 31.
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Ringo Starr sets concert special with proceeds benefiting wildfire relief
Ringo Starr will headline the two-hour CBS special Ringo & Friends at the Ryman, which is scheduled to air in the spring. The special, which will be filmed Tuesday and Wednesday at the historic Ryman Auditorium, will celebrate, per the logline, “the music and legacy of Ringo Starr through the lens of country music.” Among those joining the former Beatle are Sheryl Crow, Rodney Crowell, Mickey Guyton, Emmylou Harris, Sarah Jarosz, Jamey Johnson, Brenda Lee, Larkin Poe, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, The War and Treaty, and Jack White. Proceeds from a one-time, all-star performance of “With a Little Help from My Friends” will support the American Red Cross and those impacted by the L.A. wildfires.
Warner, Sony cancel Grammy events
A day after Universal Music Group nixed its Grammy week event in light of the L.A. wildfires, Warner Music Group and Sony Music are doing the same. WMG has donated $1 million to the relief effort, via the WMG/Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund. A Sony rep told our sister site Variety on Tuesday that the company will redirect funds to focus on local relief efforts. The Grammy Awards are set to go on as scheduled on Feb. 2 and will raise funds for relief efforts.
MusiCares Persons of the Year Event moving forward
The 2025 MusiCares Person of the Year event will proceed as scheduled on Friday, Jan. 31, the Recording Academy confirmed to members via email Tuesday. The event, which is honoring the Grateful Dead, will include a “a special appeal for donations to support wildfire relief efforts.” MusicCares Persons of the Year, along with the Grammy ceremony, is one of the few Grammy events that has not been canceled in the wake of the L.A. wildfires.
Sing Sing to be screened in prisons in conjunction with re-release
As Sing Sing returns to more than 500 theaters on Friday, the A24 drama starring Colman Domingo will also be made available to nearly 1 million incarcerated people in the U.S. The film will be screened in correctional facilities in New York, California, Texas, and 43 other states, according to our sister site The Hollywood Reporter, making it the first feature film to be released in theaters and in prisons simultaneously. The joint release is courtesy of A24, Rehabilitation Through the Arts, the nonprofit organization depicted in the film, and Edovo, a nonprofit that provides curricula via tables to incarcerated people in more than 1,100 correctional facilities in the country.
“Storytelling has an incredible way of sparking hope and building connections, even in the toughest circumstances,” Edovo founder and CEO Brian Hill said. “With Sing Sing, we’re giving incarcerated individuals an opportunity to see themselves in a story of resilience and transformation, and to feel inspired to imagine new possibilities for their own lives.”
Robert De Niro faces Robert De Niro in The Alto Knights trailer
Warner Bros. dropped the trailer for Barry Levinson‘s The Alto Knights, in which Robert De Niro goes face to face with, well, Robert De Niro. The Oscar winner plays the dual roles of real-life 1950s mob bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello in the crime drama, which centers on the hit the former called on the latter. Costello survived the assassination attempt before retiring from the mob. The cast includes Debra Messing, Katherine Narducci, Cosmo Jarvis, and Michael Rispoli. Written by Nicholas Pileggi, The Alto Knights hits theaters March 21.
Kneecap leads IFTA nominations
Kneecap, Ireland’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature, topped the Irish Film & Television Awards nominations with 17 bids, including for Best Film, Best Director, Best Script, Best Actor for all three stars Liam óg ó Hannaidh, Naoise ó Cairealláin, and JJ ó Dochartaigh, and Best Supporting Actor for Michael Fassbender. In the international film categories, Oscar hopefuls who received nominations are Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice), Denzel Washington (Gladiator II), Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Angelina Jolie (Maria), Mikey Madison (Anora), Demi Moore (The Substance), Florence Pugh (We Live in Time), and Emily Watson (Small Things Like These). See the full list of nominees here.
Stephen Schwartz tapped for Icon Award from Guild of Music Supervisors
Stephen Schwartz will receive the Icon Award from the Guild of Music Supervisors. In addition, music producer Bonnie Greenberg will receive the Legacy Award. A three-time Oscar winner, Schwartz is currently Oscar-shortlisted for composing the Wicked score. “The Guild of Music Supervisors Awards is a night of coming together in our community, and we need this more than ever. This year, we are thrilled to honor Stephen Schwartz and Bonnie Greenberg with our Icon and Legacy awards. Their individual contributions to the craft of storytelling with music are immeasurable and have had an indelible impact on our community,” the guild said in a statement. The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on Feb. 23.
Duffer Brothers to receive Showrunner Award at SCAD TVfest
Stranger Things creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer will be honored with the Variety Showrunner Award on the opening night of the 13th annual SCAD TVfest next month. “The Duffer Brothers have become synonymous with epic, genre-defining television since the groundbreaking premiere of Stranger Things. Filmed right here in Atlanta, the series not only captivates audiences worldwide but also highlights the city’s emergence as a powerhouse for television production and features the creative ingenuity of many SCAD alumni from costume designers to production assistants,” Christina Routhier, executive director of SCAD Theaters and Festivals, said in a statement. “The Duffer Brothers’ ability to weave nostalgia, innovation, and compelling storytelling has redefined what’s possible on screen. We are thrilled to honor their extraordinary contributions to television with the Variety Showrunner Award at SCAD TVfest, where we celebrate the creators who shape the future of the medium.” The SCAD TVfest is scheduled to run Feb. 5 to Feb. 7 in Atlanta. The fifth and final season of Stranger Things will hit Netflix later this year.
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