Author | Lightnews

Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 3d

How an 1802 letter from Thomas Jefferson found its way onto "Saturday Night Live," in song... What Was Brandi Carlile Reciting on ‘SNL’? How Thomas Jefferson’s Proclamation About Separating ‘Church & State’ Made It Into a Blazing Rock Song variety.com/2025/music/n... via @variety

What Was Brandi Carlile Reciting on ‘SNL’? How Thomas Jefferson’s Proclamation About Separating ‘Church & State’ Made It Into a Blazing Rock Song

Singing 'Church & State,' 'Saturday Night Live' music guest Brandi Carlile recited a letter by Thomas Jefferson, along with musically referencing U2.

variety.com

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 6d

Loved talking with Cameron about a book exploring the stuff that brought him to the dance... Cameron Crowe on ‘The Uncool,’ Memoir of His Teen Journalist Years, and How Patti Smith Inspired Its Prose — Also: What to Expect From His Joni Biopic

Cameron Crowe on ‘The Uncool,’ a Memoir of His Teen Rock Journalist Years, and How Patti Smith Inspired Its Prose — Also: What to Expect From His Joni Biopic

Cameron Crowe discusses 'The Uncool,' a memoir of life as a teen rock journalist, recounting tales of his '70s experiences with David Bowie and others.

variety.com

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 7d

Here's the most popular musician I will interview all year, probably: Dieter Ruehle!... Dodgers Organist Dieter Ruehle on His Witty, Spontaneous Song Picks and Keeping Up With the Series’ Epic Game 3: ‘The Game Isn’t Scripted — What’s Better Than Live Accompaniment?’ variety.com/2025/music/n...

Dodgers Organist Dieter Ruehle on His Witty, Spontaneous Song Picks, and Keeping Up With the Series’ Epic Game 3: ‘The Game Isn’t Scripted — What’s Better Than Live Accompaniment?’

Dodgers organist Dieter Ruehle talks about his amusing choices of song snippets for the World Series, especially that nearly 'All Night Long' Game 3.

variety.com

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 8d

I don’t know if you know the far right has it out for him or not, so, not sure what level of irony this reply is on…

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 8d

I talked to Brad Paisley this afternoon about his unbroken streak of performing National Anthems before World Series games that go into overtime, including last night's epic... "I’m available also for football. I’d like to see that go into more quarters, as well.” variety.com/2025/music/n...

Brad Paisley on Singing the Anthem Before the Only Two 18-Inning Games in World Series History: ‘I Had No Idea There Would Be Major Cosmic Ramifications’

Country star and Dodgers fan Brad Paisley has now sung the national anthem at the two longest World Series games ever: 'Call me Mr. More Baseball.'

variety.com

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 10d

Well, you are certainly sending me back to this, as soon as I get the chance!

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 10d

Love this album even more than I thought I would, and I thought I'd love it... Lily Allen’s ‘West End Girl’ Is a Stunner — A Divorce Album That Feels Like a Stage Drama Unfolding in Real Time, but With Bops: Album Review variety.com/2025/music/a... via @variety

Lily Allen’s ‘West End Girl’ Is a Stunner — A Divorce Album That Feels Like a Stage Drama Unfolding in Real Time, but With Bops: Album Review

Lily Allen's 'West End Girl' is a divorce album of such brutal honesty that it's compulsively listenable -- with great hooks and production on top of the shock value.

variety.com

Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 12d

Rex Harrison on the "My Fair Lady" soundtrack singing (well, kind of) "I'm an Ordinary Man." (Happy to say I did not ultimately adopt it as a life philosophy, although my family must've wondered.)

Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 13d

Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska '82" is one of the most rewarding retrospective projects he's put out. If nothing else, thank you to Scott Cooper for maybe having finally forced his hand!

Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska ’82’ Offers a Highly Rewarding Trip Down Some Highways Not Taken: Album Review

Bruce Springsteen's 'Nebraska '82' offers the satisfaction of material long rumored as 'Electric Nebraska," but also solo outtakes just as fascinating.

variety.com

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 13d

This, for me, was one of the most fascinating interviews I've done in a long time, talking with Elizabeth Weber about her marriage and career with Billy Joel, the HBO documentary and what her life is like now. If you saw the documentary, I know you'll enjoy reading this. variety.com/2025/music/n...

Elizabeth Weber, Billy Joel’s First Wife and Ex-Manager, Tells Why She Spoke Up in HBO Doc After 43 Years of Silence — Becoming One of the Year’s Most Captivating Screen Personalities in the Process

Elizabeth Weber, Billy Joel's first wife and his manager in the '70s, talks about their time together and starring in 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes.'

variety.com

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Reposted by Chris Willman

Jonathan Edwards @jonathanreports.bsky.social · 16d

Scoop: Trump has started demolishing the White House's East Wing facade to build his ballroom. The president had claimed construction of the $250 million building wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure. /W @ddiamond.bsky.social wapo.st/4hqBNiU

White House begins demolishing East Wing facade to build Trump’s ballroom

The president had claimed construction of the $250 million ballroom wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure.

wapo.st

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 16d

Halsey continues to be underrated, to my mind... variety.com/2025/music/c...

Halsey Reaffirms She’s an Actual Rock Star at Electrifying ‘Badlands’ Anniversary Tour Kickoff in L.A.: Concert Review

Halsey kicked off her 'Badlands' 10-year anniversary tour with a three-night stand at Hollywood Forever that turned into a full career retrospective.

variety.com

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Reposted by Chris Willman

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 17d

It’s like they fed a bunch of mobster movies into ChatGPT and then beat it with sticks until it shat out the most garbled mafia boss preening imaginable

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 17d

Trump on Harvard: "We reached a concept of a deal but it's pretty complicated bc under this deal it would be $500m, they're gonna open up trade schools. I love the idea of trade & trade schools by Harvard. You know, they get into like a vocational-type school... we may just charge them a $500m fine"

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 17d

"Blue Moon," with Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart, is at the Century City/Burbank AMCs; goes wider next week. Urge you to see it; it was my favorite film out of Telluride and the best screenplay I've seen put to film all year. I'll repost a Q&A I did with Hawke at Telluride that got into "Blue Moon" ...

Ethan Hawke on Directing the Merle Haggard Doc ‘Highway 99’, Playing Lorenz Hart in the Oscar Contender ‘Blue Moon’ and Being Telluride’s King for a Day

Ethan Hawke talks about being feted at the Telluride Film Festival with his Merle Haggard documentary 'Highway 99' and Lorenz Hart biopic 'Blue Moon.'

variety.com

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Reposted by Chris Willman

Adam Rose @adamrose.bsky.social · 18d

Wishing everyone a safe #NoKings.

On behalf of @freedom.press I’m on lookout for reports of press rights violations nationwide. DMs should be open. Or tag me in a reply if you see concerning post.

Most incidents are by police/DHS/ICE, but I want to hear if by protesters or counterprotesters too.

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Reposted by Chris Willman

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 21d

“Kids”

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 21d

"Taylor Swift has lost the plot"

Leigh @oddleighenough.bsky.social · 21d

I’m desperate for In-N-Out fries.

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Reposted by Chris Willman

Natalie Weiner @natalieweiner.bsky.social · 22d

here are 14 albums that turned 50 this year that you might dig www.dontrocktheinbox.com/14-essential...

14 Essential 1975 Country Albums

'70s country is the source of plenty of current nostalgia despite being made (gulp) a half century ago. There are so many great albums that hit the 50 mark this year, though, and it only seemed right ...

www.dontrocktheinbox.com

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · 24d

I interviewed Ken Sharp about this labor-of-love Raspberries tribute, which had me reliving my not-misspent-enough youth through all 37 tracks... Raspberries Mania Finally Goes All the Way With ‘Play On,’ a Tribute Album Giving the Power-Pop Greats Their Full Due variety.com/2025/music/n...

Raspberries Mania Finally Goes All the Way With ‘Play On,’ a Tribute Album Giving the Power-Pop Greats Their Full Due

'Play On' is a double album covering nearly the entire catalog of Eric Carmen's 1970s band the Raspberries. Ken Sharp discusses assembling the salute.

variety.com

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Reposted by Chris Willman

Adam B. Vary @adambvary.bsky.social · 26d

I wish I was surprised that Deadline claims it asked questions that were actually asked by me and other journalists at this James Gunn press conference. No one from Deadline even *submitted questions* for it (and I know, because I moderated). This is just brazen and sad.

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · Sep 29

I got deep into it with Amanda Shires... which is always a very good place to go. She was as bold, funny and perceptive as always when we had a long conversation backstage at the Opry. variety.com/2025/music/n...

Amanda Shires on Becoming ‘Nobody’s Girl’ With a Bracing Album That Straddles ‘Divorce Record’ and Reclamation Journal: ‘I Kept Telling Myself I Was Healed, When I Wasn’t Yet’

Amanda Shires talks about writing songs about her split from ex-husband Jason Isbell and boldly moving forward on her new album, 'Nobody's Girl.'

variety.com

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · Sep 27

I reviewed Paul McCartney's tour opening at the Santa Barbara Bowl. variety.com/2025/music/c...

Paul McCartney Sings John Lennon’s ‘Help!’ in Full for the First Time, Opening a 2025 Tour That Finds Fresh Joy Even in Familiar Repertoire: Concert Review

Paul McCartney opened his tour at the Santa Barbara Bowl with a John Lennon/Beatles number, "Help!," leading into a familiar but still thrilling setlist.

variety.com

Reposted by Chris Willman

Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · Sep 27

Shit...

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · Sep 27

I present to you the acting US Attorney of the Eastern District of Virginia.

In addition to overseeing the prosecution of James Comey, Lindsey Halligan will also oversee a slew of national security cases due to the fact that her district covers the Pentagon, CIA, and NSA.

(H/T @atrupar.com)

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Chris Willman @cwillman.bsky.social · Sep 24

I had such a good time seeing "Eureka Day" at the Pasadena Playhouse. Here's my endorsement...

‘Eureka Day’ Review: Pasadena Playhouse’s Production of the Tony-Winning School-Vax Comedy Provides Peals of Laughter

'Eureka Day,' now at the Pasadena Playhouse, has serious underpinnings aplenty, with vaccination debates driving its plot, but hilarity rules the day.

variety.com

Reposted by Chris Willman

Mark Frost @markfrost.bsky.social · Sep 24

Jimmy Kimmel for President. (See: Ukraine 🇺🇦)

Adam Parkhomenko @adamparkhomenko.bsky.social · Sep 24

Holy shit 🤣🤣🤣

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