HOT: Two Sides of Neverland
In what was surely the most awkwardly-timed announcement ever related to a “jukebox musical," the Michael Jackson estate revealed dates for the biographical Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough's opening run in Chicago this year, before its Broadway premiere in 2020. The announcement came ahead of the Sundance premiere of Leaving Neverland, a documentary about two men who allege Jackson molested them when they were children. Jackson’s family is “furious” about the media’s coverage of the movie and said the film is “yet another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson.” Fans are also outraged. Early reviews from Sundance indicate that Leaving Neverland is powerful and convincing, suggesting it may have an impact in the court of public opinion similar to the recent Surviving R. Kelly miniseries (it will air later this year on HBO). Jackson’s nephew (Tito’s son) is reportedly working on his own documentary to counter what he calls “false allegations.”
WARM: Spotify Mystery
The BBC recently revealed an apparent scam involving unknown musical acts who’ve racked up thousands of streams — and, apparently, resultant royalty payments. Several Spotify users reported being “hacked” after having artists they’ve never streamed before listed in their “most listened to” rankings at the end of the year. The investigation found that the “artists” had no other information available publicly outside of their Spotify presence. Spotify refused to comment on the apparent security breach, but the BBC reported that after it had inquired about what they dubbed “mysterycore” artists, most of them disappeared from the service. Given the notoriously low payouts to artists for Spotify streams, the scam seems about as lucrative as smashing gumball machines for pennies.
COLD: Oscars Cut Back Music
Variety reports that at this year’s Academy Awards, most of the Best Original Song nominees will not be performed. Though Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar will reportedly play their nominated songs (from A Star is Born and Black Panther, respectively), tunes from Mary Poppins Returns (performed by Emily Blunt), RBG (Jennifer Hudson) and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Gillian Welch) will only be acknowledged when the category is announced. The Academy said it hasn’t yet made any final decisions.
UPDATE: On Feb. 1, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings announced that they would indeed also be performing at the Oscars to play the nominated "When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings," suggesting either the Academy changed its mind or the initial Variety story was incorrect.
