News

The United States continues to be one nation under a groove.

The country’s recorded music sector grew again in 2024, up by more than $500 million from the previous year, driven by paid subscriptions topping 100 million for the first time. The RIAA also reports that the nearly two-decade surge in sales of vinyl records continued as more buyers choose to spin the black circle.

The trade group noted that the U.S. retail music sector was valued at $17.7 billion for the year, compared with $17.1 billion in 2023. But combined digital and physical total-unit sales of albums and singles fell by nearly 13% to 220.4 million, and overall growth slowed from 7.7% increase in 2023 to 3% last year.

The “RIAA 2024 Year-End Revenue Report” (read it here) found that streaming remained the biggest driver, with $14.9B. Paid subscriptions, ad-supported services, digital and customized radio, social media platforms, digital fitness apps and others collectively accounted for 84% of total revenue for a third consecutive year.

Derek and Hayley Hough have an incredible story of survival to share.

The married dancers are working on a documentary that will take a look back at the frightening moment when Erbert collapsed backstage while performing their Symphony of Dance tour in December.

The Voyeur Verite Presents documentary, which has no distribution yet, is directed by Jason Bergh (The Greatest Love Story Never Told) and produced by Bergh and Stephan Bielecki. EPs are Derek Hough, Jeff Golenberg and Courtney Carter. Dp is Matt Bass.

On Tuesday’s episode of Dancing with the Stars, Hough remembered the moment when he was waiting on stage for his wife to join him. Suddenly, the stage manager told him that Erbert was having full seizures and “essentially dying.”

Doctors later warned Hough that his wife may not survive her emergency craniectomy, and if she did survive brain surgery, she may not be the same...

Latin music continues to grow year over year, and 2024 has been no exception. On Thursday, the Recording Industry Association of America released new data showing that the Latin music industry generated $685 million in the first half of 2024 — setting a new record.

“Latin music keeps soaring to new heights — setting U.S. revenue records as we report today and driving the culture forward across the globe,” RIAA President Michele Ballantyne said in a press release. “There’s a reason Latin is the fastest-growing genre on U.S. streaming services. Fans just...

Kcet topped the list of Los Angeles TV stations with the most wins,10, at the 76th local Emmy Awards handed out by the Television Academy Saturday. It was followed by Kvea and Spectrum News 1 with 4 each, ABC7 and CBS2/KCAL9 with 3 and KTLA5 and Spectrum SportsNet with two.

One of KTLA5’s two Emmys went to the station’s veteran Ktla entertainment reporter Sam Rubin, who died of a heart attack in May. He was recognized for his news coverage of the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Three stations split the honors for Regularly Scheduled Newscast in the different day parts: Spectrum News 1 (morning), Kcal (Daytime) and Kvea (evening).

Here is a full list of winners:

Investigative News Story

Student Stabbed CBS2/KCAL9

(Kcal News At 11Pm)

Ross Palombo, Reporter, Writer

Angie Moriconi, Editor, Photographer

Feature Segment

Little Amal (Artbound) Kcet

Nic Cha Kim, Producer

Marley Lister, Associate Producer

Angela Boisvert,...

Kvea and Kcet each won eight trophies at the 75th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards to lead the field just like they did at the nomination stage. Telemundo’s Kvea swept all three regularly scheduled newscast categories, morning, daytime and evening. CBS/KCAL9 followed with 4 wins, with ABC7 and Spectrum SportsNet LA tied at 3 and Kmex, Spectrum News 1 and Spectrum SportsNet at 2. The honored telecasts included two tributes to local icon Vin Scully who died last summer.

The ceremony was held Saturday night at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel whose workers have been on strike for a new contract. Videos of attendees crossing the picket line to enter the hotel were tweeted by Unite Here Local 11, which called out the TV Academy for holding the event at the struck location. In its criticism of the Academy over the choice of location, the hotel workers union was joined by striking Hollywood...

Kvea is clearly doing something right. The Telemundo-owned Los Angeles station, part of a duopoly with sister NBC outlet Knbc, swept this year’s key newscast categories at the 75th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards. The Spanish language station dominated the evening, winning the Emmys for evening (7 p.m. to 12 a.m.), daytime (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and morning (4 a.m. to 11 a.m.) newscasts.

Kvea had won the daytime newscast Emmy last year as well.

Overall, Kvea earned eight L.A. Area Emmy awards this year, tied with local public broadcaster Kcet. (That was also up from Kcet’s haul of six last year.) Given the tie with Kvea, that still preserves Kcet’s streak of this being the seventh year in a row that Kcet won the most.

The Kcbs/Kcal duopoly was next in line, with four wins, while ABC-owned Kabc and cabler Spectrum SportsNet LA were next with three.

Doctor Who

Following her two-episode appearance, "Game of Thrones" actress Maisie Williams is set return to "Doctor Who" sooner than expected. The actress will reportedly make an appearance in the tenth episode of the season, "Face The Raven," according to that episode's writer Sarah Dollard. [Source: Deadline]

The Enfield Haunting

Hulu has bought exclusive U.S. subscription-streaming rights to British three-part supernatural miniseries "The Enfield Haunting" from eOne. Based on the bizarre real events that took place at a home in Enfield, London, in 1977, the story is adapted from Guy Lyon Playfair's book "This House is Haunted". The show premieres on Hulu from today. [Source: Variety]

House Sitter

20th Century Fox TV is developing the single-camera comedy "House Sitter" which is inspired by real events. Matt Bass and Teddy Bressman will pen and co-executive produce the project which tie back to a friend of actor Jake Johnson. Johnson and Max Winkler will also executive produce.

Fox has in the works House Sitter, a single-camera comedy inspired by real events, from 20th Century Fox TV and Jake Johnson and Max Winkler’s studio-based Walcott Co. Written/co-executive produced by Matt Bass and Teddy Bressman, the project centers on Beans, a house sitter who lives life according to his own set of rules; he turns your day-to-day existence into his vacation, your mundane into his adventure, and your bathrobe into his… bathrobe. House Sitter was inspired…...

London - The Mutant Chronicles unleashes cannibalistic humanoids into a steam punk World War I world. The movie features Thomas Jane (Hung), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Devon Aoki (Sin City), Sean Pertwee (Doomsday) and John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich) as the only defense against these ungodly creatures in the CGI enhanced environment. Can Aoki cut them all down with her cool sword?

Director Simon Hunter took nearly two years to adapt the role playing game into a cinematic universe. You can get great sense of what he undertook for his first major motion picture on the Two-disc Collector’s Edition DVD and the Blu-ray recently released by Magnolia Home Entertainment. I had a chance to swap questions via email with Hunter. Here’s the Q&A action:

Joe Corey: Have you played the game?

Simon Hunter: Yes I have played the game and enjoyed it very much - the...