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Music News: Justin Hurwitz wins Oscar for Best Original Song

Ryan Gosling (left) and Composer Justin Hurwitz (right) on the set of  'La La Land.'
Ryan Gosling (left) and Composer Justin Hurwitz (right) on the set of 'La La Land.'Dale Robinette/Lionsgate

by Daniel Nass

February 27, 2017

At Sunday night's Academy Awards, Justin Hurwitz (along with lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul) won the Oscar for Best Original Song, for "City of Stars" from La La Land. Hurwitz also took home the award for Best Original Score.

And if you checked out early, you missed out on some drama at the end of the ceremony. Moonlight was awarded Best Picture, but not before Warren Beatty mistakenly announced La La Land as the winner (he later explained that the envelope he was handed read "Emma Stone, La La Land").

Chance the Rapper rents entire theater for free screening of Get Out

Chance the Rapper is a huge fan of Jordan Peele's new film, Get Out — made clear this weekend when he shout-tweeted to his followers, "DID I NOT TELL YALL #GETOUT WAS INCREDIBLE!! BEST FILM ACROSS ANY GENRE IN AWHILE GO SEE IT TODAY!" Later in the weekend, Chance announced that he had purchased "all the tickets" to a screening at Chicago's Chatham Theatre, inviting followers to "just pull up with ID and enjoy the movie." (Pitchfork)

Andy Samberg impersonates Eddie Vedder at the Spirit Awards

In a spoof of the "In Memoriam" segment of typical awards shows, Andy Samberg appeared at the Spirit Awards this past weekend, dressed as early-90s era Eddie Vedder. In the parody, Samberg performed Pearl Jam's "Alive," turning it into an ode to still-living celebrities. (Rolling Stone)

Damon Albarn says new Gorillaz album is finished

Last week in London, a lucky fan crossed paths with Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn, and in the process, got the inside scoop on the band's long-awaited follow-up to Plastic Beach. Albarn told the fan that "they've just finished the album and they're rehearsing right now" for an upcoming tour. Further evidence appeared in the Instagram feed of Albarn's drummer, Seye, who shared a photo from the band's rehearsal space. (Consequence of Sound)

Atlanta Falcons WR blames Lady Gaga for Super Bowl loss

It's hard to explain the second half collapse of the Atlanta Falcons in this year's Super Bowl, but Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu points a finger of blame at an unexpected target: Lady Gaga. In a recent interview, Sanu was asked if the lengthy halftime show affected the team's performance, to which he responded "it definitely did," adding, "usually, halftime is only like 15 minutes, and when you're not on the field for like an hour, it's just like going to work out, like a great workout, and you go sit on the couch for an hour and then try to start working out again." (Consequence of Sound)

New anti-Trump album from Juliana Hatfield

Inspired by the 2016 election, Juliana Hatfield has announced a new album titled Pussycat, which will be released Apr. 28. "All of these songs just started pouring out of me," Hatfield said in a statement. "I felt an urgency to record them, to get them down, and get them out there." The album features tracks named "Kellyanne" and "Short-Fingered Man." (Pitchfork)

Run the Jewels unveil new beer — "Stay Gold"

Earlier this month, hip-hop duo Run the Jewels announced the development of a new signature beer, in partnership with Interboro Brewing. The North East style IPA, "Stay Gold" (named after the RTJ3 track of the same name) was officially unveiled on Saturday at RTJ's Terminal 5 show in New York City. (Pitchfork)