THR hosts only their second Songwriters Roundtable on this week’s “Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter.” The conversation includes Academy Award frontrunner Mark Ronson for “Shallow” (“A Star is Born”), in addition to nominee Diane Warren for “I’ll Fight” (“RBG”). The other songwriters include David Crosby (“Little Pink Houses”), Kesha (“On the Basis of Sex”), Boots Riley (“Sorry to Bother You”), Tim McGraw (“Free Solo”), and Jack Antonoff (“Love, Simon”).

Continue reading Mark Ronson, Kesha, Diane Warren & More Discuss Scores, Soundtracks & Political Songwriting [Watch] at The Playlist.

In many ways the 60th Grammy Awards were not only lacking in star power, but any sense of history for a major anniversary for music’s most prestigious honor. Perhaps considering the political and social justice tone of the evening the artists commandeered it to be about looking forward and not to the past. That’s a good thing.

Unfortunately, the winners were sadly predictable in may respects.  Too few won too many awards (in this case Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar) and the artist who would have been the most generic pick possible took home the major honors (Mars).

Continue reading Best And Worst Of The 2018 Grammy Awards: Kesha, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna at The Playlist.