The Cure’s Robert Smith Continues His New Part-Time Job as Ticket-Price Enforcement Officer

costing Diddy big time. For sampling Sting’s 1983 “Every Breath You Take” track on 1997 Biggie Smalls tribute “I’ll Be Missing You,” music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is said to be forever indebted to the rock star — to the tune of $5,000 a day. “5k a day. Love to my brother [Sting],” tweeted Diddy, 53, in part, Wednesday, seemingly confirming his eternal obligation to the Police frontman. Neither representatives for Diddy nor Sting immediately responded to The Post’s request for a comment. But in his Twitter admission, Diddy, a native New Yorker, reposted a clip that featured Sting, 71, discussing the perpetual payment during a 2018 appearance on Power 105.1 FM’s “The Breakfast Club.”The tweet, which amassed more than 7.6 million views, came as a correction to Sting telling the morning show host Charlamagne Tha God that Diddy had to pay him $2,000 a day for co-opting his Grammy-winning hit.

Carmel Dagan Emmy-winning cinematographer Bill Butler, who was Oscar nominated for shooting “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and was also the D.P. on “Jaws,” died Wednesday, according to the American Society of Cinematographers. He was 101.In addition to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Butler served as d.p. on a number of other high-profile films of the 1970s, including Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation,” “Grease,” “Ice Castles,” Bill Murray comedy hit “Stripes” and several entries in the “Rocky” franchise (but not the original).On both “The Conversation” and “Cuckoo’s Nest,” Butler was brought in as replacement for the esteemed cinematographer Haskell Wexler.Butler was also the cinematographer for “Demon Seed” and “Capricorn One” in the ’70s, as well as Neil Simon adaptation “Biloxi Blues” (1988), horror film “Child’s Play” (1988), Prince musical drama “Graffiti Bridge” (1990), “Flipper” (1996), “Anaconda” (1997) and the Pate brothers’ well-regarded 1997 murder mystery film “Deceiver,” starring Tim Roth and Renee Zellweger. Butler worked into the new century, by which time he was in his 80s, shooting Bill Paxton’s critically hailed 2001 crime drama “Frailty” and the 2006 Chevy Chase comedy “Funny Money.”

EXCLUSIVE: Members of a House select committee on China met with Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger and later with a group of Hollywood filmmakers and executives on Wednesday, amid concerns over industry business practices in engaging with Beijing.

Selome Hailu “You” has reclaimed its position at the top of Nielsen’s weekly streaming rankings. The Netflix series starring Penn Badgley was watched for 1.4 billion minutes throughout the March 6-12 window, during which second part of Season 4 was available for four days.

Sophia Scorziello editor Lizzo has finally discovered the way, and she’s loving it. The singer-songwriter shared behind-the-scene photos from her guest appearance on Wednesday’s episode of Season 3 of the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” and expressed how much joining the Star Wars galaxy meant to her. On Episode 6 of the series, the Grammy-winning artist plays the Duchess of Plazir-15, alongside her husband and counterpart Captain Bombardier, played by Jack Black. In the caption for her Instagram post, Lizzo wrote that when “Mandalorian” creator and showrunner Jon Favreau offered her the role, “I cried all day wishing my dad was still with us cus he’d be so proud.”

Zayn Malik just debuted a new ‘do… And fans are torn.

So sad.

Thania Garcia Karol G is not happy with her portrayal on GQ Mexico’s latest magazine cover. The Colombian star took to social media to share that she felt the photo used was “disrespectful” and a misleading depiction of the way her body and face naturally looks. In a post uploaded to Instagram on Thursday morning, Karol shared a photo of her bare face with the second slide being GQ Mexico’s magazine cover. She claims her face and body were heavily edited without her approval. “Today my GQ magazine cover was made public, a cover with an image that does not represent me,” Karol wrote in the caption. “My face doesn’t look like that, my body doesn’t look like that and I feel very happy and comfortable with how I look naturally.”

Chris Rock set a streaming record with his latest comedy special.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Over the past few weeks it’s been mortifying, amusing and ultimately inspiring to witness the almost real-time reactions of the Cure’s founder/frontman Robert Smith to the hell-on-earth that is the concert-ticket purchasing process — and roll up his sleeves and do something about it. While high prices, availability issues and a bevy of vaguely defined “service fees” could be expected for such box-office record-breakers as Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen, Smith was as surprised as anyone to see the prices on his group’s “Lost World” tour, its first for several years. While the group had managed to avoid such controversial policies as platinum packages and variable pricing, Smith was appalled to see hefty service fees added to the cost of “Verified Fan” tickets, which are intended to protect fans by keeping tickets out of the hands of scalpers, for the tour.

I don’t often describe a meal this way, but… what a feast!!! @GrandCruByPartage

On Thursday night’s exciting instalment of Emmerdale, fans at home were treated to a double whammy of drama when it was revealed that Leyla Harding’s stalker was none other than Home Farm nanny Nicky. Yet in a further twist, once he had been caught out by Caleb Milligan, it was revealed that Nicky is actually the businessman’s son - who in turn is the son of former Home Farm owner Frank Tate.

Tiger Woods, the five-time Masters' Champion, make a legendary comeback after his previous golfing hiatus? Scottie Scheffler will be defending his title as the 2022 Masters' Champion, but fans are also rooting for hopefuls John Rahm and Rory McIlroy. Experts have also put some sleepers on the radar: Jason Day, Corey Conners, Cameron Young and Min Woo Lee are a few who have the potential to take the title.Fans are eager to tune in, so read on to learn how to stream the 2023 Masters Tournament, even without cable. For those who haven't cut the cord, you can watch the 87th Edition of the prestigious golf tournament on ESPN and CBS.

dressed in a turtle costume while the cast and crew of the 2002 spy movie “The Master of Disguise” held a moment of silence for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Carvey, 67, recalled the uncomfortable experience on Wednesday’s episode of “Fly on the Wall,” his podcast with fellow comedian David Spade.

Being normal is vastly overrated! Halloweentown star Kimberly J. Brown is coming to 90s Con alongside her fiancé, Daniel Kountz, Us Weekly can exclusively reveal.

Coolio‘s official cause of death has been revealed six months after his passing, Us Weekly can confirm.

Kevin Costner gave advice to his younger self in an Instagram post shared Wednesday. Costner, 68, posted a throwback photo of himself and asked fans what they would say to their younger selves. "I think often about what I’d go back and say to this guy.

Hunter King and Chandler Massey are ringing in wedding season on Hallmark Channel with The Professional Bridesmaid this weekend.

Lil Wayne is back on the road for his first concert tour in four years!

TV director Craig Duncan is not holding back with his criticism of his former colleague, James Corden.

Lizzo officially exists within the Star Wars universe, and she couldn’t be happier about it.

King Charles III is helping a research project about the monarchy and slavery.

Shania Twain understands that some of her fans aren't pleased with her latest fashion choices, but the criticism doesn't impress her much. Looking back on last weekend's CMT Music Awards, the country legend made an Instagram post showing off her looks from both her red carpet entrance and her appearance onstage, explaining, "For me fashion is a powerful tool that helps to convey my personality and express my creativity and other than getting to hang out with my friends for the night, it's one of my favourite things about attending award shows!" Twain added, "Life is too short to wear boring clothes!!" She thanked her team, including stylists Chris Horan and Greer Heavrin, for creating her daring looks from Sunday night.

April showers bring more royal celebrations? Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Easter plans are already underway. The Prince and Princess of Wales have their eyes out for their first Easter with the new titles and they’re definitely following tradition.

amend the gender marker on their birth certificates.Kansas House members included provisions in the bill requiring accommodations for intersex people or those born with chromosomes, genitalia, or reproductive organs not associated with typical definitions for males or females. Supporters of the measure dubbed it a “Women’s Bill of Rights,” arguing that there is a need for single-sex spaces for females.The bill’s verbiage was based on boilerplate language circulated by national anti-transgender groups who have pushed for similar measures in Congress or other states.The measure passed the Kansas Senate by a vote of 28-12 on Tuesday, April 4, after passing the House of Representatives last month by a vote of 83-41, with one conservative Republican House member absent.

The Cure have added a handful of new dates to their upcoming tour of North America, bringing their two-month itinerary up to a total of 34 shows.The four new gigs comes as those previously announced in San Diego, Montreal and Atlanta sold out with unprecedented speed; they’ll play second shows in those respective cities on Sunday May 21, Saturday June 17 and Wednesday June 28. The band have also added a night in Portland – where they’ll play at the Moda Centre on Wednesday May 31 – with frontman Robert Smith describing that gig as “an ‘experiment’ to see whether non-transferable tickets are enough protection”. Unlike other dates on the tour, that show will not require a ‘Verified Fan’ code from Ticketmaster to access the public sale. FOURTH EXTRA SHOW WILL BE 31ST MAY PORTLAND MODA CENTER – AS AN ‘EXPERIMENT’ TO SEE WHETHER NON-TRANSFERABLE TICKETS ARE ENOUGH PROTECTION, TICKET PURCHASE WILL NOT REQUIRE TM VF #ShowsOfALostWorld2023 4/5— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) April 5, 2023In other tweets announcing the shows, Smith – who recently expressed his frustration at Ticketmaster’s methods of operating – noted that fans who’d been issued ‘Verified Fan’ codes, but were unsuccessful in purchasing tickets, would have the “first option” to grab seats at these upcoming shows.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and 13-Time Grammy winner Pharrell Williams will be honored by the Recording Academy at its annual Grammys on the Hill Awards, taking place on April 26. The event is intended to bring together congressional leaders and music makers to recognize those who have led the fight for creators’ rights, and the three will be honored for their contributions to support music creators. Special guests and attendees will be announced in the coming weeks.  “Grammys on the Hill is a celebration like no other, spotlighting music’s unifying power as we bring together our nation’s leaders with some of the most renowned artists in the world,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “It’s a privilege to honor Pharrell alongside Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Cassidy, all of whom have fought tirelessly for pro-music policy that protects the creatives that make up our community.”

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor On May 30, Foo Fighters will headline the opening night of a new Washington D.C. venue called the Atlantis, an intimate 450-capacity room opened by independent promoter I.M.P., which also owns and operates area venues the 9:30 Club and the Anthem and operates the Lincoln Theatre and Merriweather Post Pavilion. The venue kicks off the season with a robust opening lineup that includes Maggie Rogers, Parliament Funkadelic, Yo La Tengo, Darius Rucker, Joan Jett, Tove Lo, Jeff Tweedy, Tank and the Bangas, Portugal. The Man, and Billy Idol, among others (full lineup below). The new club was accidentally announced by D.C.-area native Dave Grohl in September of 2021, when Foo Fighters played the re-opening night of the long-running 9:30 Club after months of pandemic shutdown. He said I.M.P. was going to open a new, smaller venue fashioned as a near replica of the original 9:30 Club, where he got his start. He gave no additional details but added, “We’ll probably be the band that opens that place, too, right?”

#GotGVol3 soundtrack is now live. Listen to the music before seeing the film in theaters on May 5.

Bruce Springsteen concerts in NYC have been stripped-down shows with the New Jersey legend performing solo and telling stories in a Broadway theater.But on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, the Boss was back in all his arena-rocking glory — with the E Street Band by his side once again.In the first of his area concerts on a 2023 trek that kicked off in February, Springsteen and his beloved backing band played together in NYC for the first time since “The River” tour in August 2016.And you could feel the excitement and anticipation in the air even before Springsteen and crew took the stage just 10 minutes after the scheduled 7:30 start time — the better to play those marathon, three-hour-plus concerts they’re famous for.Chants of “Bruuuuuce!” rippled through the arena until the band hit the stage, one by one, but they reached peak roar when Springsteen himself finally made his entrance.“New York City!” he shouted as if he was just as happy to be back home with his musical family.And as he launched into the “Born in the USA” anthem “No “Surrender,” it was clear that the ever-buff Boss was not backing down to Father Time — even at 73.Even when he went into “Ghosts” — from 2020’s “Letter to You,” which found him confronting his own mortality — Springsteen sounded as vital as ever.And you could feel some love from the other side when Clarence Clemons’ nephew Jake channeled the spirit of his late uncle on saxophone.Although Springsteen’s latest album, 2022’s “Only the Strong Survive,” is a solo affair — which he nodded to with the soulful swagger of his Commodores cover “Nightshift” — this tour is definitely all about those special E Street moments like him sharing the mic again with ace sidekick Steven Van Zandt again

The Cure‘s Robert Smith has confirmed the band have cancelled 7,000 tickets found on secondary resale websites in a bid to tackle touts.As part of the on-sale process for their forthcoming North American tour, the frontman opted out of Ticketmaster’s “platinum” and “dynamically priced” ticket options, and restricted ticket transfers in markets where he was legally allowed to do so in places like New York, Illinois, and Colorado, which have all enacted legislation protecting resellers.Following the band’s move to do this, Smith tonight (March 31) announced: “Approx 7k tickets across approx 2200 orders have been cancelled. These are tickets acquired with fake accounts / listed on secondary resale sites.”‘IHBT’ #? “Approx 7k tickets across approx 2200 orders have been cancelled.

Thania Garcia The Cure‘s Robert Smith continues his long-drawn-out battle against the many monetary hurdles of the ticketing world — this time, he’s taking on secondary resale websites. Just a few weeks ago, Smith was able to secure several refunds from Ticketmaster for fans looking to catch the British band on their forthcoming “Lost World” tour. Now, Smith says they’ve managed to cancel 7,000 scalped tickets and further announced a plan to donate the original fees to the charity Amnesty International. Meanwhile, tickets will be resold to fans. When the tour — the band’s first North American trek in seven years — was first announced on March 9, the Cure opted out of Ticketmaster’s “platinum” and “dynamically priced” ticket options, both of which have infamously been the cause of a massive uptick in ticket prices.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor This op-ed is jointly signed by the advocacy organizations the Songwriters of North America (SONA), the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), and the Music Artists Coalition (MAC). If you love songwriters and hate the many ways songwriters are underpaid, paid slowly, or not paid at all, please read the following: There is over a quarter billion dollars of mechanical-royalty income related to songs that were streamed between 2018 and 2022 that has not been paid — and there is no guidance on when it will. Why? Eyes down. The Mechanical Licensing Collective (“MLC”) is an organization responsible for receiving mechanical royalties from streaming services, matching the royalties for songs to the appropriate songwriters, and distributing that income to songwriters and publishing companies accordingly. The MLC is currently holding $373 million dollars in mechanical royalty income for songs streamed between 2018 and 2022. 

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor As expected, a new hard rock festival called Power Trip, from the founders of Coachella, has announced its lineup: Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Tool. It will take place at Coachella’s home base of the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, Calif., Oct.

Guns N’ Roses have announced the first wave of artists set to support them at their British Summer Time Festival (BST) headline show this year.The rock band comprising Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Dizzy Reed, Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer and Melissa Reese, will top the bill on June 30. It will be their first appearance at the festival.The first act joining Guns N’ Roses for the stint will be The Pretenders.

Robert Smith has asked Ticketmaster to explain why tickets in its promised face value ticket exchange are “weird” and “over priced”.The Cure singer and guitarist has taken the ticketing platform to task in recent weeks over its “unduly high” service fees for tickets to his band’s upcoming North American tour. Some fans claimed that Ticketmaster fees, including service fee, facility charge and order processing fee, exceeded the price of the actual tickets.Earlier this month Smith said that he was “sickened” by high Ticketmaster fees after the platform had vowed to the band to keep prices affordable for their fans.Now, some fans have claimed that tickets marked as face value are selling beyond the price of a standard ticket, and Smith has responded to what’s been alleged.