BILL VAUGHAN'S TASTY CLIPS: Lenny Kravitz To Host iHeartRadio Music Awards

Hot off his appearance during this year’s Academy Awards, multi-award-winning artist Lenny Kravitz will topline the 2023 “iHeartRadio Music Awards” broadcasting on FOX live from the Dolby Theatre on March 27. The event also will be heard on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app.

“I’m thrilled to host and perform at the [awards] to celebrate the best in music,” said Kravitz. “As always the show will feature some great surprises and unforgettable performances that music fans across the country won’t want to miss.”

Slated to appear are LL Cool J, Latto, P!NK, Kelly Clarkson, Keith Urban, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Muni Long, Coldplay (with a special live performance from Brazil) and more.  

Now in its tenth year, the ceremony will celebrate the most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app throughout 2022, while also offering a preview of the upcoming hits of 2023.

Bad Bunny, Bebe Rexha, Beyoncé, Black Eyed Peas, Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic, Doja Cat, Dua Lipa, Elton John, Future, GloRilla, Harry Styles, Jack Harlow, Kodak Black, Lady Gaga, Lil Baby, Lil Nas X, Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, Post Malone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rihanna, Sam Smith, Steve Lacy, Taylor Swift, Tems, and The Weeknd are among the acts receiving multiple nominations.

iHeartRadio listeners will have the opportunity to decide winners in several new and established categories: Best Lyrics, Best Music Video, Best Fan Army, the Social Star Award, Favorite Tour Photographer, TikTok Bop of the Year, Favorite Documentary, Favorite Tour Style, Favorite Residency and Favorite Use of a Sample.

Social voting will close on March 20 for all categories via Twitter using the appropriate category and nominee hashtags or by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.

For ticket information, visit dolbytheatre.com.

TICKET WATCH: Drake has announced he will be embarking on his first tour since the pandemic with 21 Savage this year. Entitled The It’s All a Blur Tour, they will be kicking off June 16 in New Orleans with four shows in L.A. (Aug. 12 -13 at The Forum and Aug. 21-22 at Crypto.Com Arena). Tickets go on sale to the public on March 17. For more info, visit DrakeRelated.com.  

Also on the 17th, tickets are released for the TLC & Shaggy: Hot Summer Nights Tour 2023. Featuring performances from special guests En Vogue and Sean Kingston, the tour is making stops across the U.S. including a July 8 date at Irvine’s FivePoint Amphitheatre. Get your seats at LiveNation.com or on the artists’ websites.

MOVIE MAESTRO: Amplify Performance: Kris Bowers, Piano and Composition will present the Emmy Award-winning composer of “Green Book,” “Bridgerton,” “King Richard,” and the upcoming “Chevalier” on March 19 at the Colburn School. Tickets are available to attend or for viewing the live stream at colburnschool.edu.

Tasty Clips spoke recently with pianist about another high-profile job he just finished working on - the movie musical adaptation of “The Color Purple” with an all-star cast of Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, H.E.R., Colman Domingo, Louis Gossett Jr., Aunjanue Ellis, Danielle Brooks, David Alan Grier and more.

According to Bowers: “When I first started telling people and even my wife that I’m doing ‘The Color Purple,’ a lot of people were like why are they doing that again? But when you see it, you recognize that this is a different movie. This is a different interpretation of this story. The score in a lot of ways leans into an internal trajectory and experience that all the characters are having specific to Celie but all the characters. The music I’m writing is much more intimate. It feels the internal dialogue that is happening.”

As for if there are any hip-hop influences, Bowers said that the director Blitz Bazawule (Beyonce’s “Black Is King”) does a great job at looking at modern day references to figure how it can be done in a way that feels as if it fits into the tradition.

“So a song you may hear feels like a blues acoustic guitar or twangy kind of thing, but his reference was a Jay-Z track,” he revealed while keeping mum on a moment that he said will surprise audiences to no end. It opens in theaters December 20.

CLIPPETTES: Ziggy Marley, eldest son of Bob & Rita Marley, concludes his two-night stand at Walt Disney Concert Hall on March 17. Also, An Intimate Evening with T-Pain is sold out for two nights so an additional show on the 19th has been added at The Sun Rose at Pendry West Hollywood …

You can add Sean “Diddy” Combs to the short list of moguls looking to acquire a majority stake in BET. He joins Byron Allen and Tyler Perry as persons of interest …

The Movie Music of Spike Lee & Terence Blanchard is presented with the trumpeter’s quintet and guest vocalists, accompanied by specially curated images of the films projected throughout the performance on March 18 at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Meanwhile, Sergio Mendes is at the Coach House …

Alto and tenor saxophonist, composer, pianist, percussionist, actor, and tap dancer Idris Ackamoor performs for the 50th year with his afro-jazz band The Pyramids on March 19 at Zebulon Café to unveil music from their upcoming commemorative double vinyl album “Afro Futuristic Dreams.” …

KRS-One drops verses at The Venice West for a second night on March 21 …

On March 22, In conjunction with the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective, the Grammy Museum hosts an exclusive screening of the MGM+’s “Godfather of Harlem” season three finale followed by a conversation with the series’ executive music producer Swizz Beatz, and executive producers Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein …

Also, SZA: S.O.S North American Tour with Omar Apollo lands at The Forum for two consecutive nights beginning March 22, as Black Violin plays City National Grove of Anaheim.

SHEROES: Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”), Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”), Tabitha Brown, Cas Sigers-Beedles (“Scheme Queens”), Tammy Williams (Cinema South Studios and CS145 LED Production Facility), and Latasha Gillespie (Executive Head of Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility for Amazon Studios, Prime Video and IMDb) will be honored during the Black Women Film Network Summit being held March 25 in Atlanta. For more info on the 8th annual event with the theme of “Her Mic is On: Black Women Owning the Moment,” visit blackwomenfilm.org.

TASTY QUIP: “As open and as liberal as I am with my body, I was very scared because I haven’t had that many partners and I’m not like that, THAT sexual and open. Damson [Idris] (of “Snowfall”) made it really comfortable and there were limited people on set, it was a closed set. We were laughing in between, and we literally had a bouncy ball in between us and we were making a joke out of it.” – CHLOE BAILEY to Deadline Hollywood on her first sex scenes filmed for the Donald Glover-produced “Swarm” premiering March 17 on Prime Video

TC ON TV: March 17 – “Extrapolations” (Apple TV+): A near futuristic drama series dealing with climate change featuring an all-star cast including Ben Harper, Daveed Diggs, Edward Norton, Forest Whitaker, Judd Hirsch, Kit Harrington, Meryl Streep, Tobey Maguire and Yara Shahidi. “Agent Elvis” (Netflix): Matthew McConaughey voices Elvis Presley as a government spy in this cartoon series with contributions from Don Cheadle, Niecy Nash and Priscilla Presley as herself. “Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman” (Disney+): The U2 front men make a return to Dublin reflecting on their journey as musicians and friends. “The Magician’s Elephant” (Netflix): The voices of Brian Tyree Henry, Lorraine Toussaint, Cree Summer, Mandy Patinkin, and Benedict Wong are featured in this animated movie. “Jennifer Hudson” (Syn): Quinta Brunson, Stephanie Mills “The Tonight Show” (NBC): Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Padma Lakshmi  

March 18 – “The Hillsdale Adoption Scam” (Lifetime): Keshia Knight Pulliam stars in this movie inspired by true events.

March 19 – “Rockstar Shuffle” (AXS): “Nile Rodgers Is a Hitmaker” “East New York” (CBS): Mo McRae directs this episode.

March 20 – “All American: Homecoming” (CW): Coco Gauff guest stars in this episode directed by David Ramsey. “Live with Kelly & Ryan” (ABC): Keanu Reeves, Regé-Jean Page “Independent Lens” (PBS): “Storming Caesars Palace” tells the story of Ruby Duncan, a Las Vegas hotel work who joined a welfare rights group of mothers who defied notions of the “welfare queen.” In a fight for guaranteed income, Ruby and other equality activists took on the Nevada mob in organizing a massive protest that shut down the casino. “The Tonight Show” (NBC): Talib Kweli & Madlib  

March 21 – “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” (HBO): Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker is profiled. “That’s My Jam” (NBC): Chance The Rapper & French Montana vs. Jabari Banks & Quavo

END QUOTE: “It’s not your job to be likeable. It’s your job to be yourself. Someone will like you anyway” – CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE

As featured in the Los Angeles Wave and Independent, Tasty Clips is one of the leading entertainment columns in the nation, serving nearly one million weekly readers. Bill Vaughan may be reached at tastyclips@yahoo.com, via Twitter @tastyclips, or Instagram @tasty_clips.