Get ready to confront the creatures of the night in Santa Clara again. Except this time, instead of nightflying to the strains of Echo and the Bunnymen’s cover of the Doors’ “People Are Strange” or Tim Cappello’s sax-tastic so-80s anthem “I Still Believe,” fans of the cult 1987 teen vampire drama The Lost Boys can look forward to some Slash in the mix of biting, brooding and belting.

The Guns N’ Roses guitarist makes a cameo via a screaming solo on “Have to Have You,” a chugging rock tune that helps make up the soundtrack to the upcoming Broadway musical remake of the Joel Schumacher-directed original film that starred Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Jami Gertz, Keifer Sutherland, Jason Patric and Dianne Wiest.

The Lost Boys musical is slated to hit the Palace Theatre on Broadway in late March featuring a book by David Hornsby (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and a score by the band the Rescues. The first taste of the musical’s score is the muscular “Have to Have You,” which is performed by the show’s vampires — Ali Louis Bourzgui (“David”), Maria Wirries (“Star”), Brian Flores (“Marko”), Sean Grandillo (“Dwayne”) and Dean Maupin (“Paul”), along with Slash, who rips a solo on the song that mixes 1980s hair metal energy with a grunge-y underpinning.

“The producers reached out a few months ago and had the great idea of releasing an EP, because in our version of the Lost Boys they are still a biker band but also a band, Santa Clara’s biggest band, The Lost Boys,” Bourzugui, 26, tells Billboard of the idea of releasing an EP as if the Lost Boys themselves were dropping new music. The gang came in and recorded the track written by the Rescues, which was both the first song Bourzgui ever heard by the L.A. rockers, as well as the tune he auditioned for to land the lead role.

“And then they got freakin’ Slash to come in!” Bourzgui says about the excitement of getting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend to grace the track. “We’re all standing up and we’re screaming and jumping up and down,” he adds about the cast’s ecstatic response to seeing the Slash footage, which he contrasted with the perpetually cool guitarist’s demeanor.

“Slash is sitting down, so chill in his chair and he pulls out his guitar and plays this absolutely insane solo, as he does, in one or two takes and is like, ‘is that good?’ This incredible, mathematical, insane solo,” says Bourgzgui, who knows about mixing theater with rock thanks to his award-winning Broadway debut in the principal role in Pete Townshend’s 2024 revival of The Who’s Tommy.

To help prep fans for the Broadway show, a three-song EP, The Lost Boys — The Santa Carla Sessions — will begin streaming on Oct. 31; “Have to Have You” is available to stream now. With music and lyrics by the Rescues, the EP will also feature LJ Benet on “Belong to Someone” and Caissie Levy with guest artist Patrick Wilson on “Wild.”

The Lost Boys will begin preview performances on March 27 at the Palace Theatre, with an official opening slated for April 26; tickets are available here now. The new musical features a story by James Jeremias & Janice Roberta Fischer and will be directed by two-time Tony Award winner Michael Arden (Parade, Maybe Happy Ending), with a book by Hornsby (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) & Chris Hoch, music & lyrics by The Rescues (Kyler England, AG, Gabriel Mann) and choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant (Parade) & Christopher Cree Grant (Parade).

Check out the “Have to Have You” video below.

On the same day that President Trump announced a historic deal to end the two-year war between Israel and militant group Hamas, the organizers of the annual Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) said they will postpone a vote on calls to ban Israel from next year’s event.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tuesday’s (Oct. 13) ESC members — comprised of European public broadcasters that air the competition — were slated to hold an emergency meeting in November to vote on a request by some members to ban Israel from competing next year. Broadcasters from Ireland and Spain have called for a boycott against Israel in protest of the Israeli army’s actions in Gaza during the devastating two-year war; broadcasters in other nations, including Germany and Austria, have opposed the ban.

The postponement of the vote came the wake of Tuesday’s announcement by Trump of a peace deal, which included an immediate ceasefire — which, at press time, appeared to be holding — as well as the return of the 20 living Israeli hostages and the release of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

In the wake of the news, Eurovision said on Tuesday that the board had decided to postpone the vote on the boycott and will discuss it in “an open and in-person discussion” during its regular winter general assembly in December. The planned November vote was to determine whether Israeli public broadcaster and EBU (European Broadcasting Union) member KAN would be allowed to participate in the 2026 Eurovision. 

According to THR, an “absolute majority” of EBU members would be required to vote to implement the ban, with Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain already threatening to sit out next year’s competition unless Israel is banned; the U.K.’s national broadcaster, BBC, has not picked a side in the matter.

The 69-year-old global pop competition known for its over-the-top performances, outrageous costuming and fierce regional/political rivalries is often one of the most-watched non-sports TV events of the year around the world. Though acts perform under their national flag and voters decide whether the performers advance to the finale based on national loyalty, the global songwriting competition is billed as a “non-political” event. Rules require participating broadcasters to take all necessary steps to make sure their delegations and teams, “safeguard the interests and the integrity of the ESC and to make sure that the ESC shall in no case be politicized and/or instrumentalized and/or otherwise brought into disrepute in any way.”

Israel has participated in Eurovision since 1973 and Israeli singers have won four times, beginning with Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta in 1978 with “A-Ba-Ni-Bi,” then again in 1979 with Milk and Honey’s “Hallelujah,” 1998 with Dana International’s “Diva” and 2018 via Netta’s “Toy”; the country hosted Eurovision in 1979, 1999 and 2019.

This year’s Israeli entry, Yuval Raphael, was the 2025 runner-up with the uplifting “New Day Will Rise.” Her song was typical of the kind of soaring, platitude-packed ballads that are the competition’s bread-and-butter. But “New Day Will Rise” resonated on a much more emotional, second level as well, due to Raphael’s status as a survivor of the Oct. 7. 2023 Hamas assault on Israel, during which militants killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages, setting off the two-year war.

The 2025 Eurovision winner, JJ, said in May that he would like to see Israel banned from the 2026 competition.

“It is very disappointing to see Israel still participating in the contest,” the singer said at the time. “I would like the next Eurovision to be held in Vienna and without Israel.” In response, Martin Green CBE, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, told Billboard in a statement, “We fully respect JJ’s right to express their personal opinion and understand the concerns and deeply held views around the current conflict in the Middle East.”

In 2024, more than 400 musicians, actors, agents and managers and studio executives signed an open letter to the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest rejecting attempts by some participating countries to bar Israel from participating in that year’s event. Among those who signed the letter were Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber, KISS’ Gene Simmons, Scooter Braun, Boy George, Sharon Osbourne, Emmy Rossum, Mayim Bialik, Debra Messing, Diane Warren and Selma Blair, among many others.

At the time, a group of 1,000 Swedish and Finnish artists demanded that Israel be excluded from the 2024 contest over a belief that Israel’s wartime actions “undermined” the spirit of Eurovision due to the country’s “brutal” response to the Hamas attack.

Next year’s Eurovision will be held in Vienna, Austria.

It’s the end of an era for pop culture obsessives: MTV, the world’s first 24-hour music broadcaster, is to cease operation of five of its channels in the U.K. and Ireland at the end of 2025.

MTV’s parent company, entertainment giant Paramount, will pull the plug on MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live on Dec. 31. The channels will also close in Germany, France, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Australia and Brazil at a later date. 

The decision also impacts MTV productions in the U.K., where original shows such as Gonzo – presented by Radio 1’s Jack Saunders – and Fresh Out UK have also recently been canceled. 

The latest numbers from British organization Barb show that, in July, MTV Music had 1.3 million viewers, while MTV 90s pulled in an audience of 949,000 for the month.

Flagship channel MTV HD is set to remain on air, with its scheduling centered around reality series including Teen Mom, Ex On The Beach and Geordie Shore. The channel is known for launching the careers of popular British presenters including Emma Willis and Cat Deeley.

A new report from BBC News states that the move comes as Paramount, which has yet to issue a formal comment, seeks to implement cost-cutting measures of $500 million across its global portfolio.

Beyond financial realities, however, the move also reflects how television viewing habits have shifted dramatically over the past decade, with music fans migrating towards social media, streaming platforms, and digital video outlets such as YouTube, Instagram Reels or TikTok.

The music arm of MTV brand will continue to have a presence across social media, as well as signature events like the VMAs. The EMAs, meanwhile, have been put on hold for 2025 as Paramount continues to review its events slate while pursuing a merger with entertainment company Skydance Media. The awards show returned to the U.K. last November, taking place at Manchester’s Co-op Live.

MTV launched its first rolling music channel outside of the U.S., MTV Global, in London in August 1987. The first broadcast showed Elton John turning on the broadcast signal in Amsterdam, followed by the music video for Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing.” The U.K. got its own dedicated MTV Music channel in 1997.

Its American counterpart began operation in 1981, helping to popularize music videos as a format. Famously, the first video broadcast was The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star,” while the TV channel played host to other iconic pop culture moments in the following years, including the world premiere of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video in 1983.

Busta Rhymes has launched defamation counterclaims against a former assistant who accused the veteran rapper of punching him in the face for using his phone on the job.

Rhymes (Trevor Smith Jr.) was hit with a lawsuit this summer from Dashiel Gables, who worked as the rapper’s personal assistant for roughly six months starting in July 2024. Gables alleges Rhymes routinely abused employees and that the rapper physically assaulted him in the lobby of a Brooklyn luxury high-rise last January.

At the time the lawsuit was filed, Rhymes called it “an attempted shakedown by a disgruntled former assistant” and vowed to countersue. He has now followed through with a defamation counterclaim docketed on Monday (Oct. 13) in federal court.

“Smith did not assault or batter Gables,” writes Rhymes’ attorney Patrick Butler. “Gables knew the statements were false, or acted with reckless disregard for the truth, including by fabricating allegations of criminal conduct and violence, omitting exculpatory facts and deliberately ignoring contrary evidence.”

The countersuit alleges that Gables’ very public lawsuit has damaged Rhymes’ reputation and caused him humiliation and embarrassment. The rapper also says he lost two advertising campaigns as a result of Gables’ defamatory claims.

Generally speaking, statements made in court are shielded from any liability for defamation under a principle known as the litigation privilege. Rhymes’ countersuit attempts to get around this limitation by alleging that Gables shared his lawsuit with the press and encouraged media reports about it.

Gables’ lawyers did not immediately return a request for comment on Monday.

The lawsuit, filed in August, claimed that Rhymes “routinely degraded” Gables and other employees by screaming, threatening, smacking and spitting at them. The rapper demanded that Gables work more than 15 hours a day but refused to pay him overtime, according to the former assistant.

Gables said this poor treatment escalated in the early hours of Jan. 10, when he was unloading Rhymes’ luggage in the lobby of the rapper’s Brooklyn apartment building. Gables allegedly received a call from his daughter and tried to respond via text, sending Rhymes “into a rage.”

“He screamed ‘Stay the f–k off your phone,” wrote Gables’ lawyers in the complaint. “When plaintiff explained it was his daughter, Busta Rhymes responded, ‘Don’t tell me about your f–king kid, what the f–k that gotta do with me? When Plaintiff responded that it could have been an emergency, Busta Rhymes asked ‘are you talking while I’m talking?’ and then, with a closed fist, punched plaintiff in the face.”

The former assistant alleged he had to go to the hospital to get treatment for his injuries, and that he was later “blacklisted” from the hip-hop industry. Gables also filed a police report against Rhymes, but no charges were ever brought.

Rhymes denies all of Gables’ allegations in his Monday answer and counterclaim. He also asserts a slew of defenses to the lawsuit, including that “any conduct to which plaintiff was allegedly subjected constituted no more than petty slights and trivial inconveniences.”