Earlier this month, Amazon, Google, SiriusXM and Spotify challenged the Copyright Royalty Board’s decision to increase the compulsory mechanical rates paid to songwriters by 44% over the next five years. The streamers have come under fierce criticism for the move, which they claim is over the complexities of the CRB’s rules but is widely assumed
Month: March 2019
Former Disney Star Kyle Massey I’m Being Extorted … Denies Sexual Misconduct Allegations 3/18/2019 3:35 PM PDT EXCLUSIVE Former Disney star Kyle Massey is vehemently denying allegations he sent sexually explicit photos to a 13-year-old girl … claiming the lawsuit against him is a clear and simple case of extortion. We broke the story …
In today’s TV roundup, Netflix has dropped the first trailer for “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Part 2” starring Kiernan Shipka, and former “O.C.” star Rachel Bilson has been cast in Fox’s drama pilot “Lovestruck.” CASTING Former “O.C.” star Rachel Bilson is set to play the female lead in Fox’s new drama pilot “Lovestruck.” The
Imagine Television is developing “Mindscaping,” a 24-episode science fiction series written by Oscar Yang (“Medical Examiner Dr. Qin,” “The Ten Deadly Sins”). The series is the first Chinese-language series developed by Imagine Television, part of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment group, for a Chinese audience. The show is pitched as an original sci-fi
March 18, 2019 3:00PM PT Indian action film “The Man Who Feels No Pain” has been picked up for a premium streaming release in China by iQIYI. The deal was arranged by Hong Kong sales agent Autumn Sun Company. The collaboration is a first of its kind for both sides. As the exclusive distributor in
TV production powerhouse Jax Media is expanding into film and tapped John Hodges, one of the founding partners of A24, as its new head of film. “I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Jax,” Hodges said. “Theirs is a potent brand that I’ve admired for a long time, and their reputation as innovative partners
I hate to break it to you guys, but we’re officially entering into that time of year where you’ll be asking yourself the same question every morning: “Should I wear a jacket?” Yes, winter dressing might be brutal, but getting dressed for Spring is so much worse (there I said it), because the weather is
March 18, 2019 2:25PM PT Hong Kong’s Television Broadcasts is set to boost its OTT platforms locally and abroad with new packages and initiatives targeting the Southeast Asian market. The city’s biggest broadcaster has also renewed its partnership with China’s Huanyu Entertainment following the wild success the two enjoyed last year with court rivalry drama
Nearly 40% of exhibitors at FilMart this year are currently involved in documentary films. This year, there are 290 such exhibitors from 26 countries and regions, an increase of 30% from the year before, and 24 nonfiction titles in screening sessions, nearly double last year’s 13 titles. The market launched its “Doc World” section in
For Westerners making movies in Asia, logistics can be problematic. And, for Asian filmmakers able to navigate local conditions, screenwriting for international audiences and access to markets can still be stumbling blocks. Veteran producer and executive Guy Louthan (“The Mist,” “Raising Arizona”) is now developing a business that straddles East and West, deploys American production
Oriental Intl. makes its FilMart sales debut with a line-up of six new titles and a library of 20 arthouse classics and shorts. The firm is the Hong Kong branch of Chinese state-run radio and TV broadcaster CRI-CIBN’s smart TV division. The company has five employees but only one employee based permanently in Hong Kong.
Historically, ethnic minorities around the world have suffered, and 2019 sees no change in this regard. A brace of HAF projects highlight some of the problems faced by them. From Iran, Arsalan Amiri’s horror/black comedy “Zalava” is set in a village terrified by demonic possession, where a young, agnostic police officer arrests challenges local beliefs
Angel Aristone has been promoted to executive vice president of communications for iHeartMedia, the company announced today. According to the announcement, Aristone will continue to position iHeart as a media and entertainment leader through proactive strategic communication efforts on both a local and national level. She will also continue to oversee media relations and external
March 18, 2019 2:05PM PT The final episode of “Riverdale” before Luke Perry died more than doubled its rating in delayed viewing. The episode, which aired on Feb. 27, the same day Perry was hospitalized, saw a 133% bump from a 0.3 Live+Same Day rating to a 0.7 Live+7 rating. In terms of total viewership,
For the second pilot season in a row, multi-camera comedies have proven to be a hot commodity. The Big 4 have collectively ordered 28 comedy pilots this year, including two animated straight-to-series orders at Fox. Of those 28, 12 are single-cams and 13 are multi-cams (including one multi-cam hybrid at ABC and two at CBS).
The bitter war of words between Hollywood agents and writers continues. Agents are warning that the Writers Guild of America’s proposed elimination of television packaging fees will hurt writers to the tune of $49 million annually in commissions. Sources close to the Association of Talent Agents said Monday that the L.E.K. consulting firm has estimated
David Gilmour’s and Roger Waters’ post-Pink Floyd tours have come up against a common problem: how to deal with the songs (or parts of songs) that the other guy sang. You would think that would be a dilemma squared for drummer Nick Mason, as he undertakes his first “solo” outing, a quarter-century after the last
The UFC — in a major jump to digital away from traditional pay TV — inked an expanded pact with ESPN under which all of the mixed martial arts promoter’s pay-per-view events will be available exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S. for the next seven years. Under the agreement, the ESPN+ subscription streaming service will
There are small, but distinct differences between your pool bikini, beach bikini, and vacation bikini. After all, wearing white on the sand leads to ruining the fabric’s stark hue but could look really amazing against a turquoise pool. Substantial fabrics are needed for snorkeling and diving, but you could go with something a little slinkier
Nearly every scene in “Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists” tells one specific story: This is a series that very much wants to be “Pretty Little Liars: All Grown Up.” It’s an interesting choice for a spinoff, considering the fact that the final season and a half of “Pretty Little Liars” featured a five-year time jump
March 18, 2019 12:37PM PT Apple is expected to give a glimpse of its upcoming video streaming service at an event on its Cupertino, California-based campus on March 25. Reports over the past year have trickled out hinting at what an Apple streaming service could look like, but the company itself has been tight-lipped on
HBO’s head of global distribution Bernadette Aulestia is resigning after 22 years, the premium cabler has confirmed to Variety, though she will remain at the company long enough to help her team through the transition. Aulestia’s exit follows several others as parent entity AT&T reorganizes WarnerMedia, which is made up of Turner, HBO and Warner
The Recording Academy has narrowed its pool of candidates to succeed outgoing chairman/president Neil Portnow to a shortlist of “three to five” finalists, with the Academy now focusing exclusively on executives at the CEO level, sources tell Variety. The next Recording Academy chief is expected to be named in late May, with Portnow staying on through
March 18, 2019 11:30AM PT HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel pilot has cast Miranda Richardson as a series regular in the hotly anticipated yet-untitled series. Richardson, a BAFTA- and Golden Globes-winning actor, joins Naomi Watts, Josh Whitehouse, Naomi Ackle, Denise Gough and others on the series created by Jane Goldman and “Game of Thrones” author
March 18, 2019 11:30AM PT “Veronica Mars” star Ryan Hansen has been cast to play the Adam to Odette Annable’s Eve in the upcoming “Adam & Eve” pilot in the works at Fox, Variety has learned. The singe-camera comedy is based on the French-Canadian format of the same name. The series follows one couple at three
March 18, 2019 11:26AM PT Google’s unveiling of its take on the future of gaming will kick-off the second day of the annual Game Developers Conference and will include hands-on time with some of the tech unveiled at the event, Variety has learned. A Google employee also confirmed to Variety that a logo for the new tech
March 18, 2019 11:20AM PT Tika Sumpter and Anders Holm are joining the growing “Black-ish” world, Variety has learned. They will both star in the upcoming prequel episode, which could reportedly launch into its own spinoff series. As earlier reported, ABC is in development on the prequel that would focus on Tracee Ellis Ross’ character Rainbow. Holm
Another Sunday has passed which means another installment of Kanye West’s weekly church service. Launched at the top of the year, it’s become the most prestigious, highly-coveted invitation among the greater music community in Los Angeles — an event that only the select and handpicked worshipers get to experience. So what’s the service like? Think:
Aaron Paul is an Idaho boy at heart. The three-time Emmy winning star of “Breaking Bad” and producer and actor on Nickelodeon’s bawdy, subversive animated series “Bojack Horseman” currently makes his home in Los Angeles, but Paul was born in Emmett, a sleepy city about 30 miles outside of Boise, and escapes to the spud
The Writers Guild of America has singled out Hollywood’s largest talent agencies, William Morris Endeavor and Creative Artists Agency, for allegedly soaring profits. The WGA, in an acrimonious negotiation over proposed new rules about how agencies represent writers, issued a report called “agencies for sale” on Monday morning — a few hours before a fifth
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